John Alsager
John Alsager senior, was one of the five gentlemen petitioners who asked the bishop of Chester for permission to pull down the chapel, in 1740. By the end of the year John had died, having scrawled a capital “A” on the codicil to his will. His widow lived long enough to see the main building finished and decorated. Their surviving son, also John, went on to become High Sherriff of Cheshire in 1763. Their three spinster daughters inherited large estates, including the Lion and Swan hotel in Congleton. The Alsagers lived in a house on “Latham`s Land” beyond the end of the main street. The ancestral home, Alsager Hall, was let. In Wagg Street alone, to the left of the Lion and Swan they had 22 properties in 1795.
The daughters funded the building of Christ Church Alsager and spent or provided substantial legacies to care for the poor of Congleton and Biddulph. They were particularly concerned for the welfare of poor women and provided for the training of girls with disabilities. They were following the example of their brother and mother: between them they had bought seven pews in the rebuilt chapel, which was the principal means of funding the building.
They are buried in pairs except for John senior, in six very worn graves, in the centre aisle (under the carpet) close to their memorial.