Midland Churches: A History of the Congregations on - General ...

n charge, fozmded on 2 Tim. ii., 15 ; Rev. MT. JenRins prbached on Hedrezes xiii.,
7; Rev. ?V. HTood conclzm'ed 7e~ith Prayer."
In 1799, during ~illiak Allard's ministry, <strong>the</strong> Sunday School was
established.
John Cooper was an ardent supporter <strong>of</strong> Reform when <strong>the</strong> agitation
for an extension <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> franchise spread through <strong>the</strong> country in 1832. Some
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> principal members <strong>of</strong> this congregation took an opposite view <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> question. Cooper's straightforward advocacy <strong>of</strong> Reform alienated some
members <strong>of</strong> his congregation, and <strong>the</strong> trustees asked him to resign. He
declined, and appealed to <strong>the</strong> Stafford Assizes, but was nonsuited on <strong>the</strong>
ground that his position was not tenable. He was, <strong>the</strong>refore, compelled
to leave <strong>the</strong> meeting-house ; he endeavoured to establish ano<strong>the</strong>r society
in <strong>the</strong> neighbourhood, but met with insufficient support, and abandoned
<strong>the</strong> undertaking. In 1f40 he became minister <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Long Sutton G.B.
Society, where he remained till his death in 1865.
John Gordon's Coseley ministry is notable for <strong>the</strong> work he did here
in resisting church rates. i-
With <strong>the</strong> advent <strong>of</strong> Mr. Eachus, in 1865, <strong>the</strong> improved administration
,<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> society's estate was undertaken. A new trust was formed, com-
posed <strong>of</strong> gentlemen <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> locality, who had <strong>the</strong> welfare <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> cause at
heart. Permission was obtained from <strong>the</strong> Charity Commissioners to lease
<strong>the</strong> mines underneath some seven acres <strong>of</strong> land situated at <strong>the</strong> Coppice,
with which <strong>the</strong> society was endowed. The sale took place in January,
1874, and after a spirited bidding <strong>the</strong> property was bought by <strong>the</strong> Bilston
Iron Company for ;E4,ooo. Of this, one half was to be paid in three
months, and <strong>the</strong> remainder in two years by annual instalments, <strong>the</strong> buyers
also having to pay A60 a year for ground rental.
The proceeds, or part <strong>the</strong>re<strong>of</strong>, were devoted to building purposes,
.additional sums being raised by subscription. What was not expended on
re-building <strong>the</strong> Meeting-house was invested for <strong>the</strong> support <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> minister.
.The new building was opened on 10 August, 1875, <strong>the</strong> preacher being
Geo. Vance Smith, D.D., <strong>the</strong>n minister at Sheffield, and a member <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
New Testament Revision Committee. This re-building was not accom-
*M.S. Minutes.
+See Evesham for fur<strong>the</strong>r particulars <strong>of</strong> his useful life.
piished without great exertion and sacrifice on <strong>the</strong> part <strong>of</strong> Mr. Eachus,
who, with <strong>the</strong> consent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> trustees, and <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> society, borrowed ;G~,ooo
from <strong>the</strong> Charity Commissioners, undertaking to repay that amount by
twenty annual instalments <strong>of</strong> A50 each. A large piece <strong>of</strong> adjoining land
has since been added, at considerable cost, to keep open <strong>the</strong> frontage for
ever, and to provide a site for better school buildings whenever <strong>the</strong>y may
be required.
In May, 1886, a draft scheme was submitted to <strong>the</strong> Charity Com-
missioners for <strong>the</strong> management <strong>of</strong> Coseley Old Meeting-house, minister's
house, and trust property in <strong>the</strong> parish <strong>of</strong> Sedgley. The approved scheme,
dated 10 August, named seven instruments affecting <strong>the</strong> property, viz : -
(I) Indenture, 28 August, 1722, between Henry Wainwright and
George Douglas, and o<strong>the</strong>rs ;
(2) Indenture <strong>of</strong> 18 July, 1735, John Whitehouse and Richard Wain-
wright, with o<strong>the</strong>rs ;
(3) Indentures, 12 and 13 February, 1779, Job Maullin and Richard
Amner, with o<strong>the</strong>rs ;
(4)
Indentures, 26 and 27 May, 1790, Isaac Whitehouse, and TlPomas
Worrall Grazebrook, and Joseph Maullin, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> third part, with
o<strong>the</strong>rs ;
(5) Indentures, 27 and zS January, 1820, Daniel Whitehouse and
Henry King, Joseph Maullin, &c. ;
(6)
(7)
Indentures, 10 and I I May, 1882, Joseph Parkes, Richard Smith,
George Elwell Jackson, James Adshead and Joseph Maullin,
with eleven o<strong>the</strong>rs, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fifth part ;
The ~vill <strong>of</strong> Enos Stanley, dated 15 June, 1874.
The property is vested in trustees, and <strong>the</strong>re are various clauses for
regulating <strong>the</strong> filling up <strong>of</strong> vacancies, for <strong>the</strong> meetings and proceedings <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> trustees, for <strong>of</strong>ficers, for general management, particularly <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> real
estate, and for <strong>the</strong> application <strong>of</strong> income.
The history <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Old Meeting Charity School, which dates from 1753,
when Samuel Timins, <strong>of</strong> Oldbury, Sarah, his wife, and her sister, Jane
Turton, <strong>of</strong> Cotwall End, widow (both sisters and CO-heirs <strong>of</strong> John Smith,
deceased), endowed it with four tenements, is fully detailerby Mr. Hack-
wood in his SedgZey Researches, p. 88.