There are two Chapelries in the Township of Stansfield, Heptonstall and Cross Stone. Heptonstall Chapel gained the right to perform christenings and to celebrate marriages from the Parish of Halifax in 1593 and its Parish Registers date from that time. Stansfield events prior to 1593 are recorded at Halifax. The Chapel of Cross Stone or Crostone takes its name from an ancient stone cross by which it is situated, that is believed to predate the Norman Conquest. Although rites were performed at Cross Stone, they were not official until recorded in the Register at Heptonstall. This was true until the liberalizations of the 1800s. Many, many Stansfields are buried at Cross Stone and it is considered to be the original home Chapel of the Stansfield family. To give some idea of the relative magnitudes, probably the population of the Township of Stansfield has never much exceeded 5,000 people and yet there are hundreds and hundreds of Stansfields recorded in the Heptonstall Parish Registers.

John Stansfeld of Leeds, wrote and had privately published in 1885, the definitive study of the Stansfield/Stansfeld family. In 1885, if one had drawn an imaginary circle about 20 miles in diameter, centered on Heptonstall, one would have encompassed 90% of the family in England at that time. In addition to Heptonstall,WRY, the principal Stansfield centers in this circle include Almondbury,WRY; Ashton-under-Lyne,LAN; Bradford,WRY; Calverley,WRY; Elland,WRY; Halifax,WRY; Middleton,LAN; Oldham,LAN; Rochdale,LAN; Sowerby,WRY; and Todmorden,WRY. Although historically there were few parishes in this area, today one can enumerate over 270 parishes within this 20 mile circle; most of these dating back only to the early 1800s. It is believed that the 1885 book only accounts for about 40% of the Stansfields during the period studied. It focuses principally on the Heptonstall, Bradford, Halifax, and Sowerby branches.

During the late 1600's and early 1700's, the West Riding of Yorkshire was a hotbed of Non-Conformists. One writer has estimated that in this part of England, there were more Non-Conformists than members of the Church of England. Significant numbers of the Stansfields were known to have been English Presbyterians and Quakers.

Presbyterian Chapels attended include:

	Toad Lane Chapel, Bradford,WRY
	Old Chapel Presbyterian, Dukinfield,CHS
	Northgate End Presbyterian, Halifax,WRY
	Upper Chapel Independent, Idle,WRY
	Non-Conformist Chapels at Northowram and Coley,WRY
	Westgate Presbyterian, Wakefield,WRY

Quaker Meetings include:

	Bradford Monthly Meeting, Bradford,WRY
	Brighouse Monthly Meeting, Brighouse,WRY

Additionally, Non-Conformist Meetings were licensed to be held at the homes of

	James Stansfeild, of Mankinholes, Stansfield,WRY on 8 Oct 1689 [Quaker]
	John Stansfeld, of Sowerby,WRY in Jul 1696 [Presbyterian]

One of the best documented branches of the Stansfield family is the Sowerby branch, descended from Josias Stansfeld, of the Breck, Sowerby (1619-1703). He and his family are well documented as having been members of the Rev. Oliver Heywood's Non-Conformist Congregation. Rev. Heywood records in his journals on numerous occasions of preaching at the house of Josias Stansfeld. One of the neatest finds in putting together this tour is a complete online version of Rev. Heywood's Register of the Northowram and Coley N-C Chapels which contains information on some Quakers and other Non-Conformists besides just his own congregations.