Ellesmere Circuit, Shropshire
Transcription of Article in the Christian Messenger by Rev. William Wilcock
ELLESMERE Circuit, with its parent Oswestry Circuit, was originally part of the Shropshire Station of the Burland Circuit. From our church history we gather that, following the remarkable results of a Camp meeting held at Waterloo, between Wem and Whitchurch, at the Whitsuntide of 1822, urgent requests for the establishment of services came from several places around Ellesmere and Oswestry. Two names, among others associated with the introduction of Primitive Methodism into this locality, are Thomas Bateman and William Doughty. In those times licences for preachers and preaching places were a necessity, as Mr. Doughty learned from an experience of a Mr. Whittaker, of Knolton Bryn, who was fined by the magistrates of Overton £20 for preaching in an unlicensed house. These pioneers encountered fierce opposition as they sought to gain an entrance and a hearing for their Gospel messages in these villages. At Tetchill, two miles distant from Ellesmere, Mr. Doughty, with his comrade Mr. Mullock, were charged by two men on horseback, and Mr. Doughty was ridden over, sustaining such injuries to his head that the blood ran through his hat. Through a gentleman at Ellesmere these miscreants were brought to justice.
Ellesmere Circuit consists of ten places, seven of which appear on the preachers’ plan for 1824, viz., Bagley, Knolton, Cockshutt, Gadlas (Dudleston), Lympit Hill (Stanwardine), and Lee. These ten places were detached from the Oswestry Circuit in 1895, forming an independent Circult with Ellesmere at its head. This town, situated near a beautiful lake or mere, covering 120 acres, is the centre of a rural population, wholly dependent upon agriculture. The absence of any other industry explains its population of 2,000 as an invariable quantity for many decades. The major portion of the town forms part of the Bridgewater estate, and the difficulty of procuring land for a place of worship was an impediment to our church for several years. Every attempt in this direction was in vain, until Mr. Robert Roberts, the Class leader, zealous for the cause, succeeded in acquiring some property in the main street. He was offered £50 to relinquish his purchase, but replied, “No, we will have a chapel,” and on March 2nd, 1840, a suitable portion of this purchase became the property of the Primitive Methodist Connexion. On this ground, a chapel, “Mount Zion” by name, but severely plain in its architecture, was erected at a cost of £250, and was opened for Divine Service in the following July.
The preachers for the occasion were James Bourne and John Hallam, both of Bemersley; and these first services were crowned with several conversions. As several saintly women were associated with the beginnings of our church in this district, it is worthy of record that a Mary Ann Hignett received the thanks of the Trustees for collecting £40 towards this new chapel; and at her death a legacy of £50 was paid to the Steward for the purposes of this Trust.
For sixty- six years this place served for all church and school purposes, during which period it underwent considerable alteration and enlargement.
When in more recent times, these premises showed signs of deterioration, and became altogether inadequate to the needs of a growing church and school, the officials prepared the way by raising funds and looking out for a larger site for the erection of a modern church and school. Shortly after the Rev. W. Wilcock came to the superintendency of the Circuit it happened that some property in the centre of the town came into the market. This was bought by a lady, and upon a part of it she built a cottage hospital and presented it to the town. Being kindly disposed towards our Church, she generously sold the remaining portion to the Trustees, and the present church and school occupies decidedly the best site in the town. The seating capacity of the church is for 250, and here we have an interesting congregation and a good choir, with Mr. Joseph Pixton as conductor. The Sunday school numbers 130 teachers and scholars. These premises cost over £1,700, and the present debt is £450. Mr. J. Woodville, of Bagley Hall, whose sympathy with, and generosity to, this undertaking (as also in the building of other chapels) are unfailing, is the Treasurer. With the exception of this latest venture, the Trust estates of the Circuit are debtless. Bagley, Weston Common and Stanwardine are comfortable village chapels built on the plan generally adopted in the early years of our church. Stanwardine owes its position to Richard Parbott, who provided the land and worked with untiring zeal to extinguish the debt. For many years he was an ideal Society steward and Chapel treasurer. At other places, the first chapels or meeting-houses are displaced by beautiful modern structures. Dudleston, Penley and Lee are recent erections.
Haughton, a fine Gothic building, was erected through the initiation of Mr. Robert Williams, now of Australia, and the late Mr. Edward Parry; and the model village church of Cockshutt is due mainly to the diligent efforts and generosity of Mr. John Gresty and Mr. Charles Sadler.
Of those into whose labours we have entered, mention may be made of Mr. and Mrs. L. Nunnerley, Thomas Hales, Edward Drury, Edward Venables (father of Rev. J.W. Venables) all of Ellesmere; Richard Parbott – in whose memoir it is recorded that as a local preacher for sixty years, he never neglected an appointment – Samuel Davies, Andrew Price, George Grindley, William Lea, and the families of Joseph and John Dickin, all of whom have by their loyalty and devotion contributed to the upbuilding of the Circuit.
Others in active service, in season and out of season, and who live to see the harvest of their labours, are Edward Davies, a local preacher over fifty years, the brothers Thomas and Samuel Kynaston (uncle and father of Rev. T. Kynaston) and Richard Bevan, are each approaching their Jubilee on the Circuit plan.
Included in the productions of this Circuit are three ministers of our church: Rev. Thomas Kynaston, of Stretford, Rev. J.J. Reeves of Bradford, Rev. George Preece of Patrington, and the Rev. Price Davies who is a minister of the Anglican Church; while of local preachers the four sons of Mr. James Bagnall are rendering good service in various parts of our church.
Our people are exceedingly hospitable, and no one is more welcome to their homes than their minister. With them the joy of the present is inseparably linked to the experiences of the past, and many ministers have left the impress of their Christian character and influence in the hearts of parents and children.
William S. Howlett, James Davies, George T. D. Pidsley, are household names. John Holland, first superintendent of this Circuit, did admirable service in shaping its future; and there have subsequently laboured in this part of the Masters vineyard, Walter Perry, William Hall, Thomas M. Lakin, and the present minister’s term will cover a period of eight years. Our Circuit steward, Mr. Joseph Higgins, is the son of the veteran, Edward Higgins, and succeeded to this office when Mr. Edward Parry removed to the Oswestry Circuit. For fifteen years Mr. Higgins has proved to be a most exemplary and successful steward. We cannot speak too highly of the work of our missionary collectors, whose self-sacri?ce and unquenchable zeal keep up our missionary revenue; and of our Sunday school superintendents, John Roberts, Samuel Dickin, Frederick Butler, Henry Tudor and Edward Birch are worthy of honourable mention. Our difficulty is to increase the staff of our local preachers, for many of the better type of our young men leave the villages for the towns. Nevertheless, we cherish great hopes for this Circuit, and make bold to predict that with the adjacent Circuits it will participate in moulding the future of Shropshire Primitive Methodism.
References
Christian Messenger 1911/373
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