|
Nonconformity in Wheathampstead
Bishop Compton’s return of
1676 listed 10 non
conformists in Harpenden and 26 in Wheathampstead.
1675. Hugh Smith of
Wheathampstead drew up a list of Baptists who attended the church at
Kensworth. 13 from Wheathampstead, 8 from Harpenden. Included the
following Wheathampstead
families: Tidd (Tide);
Cason; Rawlins; Smith; Penny; Harden and Osman.
1678 Brother Osman,
(an inhabitant of Wheathampstead and servant in a brother’s house) was
recorded as spending a day of excess,
drinking and cheating his Baptist employer who could do no less
but declare it to the church” “ he yet lieth under admonition”.
Feb 1679/80 Brother
Rawlins (also of Wheathampstead)
“did very often drink and kept bad company to the
impoverishment of his wife and children.” Was withdrawn from the
church and only restored after 10 years in 1691 after he repented.
Toleration Act 1689
|
The Toleration Act of May 1689 granted a limited toleration to
Presbyterians, Independents Baptists, and Quakers; - they
could worship freely but were excluded from public office.
(Catholics and Unitarians were still liable to prosecution).
|
1690 Dissenting
houses in Wheathampstead licensed in names of Richard Sibley and James
Harding (Harden as listed in 1675?)
1694 Anabaptists had a house
certified in Wheathampstead.
1700 another house certified
in names of Hugh Smith (both senior and junior) and the reformed John
Rawlins, at William Osman’s house “at the east side of Gustard Wood”.
“our dear brother Harding
being only left alone in the office of Eldershead he wanted someone to
assist him. He was father-in-law to James Marshall, founder of the
charity. Harding obviously held in high esteem and a leader of the
group.
1706 and 1721, Bishop of
Lincoln’s visitation records 14-18 dissenting families in
Wheathampstead, as opposed to only 2 – 3 in Harpenden .
June 1723 dissenting house at
Custed Wood (William Young) also at Marshall’s Heath (Richard Coddall)
March 1728 house of John
Grannell at Wheathampstead
1749 Andrew Tristram
1828 Protestant dissenters had
a house licensed to meet at Mrs Susannah Nash (possibly Methodists)
1839 a new Wesleyan chapel
built on the Hill at a property owned by Jacob Harrison (now an
Insurance office) There were 6 members, Grays and Deverills, but they
doubled their nos in 3 years.
1808 The Independents had a
house licensed at Wheathmpst in the names of Anne Fillbey and Thomas
Parrett
1810 Thos Neale had a house
licensed for worship.
8 Sept, 1812, George Sutton of
Water Mill was licensed. (known as the Water Mill) Did they worship at
the mill as I have heard they did?
1815 Sutton collaborated with
other Protestant independents to build a special premises (a chapel)
on Brewhouse Hill. Certified on 26 May, and opened on 5 July 1815. The
first sermon was preached by Mr Cox, a pastor of St Albans
Congregational Church . (It belonged to Rogers, Sutton and Bacon)
1856 29 new members admitted
in one year.
1872 Membership was 22
1887 The Folly Methodist
church was built (to some opposition from those on the Hill as it was
thought to be a challenge to their membership).
1895. Membership down at the
Brewhouse Hill. “The Cause was
in a very feeble state”. But under the leadership of Thomas Wren,
village wheelwright, membership trebled from 7 – 21.
By 1897 membership was down
again and it closed in 1939. “Today it is a factory “(source 1975 WEA
booklet 3). The Folly Methodist closed in 2004.)
The Independent’s Chapel
joined the Congregational Union, and in 1876 a new chapel was built.
22 May 1877 it was opened
Easter Monday 23 April 1877 A
bazaar was held in the school room to raise funds to pay off the
building debt (£70 was the target). This was reported in the
Herts Advertiser in some
detail. Mr Wiles the
Mayor opened it on Monday afternoon at 2.00 pm.
He recollected his first association with the original chapel
55 years earlier. He had laid the foundation stone of the new
church the year before and referred to George Sutton as a relative of
his, praising him for “carrying on the good work”. He gave £5 5s as a
gift towards funds, praising Rev. Hoppus for being “exceedingly
zealous in giving encouragement to the young and to persons of larger
(sic!) growth”.
A Mr Williams of Finchley (Hon. Sec. to the Herts
Congregational Union) said “the structure of the Wheathampstead church
was a model to the Congregational churches of the county”.
In June 1889 they celebrated
the 75th anniversary of the establishment of their church
in Wheathampstead.
Mr Morgan, the minister at the
start of the 20th century, publicly burnt a copy of the
1902 Education Act at Church Green, Harpenden, which he opposed.
Always strong rivalry between
Anglicans and Congregationalists up to World War I.
Competition over church “dos” fetes, etc.
|
