South Yorkshire Times, April 28th, 1939.

Less than a month before he was to have been instituted to the living of Aston-cum-Aughton, the vicar of Swinton, the Rev. T. G. Rogers, has announced this week, owing to difficulties concerning the repair of the Aston recovery, that he has decided to stay in his present living. Though it will come with the effect of surprise, the news will be welcomed through the parish, wherein preparations were already being made to give Mr and Mrs Roger a sendoff.

Mr Rogers announced his acceptance of the Aston living in mid-February, and he explained to his parishioners that “after 11 1/2 years I feel that the change will be good for you and us.” It is understood that his decision to withdraw his upset tenants of the living was reached over the weekend when the Bishop of Sheffield visited Swinton vicarage.

Vicar’s statement.

Mr Rogers told a representative of this newspaper that he was extremely reluctant to come to a decision which involved the prolongation of the vacancy at Aston, which has already lasted seven months “my difficulty,” he said, “lies in the condition of the very cumbersome rectory and its large range of outbuildings which naturally involved and incumbent in heavy charges for upkeep.”

“I felt, in principle, the problem of the rectory should be tackled now before spending large sums of money on its repair. In practice, if the rectory were put in full and proper repair by loans on the income, it would be an tolerable  to try and keep up so large a house and grounds on a seriously reduced income.”

Asked that what figure he estimated the necessary repairs and renovations to the Aston rectory, Mr Rogers and said, “more than 1000.”

Mr Rogers has worked strenuously to overcome the difficulty of the Aston Rectory. He regards the spending of over £1000 on its repair as something akin to putting money down the drain. He has approached the Ecclesiastical Commissioners with a view to obtaining a grant towards the Demolition of the old and the erection of a new rectory. He met the Aston Parochial church council on Monday evening and put their matter plainly before them. They, too, like the Ecclesiastical and Diocesan authorities and the patron of the living, felt unable to do anything substantial to meet the difficulties of the situation.

And so there the matter stands. There is a rectory which no vector can support on the income derived from the living. It is a rectory, containing 25 rooms, that nobody wants, and the sooner the church authorities deal with the matter the better.

Since the Aston living became vacant it has been offered successively to the Rector of Snaith (Canon Moxley), the vicar of Scunthorpe (the rev.C.steele), and the Vicar of Swinton, each of whom, in turn has declined the living.

Connection with Swinton.

Mr Rogers has had a long connection with Swinton church. He came to the town as curate under the rev. C. Steele, and was ordained deacon on December 27th, 1910, and Priest in the following year. After two years work in the parish she went to be curate with his father, the vicar of Littleport, and in October, 1915, he returned to South Yorkshire to undertake the living of Highland. From 1918 to 1919 he served as Champlain to the forces. And on his return married Miss Doris Steele, eldest daughter of his former vicar. He was instituted vicar of Swinton in June 1927.

Aston living.

The Aston living has been vacant for seven months by the retirement of the rev. William Halford brook, who had been rector since 1909, the population of the parish is put at 5000, and the seating capacity of all Saints churches 350. The patron of the living is the Duke of Leeds.

Aston-Cum-Aughton is in the rural Deanery of Handsworth and their archDeaconry of Sheffield. It is an extensive parish and includes several hamlets in addition to Swallow Nest, Aughton, fence and North Staveley. Formerly a rural parish, Aston is now, to a large extent, industrialised. The parish churches at Aston, a daughter church at Aughton, in the parish hall at Swallow Nest.

The net value of the living is put by the Diocesan Journal at £862. The retired rector takes one third of this amount during the remainder of his life.