Graveyard. St Mary Jackfield - The Red Church.

The now demolished Chapel of Ease of St Mary at Jackfield is surrounded by a number of mysteries. Some well placed authorities attribute its building in 1759 to Francis Blithe Turner in memory of a female relative. Other say it was paid for by Mrs Mary Browne, and set a later date of 1766. There is a popular legend that the deceased lady did not want the church built on the conventional East-West alignment, and each night rose from her grave to push down the work completed during the day. Hence the church was built North to South.
The building quickly became unsafe, and although it had been built to save those living along the Severn the journey to Broseley to worship, regular services ceased in about 1860. A hundred years later the church, whose architect some claimed to be Thomas Farnolls Prichard, celebrated for his connection with the design and construction of the iron bridge, was demolished.
The church was commonly known as The Red Church because of the colour of the local brick used in its construction, but in the 19th century was known as The Church on the Hill. In the century of its construction it enjoyed the epithet of The New Church.
Close to the site is the Cholera Ground (1832) for the reception of victims of that disease in one mass grave. A single tombstone marked "T Crump" denotes the place, so it is claimed.