All Saints Church, Cockermouth

There has been a church on this site since, at least, the 14th century and this is the 3rd building constructed here. The first was demolished in 1711, and the second destroyed by fire in 1850. The current building was completed and consecrated in 1854. The grave of John Wordsworth, father of William Wordsworth, who died tragically young in 1783, is situated on the south-east corner of the churchyard. He had lived with his family on Main Street, Cockermouth, where William was born in 1770. William and Dorothy Wordsworth were both baptised at All Saints church (the previous building), but sadly the record of this event has been lost. The east window of the church is dedicated to William’s memory.

Adjacent to the church are the old Church Rooms, now in private ownership. In former times, this was the grammar school of Cockermouth, which William briefly attended – as did Fletcher Christian, of Mutiny on the Bounty fame.

All Saints is part of the Cockermouth Area Team of churches (which also includes Christ Church, Cockermouth) and the Grasmoor (ecumenical) Mission Community. It has a regular Sunday congregation of 30-40 people, meeting each week at 9.30am (except 5th Sunday in the month, when the team comes together at different venues). The business of the church is administered by a church council, overseen by the Parochial Church Council of the Cockermouth Area Team, currently under the leadership of Canon Godfrey Butland.