Sources
The following account is drawn from the Annals of the Anglo-Hibernian Province (1849–51, 1852–55, and 1856–58), compiled by Fr. Salvian Nardocci CP. Quotations are given verbatim from these sources.
The Wilfridites and the Origins of Cotton Hall
Cotton Hall, near Cheadle in Staffordshire, was not built by the Passionists. The magnificent church and the greater part of the monastery were the work of Dr Frederick Faber and a group of companions who had withdrawn there with the intention of forming an entirely new religious congregation. The Annals describe the circumstances:
"The magnificent church and a larger portion of the monastery had been built by Dr Faber and some companions, who had retired with them at Cotton Hall, with the intention of founding a new religious order or congregation, which at first went by the name of 'Wilfridites' & …. the same Father Faber had drawn up some rules for his new congregation which object was almost the same as that of the Oratorians, to which members subsequently united themselves after some time. Dr Faber went to London, and Dr Newman to Birmingham."
There was already a connection between Cotton Hall and the Passionists before they arrived there. Father Dominic Barberi had given a retreat to Faber's community at Cotton Hall as far back as 30 August 1847 — preaching to the people in the school building which then served also as a public chapel. The Annals note wryly that Father Dominic never thought that after three years his own children would be the inhabitants of that magnificent house.
Source: Annals of the Anglo-Hibernian Province, 1849–51
The Offer and Taking Possession, December 1850
Once Faber and Newman had moved their community to the Oratory houses in London and Birmingham, Cotton Hall became a liability. The Annals explain what happened next:
"St. Wilfrid's was now rather of burden than otherwise to the good Wilfridites, as besides interfering with their utility in London and Birmingham, they found the expenses, but especially the taxes, very enormous. Hence they resolved to give it over to some other religious community. In August of this year 1850, they offered it to our Vice-Provincial, the Very Reverend Father Ignatius Spencer… Father Raphael arrived there on Friday evening, December 13th, and on the following day Father Eugene sent from Aston Hall Brother Alphonsus, a first-rate lay brother, to prepare what was necessary for the reception of others."
The Passionists had not been the first to be offered the place. The same combination of distance from large towns and heavy costs had prevented its acceptance by the Redemptorists, the Oblates of Mary, and others. Only after several failed negotiations did Father Eugene finally agree terms with Father Faber in London, and the handover was concluded before Christmas 1850.
Source: Annals of the Anglo-Hibernian Province, 1849–51
First Impressions: An Ideal House for Study
The initial assessment of St Wilfrid's was enthusiastic. The Annals record the high hopes that accompanied the new foundation:
"The house and the Church of Saint Wilfrid is perhaps the best establishment which the Congregation at present processes [sic] in England. The double advantage of the solitude and amenity of the place, united with the amplitude and commodiousness of the building, render Saint Wilfrid peculiarly adapted for study."
The plan was to use St Wilfrid's as the seminary of the Province, and some of the young religious were already sent there for study. The Annals add a rueful parenthetical: "After we left [it] became indeed [a] seminary, not of the Passionists, but of the diocese of Birmingham."
Source: Annals of the Anglo-Hibernian Province, 1849–51. Note: "processes" appears in the source where "possesses" is clearly intended.
The Harsh Reality
The optimism did not last. The Annals for 1852–55 give a stark account of what life at Cotton Hall actually meant for the community:
"We have already mentioned the cold, and the want of our poor religious during the winter in that house. The poor Superior was confined to his bed, more than half, during it. Father Austin had died there. The other religious also were very delicate, not having sufficient nor nourishing food. Every one of the religious dread of having to spend the winter there."
The Annals note that from the moment the Passionists took possession of Cotton Hall, everything seemed to go wrong. The Earl of Shrewsbury, who had provided £50 a year in support, died; several religious left the Congregation; and the community found itself accused before the bishops and even before the Holy See of having lost the spirit of the Passionists.
Source: Annals of the Anglo-Hibernian Province, 1852–55
The Breakfast Question
The difficulties were not only physical. The local Catholic community had been accustomed, under the previous occupants of Cotton Hall, to a style of generous hospitality which the Passionists — themselves in poverty — could not provide. The consequences were serious:
"The first Sunday after our arrival there, some of the people came round the kitchen door to ask for their breakfast! Our poor religious did not know the meaning of this request for breakfast, and indeed they themselves were not in a position to feed themselves and much less to feed others. Of people were disappointed of course, and began to complain and taxed us of want of charity, and hospitality. They saw and felt that matters were changed. They had no breakfast now, nor a glass of beer, or a cup of tea. They had no sports or amusements as formerly. The Catholic religion became too dull for them, hence by degrees began to get lax in frequenting the Sacraments. Some left them entirely without however going back to their old faith."
Source: Annals of the Anglo-Hibernian Province, 1852–55
Financial Collapse
The death of the Earl of Shrewsbury removed the only regular income the house had. Father Raphael, then Superior, wrote a letter — reproduced in the Annals for 1856–58 — which sets out the position plainly:
"In consequence of the death of the late Earl of Shrewsbury, Saint Wilfrid's has lost the only small means it had of supporting the mission, viz. £50 a year, the Trustees of the late Earl declare themselves totally unable to assist us; at the same time the debts which I found owing had not yet been paid and are now becoming pressing."
The Annals for the same period note that at the time of writing it had been fifteen months of negotiations to find a way to hand the place over, without success. The bishop had joined in offering it to several religious communities, and none would accept it.
Source: Annals of the Anglo-Hibernian Province, 1856–58
The Decision to Leave
The Father General's conclusion, as the Annals record it, was unambiguous:
"In 1855, some new arrangements having taken place in our English Province, our Father General determined to give up Saint Wilfrid's which was rather a hindrance to us than a help."
The community was effectively removed towards the end of 1855. For some months afterwards, at the Bishop's request, one priest and a lay brother remained to take care of the property until a secular priest could be provided. The formal handover came in early 1857:
"During this month the Passionist Fathers gave up to the Bishop their magnificent retreat and church of Saint Wilfrid, Cotton Hall… Saint Wilfrid's Retreat, Church and land were taken entirely out of our hands. Later on the place was selected as a college which now (1887) is a most flourishing college for classical and commercial education."
Source: Annals of the Anglo-Hibernian Province, 1856–58. The parenthetical "(1887)" is the annalist's own later annotation, indicating that this passage was written or revised in that year.