St Thomas the Martyr

Registers

Incumbent

Churchwardens

Vestry

Parochial Church Council

Overseers of the Poor

Waywardens

Charities

Societies

Books, printed material etc

Plans and photographs

Historical material

Miscellaneous and Deeds records

THESE RECORDS ARE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH

Deposited by the Revd J. Ware, Social and Industrial Ministry, St Thomas the Martyr, St Thomas Street, Bristol BS1 6JJ on 20 December 1974. The deposit was confirmed by the Parochial Church Council.

Items marked * were deposited April 1989 and June 1990 by Mr Neil Skelton, Redundant Churches Fund, St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 5DE.

Deposited by the vicar and PCC of St Thomas the Martyr, 20 December 1974, except file P/St T/HM/32, which was deposited by Mr N P V Keen, July 1979, files P/St T/I/45, ChW/185 and 199-202, PCC/1(d)-(e), PCC/2-4, Ch/2/34/11 and 2/36, PM/18, 20-28 and 30-36, PP/3(b) and 19-20, and HM/33, which were deposited by the Redundant Churches Fund, April 1989 and June 1990, and file P/St T/PM/37, which was deposited by Mr Yabsley, December 1994

St Thomas formed part of the Diocese of Bristol on the creation of the diocese in 1542. It had always enjoyed certain parochial rights and was regarded as a parish church although it was not granted independent parochial status until 16 October 1852. Previously it was, together with Abbots Leigh and St Mary Redcliffe, a chapelry of the parish or manor of Bedminster. The parish was united with St Mary Redliffe by order of the Church Commissioners on 24 February 1956 and the church was used as a centre for the exercise of the ministry of the Word and Sacraments among those engaged in industry in Bristol. The work of the Social and Industrial Ministry was transferred to the Cathedral in 1977.

The church is dedicated to Thomas Becket, who was martyred at Canterbury in 1170 and canonised in 1173. In 1538 Henry VIII ordered that Becket should no longer be cosidered a saint and references to "the martyr" were crossed out of the church records. A new matrix for the parish seal made in 1567 bore the legend "Thomas the Apostle of Jesu Christ", though in some deed s executed after Henry's order the church is described in a non-committal way as of St Thomas. References in deeds earlier than 1538 make clear the original dedication to St Thomas the Martyr, which is now in use.