additional information (CH 02/20 and 06/21)
The 1868 Primitive Methodist magazine contains a report by EH of the reopening of Benton Square Primitive Methodist Chapel.
It tells us that the first chapel had been erected around 1830 after missioning by William Clowes and Jeremiah Gilbert, who conducted a camp meeting on Scaffold Hill. The Dawson family were significant contributors to the cause. In time the chapel needed alteration and repair: a new roof was put on and the pulpit replaced by a platform. It cost £50 “which was a considerable sum for a few labouring people. Ralph Dawson played a significant role.
The chapel reopened on December 14th 1867. Speakers included R Watson (Shields), JH Toplin, Thomas Johnson, W Owen (South Shields) and Thomas Nightingale (Chirton) and the Revs B Hall, HB Kendall and W Antliff.
Sitelines, the Tyne and Wear Historic Environment Record website, locates Benton Square chapel in the middle of what is now Benton Square industrial estate, Where the appropriate name of Wesley features in the road network. It tells us that the chapel is shown on first edition Ordnance Survey maps of 1860. Baptism records end in 1977 and the chapel has been demolished.
Grid Reference: NZ 29887010
Reference
Primitive Methodist magazine 1868 pages 178-179
Sitelines; accessed 17th June 2021 at https://www.twsitelines.info/SMR/15251
Comments about this page
I was interested to read that they conducted a camp meeting on Scaffold Hill, which is a very short walk to the south of the Benton Square Chapel.
Scaffold Hill has no connections with hangings, it was a large open area used for events such as horse racing, the scaffold seems to relate to some sort of viewing platform, an ideal location to give a sermon. Now almost all modern housing.
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