Our little church on the west side of the Crowe River at Marmora is named St. Matilda’s.

But who was St. Matilda?

Queen Matilda was married to Henry the first, and a powerful woman. As a political activist she also is now heralded as the ‘Patron Saint of Misbehaving (or Disappointing) Children’- such presumably as her own. It was a title earned as a result of her dealings with two contentious sons fighting over one crown.

St. Matilda is also venerated as a builder of chapels and by the falsely accused. All in all, she was the right choice after whom to name our contentious little church.

No sooner had it been erected, was it the subject of litigation.

The little stone church was built under the direction of mine manager, Anthony Manahan in the mid 1820’s. It was probably the first Catholic Church back from Lake Ontario and was consecrated by Upper Canada’s first Catholic Bishop.

When Church of England members not only came to use it, but also claimed to control the access to it by Catholics, the quarrels began. After a series of public insults back and forth, Anthony Manahan got a Magistrates Order that the church was indeed Catholic. Its ruins still occupy the lovely site beside the Crowe River, north of the dam.

Two little crosses were made by the Ironworks to crown each end of the little Church. One of them still survives in the Catholic Church on Bursthall St..

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