Bendish Primitive Methodist Chapel, Hertfordshire

Bendish, although a hamlet in the Hertfordshire parish of St Paul’s Walden, was in the Luton Circuit, clearly demonstrating that circuit boundaries do not follow county, parish or any other recognised boundaries. Other Primitive Methodist chapels in Hertfordshire, at Trowley Bottom and Harpenden, were also originally in the Luton Circuit.

The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service holds a copy of a certificate of registration for worship dated 1861. However, a commemorative stone on the front of the building gives the name as “Jubilee Chapel”; this is presumably a reference to Queen Victoria’s Silver Jubilee, which would give a date for the building of 1862. J Phillips reported in the Primitive Methodist Magazine for 1862 that the chapel cost £80 to build, of which £30 had been raised.

It appears that the chapel, which had 100 sittings, was sold in 1972; it was subsequently converted to a dwelling.

 

References

Primitive Methodist Magazine 1862, p.750.

Methodist Church, Methodist Church Buildings – Statistical Returns including seating accommodation as at July 1st, 1940 (Manchester: Department for Chapel Affairs, 1947), p.21.

Bedfordshire and Luton Records and Archives Service, MB575 and MB579.

Comments about this page

  • The ‘Jubilee’ refers to the PM Jubilee, which took place in 1860, the movement’s 50th year (not after 50 years, which would have placed it in 1861). The label is applied fairly loosely though to any chapel built to commemorate the event at the beginning of the decade, and so 1861 is probably spot-on.

    By Sandy Calder (31/12/2012)

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