Lunedale is to the east side of the Pennines, west of Middleton in Teesdale. Prior to 1974 it ws the most northwesterly part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, but was then moved to County Durham.
The three main settlements were Bowbank, Thringarth, and Grassholme. However the closing years of the nineteenth century saw the development of the Selset and Grassholme reservoirs with the loss of much agricultural land.
A Wesleyan chapel was rebulit on the site of an earlier one at Thringarth in1865 (closed 1963) and a Primitive Methodist chapel west of Grassholme (Plantation End) 1842, extended 1860, rebuilt 1888 (as reported in the Teesdale Mercury). On the plan it was known as Lunedale Chapel.
In 1842 the circuit had given permission to W Collinson , T Sayer, and H Allinson “to beg for Lune chapel.” – land given by George Raine of Turnerholme.
As might be expected the Primitive Methodist families in this sparsely polulated area interbred, the Sayers, Allinson’s and Watsons.
Henry Allinson (1799-1855) , of Grassholme mill (now under water) married Margaret Watson. He became the grandfather of a PM minister John Watson Allison 1850-1891 (surname spelt differently), and Isabella Allison who married PM minister John Bowness (1867-1930)
The PM Chapel remained open till the 1990’s.
The MIddleton in Teesdale circuit plan also featured Lunehead chapel from 1868 until 1903.
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Lunedale Head chapel:
The Teesdale Mercury gives reports on the activities of this society which was centred on the settlement of Grains o’th’Beck.
A separate entry for this is to be found in the chapels section, though it has not yet been established whether there was a dedicated chapel building.
I have corrected the text in line with the comments concerning date of closure.
Thank you for that – I obviously pressed the wrong key- it was 1963.
Thringarth Chapel closed in 1963, not 1903
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