| Christ Church | |
|---|---|
| Christ Episcopal Church | |
 | |
  Christ Church | |
| 40°23′38″N74°07′04″W / 40.39389°N 74.11778°W /40.39389; -74.11778 | |
| Location | Middletown Township, New Jersey |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Episcopal |
| Churchmanship | Anglican Communion |
| Website | christchurchmiddletown |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 17 October 1702 (1702-10-17)[1] |
| Dedicated | 1738 (1738)[1] |
| Events | SirHenry Clinton andLord Cornwallis leaving theBattle of Monmouth meet at the Church corner. Some of the wounded were housed in the Church.[1] |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Neo-gothic |
| Years built | 1744-1745 |
| Groundbreaking | 1744 (1744) |
| Completed | 1745 (1745) |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 53 feet (16 m)[1] |
| Width | 40.25 feet (12.27 m)[1] |
| Height | 16.5 feet (5.0 m)[1] |
| Materials | Large, hand-shaped rough stone[1] |
| Bells | 1 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Province II[2] |
| Diocese | Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey[2] |
| Episcopal area | Episcopal Church in the United States of America[2] |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Rt. Rev. Sally French[3] |
| Priest in charge | Rev. Dr Cathy Bickerton |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | John Balme |
Christ Episcopal Church | |
| Location | Middletown Township, New Jersey |
| Built | 1744 |
| Architectural style | Neo-gothic[1] |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000511[1] |
| NJRHP No. | 2022[4] |
| Significant dates | |
| Designated | November 12, 1971 (1971-11-12) |
| Designated NJRHP | July 19, 1971 (1971-07-19) |
Christ Church is a historicchurch inMiddletown Township,New Jersey built in 1744.
Though not officially named as such, it is believed that the firstChurch of England services held in Middletown was in the private home of Alexander Innes, the formerchaplain of the Fort of New York, as early as the 1680s. Middletown, at the time, wasn't the best place in the region due to its proximity to the shore and the perpetuation of its residents to house visiting pirates.[1]
In 1701, New JerseyBritish GovernorLewis Morris wrote to theBishop of London about the "wicked" Middletown. The letter described the Sunday Meetings (presumably church services) at the local publick house being filled with fights and running of races.[5] By 1702 theSociety for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts arrived by way of their missionaryGeorge Keith. Along with Innes, the men formed what was to become Christ Church on October 17, 1702. For several years, services were held in private homes until 1705, when Judge John Johnson - a friend of Innes - gave over the rights to the old Monmouth Patent courts for use of a church.[1]
In 1738,King George II granted the church an official charter that was signed by GovernorWilliam Burnet. By 1744, a building was constructed and finished the next year allowing services to being.[1]
The church survived the battles unscathed despite its proximity to severalbattles and skirmishes. Following theBattle of Monmouth, the battle-beatenSir Henry Clinton andLord Cornwallis met at the corner of what is now King's Highway and Church Lane and some of the wounded were held in the Church.[1]
Following the successful end of the War, the Church sent delegated to the firstGeneral Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States.[1]
In 1736, William Leeds, a reputed cohort of the pirateCaptain Kidd, had left a sizableglebe for the church. But the controversy over how the glebe came to be is what made the donation a topic of controversy.[5]
Leeds, following a successful career as a pirate and profiteer, had settled, along with some of his fellow shipmates, in the Ideal Beach section of Middletown and married some of the township women. In order for him to make good after his deeds as a pirate, he set up a trust that would be given to both the Middletown andShrewsbury Christ Churches following his death. The trust included any money and his property atSwimming River, in Leedsville (nowLincroft).[5]
Is it believed that his sizable wealth came, most likely, as a result of is plundering since Leeds was aSociety of Friends member and took no part in any piratical violence. Leeds died in 1739.[5]
Media related toChrist Episcopal Church (Middletown, New Jersey) at Wikimedia Commons
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