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

xvi
Again, <strong>the</strong> Rev. Thomas Thompson, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Old Meeting, Stockton-on-
Tees, records in his lea<strong>the</strong>r-jacketed register, that :-
My dear (and on& own) Bro<strong>the</strong>r, John Thonzpson, 7e1as, z~~it/t
ye whole ss/l@'s com$any except one ma?z, cast away 072 ye coast
<strong>of</strong> Lincol~zshire, about ye 26 <strong>of</strong> febrzrary, I~o;, ye Lord nzake
me ready also ;
whilst one <strong>of</strong> his successors, <strong>the</strong> Rev. Andrew Blackie, is careful to enter
that :-
Az~g 2, r 778, 1 baptized /oh~, S. <strong>of</strong> Johfz McfGzy, sailor, and <strong>of</strong>
Chrisiian, his wge. A?B. He was press'd, n~zd cnrried on
Board a Tender that same day.
Or take <strong>the</strong> register <strong>of</strong> Mat<strong>the</strong>w Henry's Chapel, &ester, wherein its
minister, <strong>the</strong> Rev. John Gardner, records that on 25 October, 1715, he
baptized :-
Mackbryan (Mary), d. <strong>of</strong> Duncan Machbrya?~. Dzrnca~z was
Killed at <strong>the</strong> Battle <strong>of</strong> Preston ikfoor, Novenz. I 2, I 7 I 5 -'
and an unsigned entry tells to all who read that :-
MY. Gardner was Interred in 277-inity Ch~~rch next to A~Y.
Henry.
If <strong>the</strong> work undertaken by <strong>the</strong> Parish Register Society in printing <strong>the</strong>
registers <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> our parish churches be, as it undoubtedly is, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
greatest historical value and interest, so too would be that <strong>of</strong> a Non-
Parochial Register Socie@.which dealt especially with <strong>the</strong>se registers. An
excellent example has recently been set in this direction by Mr. Arthur A.
Rollason, <strong>of</strong> Dudley, who has carefully edited all <strong>the</strong> non-parochial registers
<strong>of</strong> his parish, beginning with those <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Friends, in 1656, and including
<strong>the</strong> Presbyterian, Independent, Baptist. Wesleyan, and hlethodist New
Connexion registers.
In <strong>the</strong> following pages it has been my constant aim to give, with
correctness and brevity, <strong>the</strong> main facts and data <strong>of</strong> every society. Of <strong>the</strong>
34 buildings now standing and described, 31 have been personally visited
by me ; whilst <strong>of</strong> those rased, altered, or used for o<strong>the</strong>r purposes, I
remember, in Birmingham, <strong>the</strong> passage entrance in Deritend, between
Nos. 224 and 226, ' Meeting House Yard,' which led to <strong>the</strong> Lower Meeting-
house ; <strong>the</strong> Old Meeting and its burial ground ; and <strong>the</strong> Church <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
Saviour. It was my privilege to have <strong>the</strong> remains <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> walls <strong>of</strong> Philip
Henry's buildings at Broad Oak pointed out and described to me by that
true antiquary, <strong>the</strong> late Rev. Mat<strong>the</strong>w Henry Lee, M.A., rector <strong>of</strong> Hanmer,
and editor <strong>of</strong> his ancestor's ' Diaries and Letters '; as it was also my
privilege to <strong>of</strong>fer prayer and deliver a short address in <strong>the</strong> old Presbyterian
Chapel, Whitchurch, <strong>the</strong>n and still used as a schoolroom, on <strong>the</strong> occasion
<strong>of</strong> a united town's temperance meeting one Sunday evening ; whilst at
Bloxham I was taken by an aged man, <strong>the</strong> last local survivor <strong>of</strong> my
fa<strong>the</strong>r's congregation, to see <strong>the</strong> remains <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> building in which worship
was held.
Of <strong>the</strong> men whose names are recorded as ministers to <strong>the</strong> congrega-
tions 93 have been known or seen by me.
The silver cups in longest, unbroken use at <strong>the</strong> administration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
Lord's Supper are <strong>the</strong> two belonging to <strong>the</strong> society worshipping in High
Street Church, Shrewsbury-<strong>the</strong> gift, in 1735, from <strong>the</strong> residue <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
goods <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Rev. John Bryan, M.A., one <strong>of</strong> its two first ministers. The
four silver chalices used in <strong>the</strong> Church <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Messiah are those bought
on 18 November, 1782, during Dr. Priestley's ministry to <strong>the</strong> congrega-
tion. The oldest silver plate in <strong>the</strong> province is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> three cups
owned by <strong>the</strong> New Meeting, Kidderminster, which is marked with <strong>the</strong>
letter <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> London assay <strong>of</strong> 1721-22, and inscribed it being in all
probability, an article <strong>of</strong> domestic use in <strong>the</strong> Pearsall family for half a
century before <strong>the</strong> opening <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Meeting in 1782. The best and largest
piece <strong>of</strong> pewter plate is <strong>the</strong> alms dish at <strong>the</strong> Church <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Saviour,
Whitchurch, and formerly used in <strong>the</strong> adjacent Presbyterian Chapel in
Dodington.
Amongst <strong>the</strong> church furniture and relics, <strong>the</strong> ' Baxter' pulpit, owned by
<strong>the</strong> New Meeting, Kidderminster, claims <strong>the</strong> first place. At <strong>the</strong> suggestion
<strong>of</strong> more than one friend I have given, as a frontispiece, <strong>the</strong> drawing <strong>of</strong> it,
which originally appeared in Vestiges <strong>of</strong> Protesta?zt Dissent. The ' dove '
inkstand and <strong>the</strong> two oaken chairs in <strong>the</strong> Old Meeting Church, Birming-
ham, are <strong>of</strong> interest ; also <strong>the</strong> ' Bishop Hall' and 'Job Orton' chairs at
Kidderminster, <strong>the</strong> chair, with <strong>the</strong> well carved back panel, owned by <strong>the</strong>
Wolverhampton society, and <strong>the</strong> brass candelabrum, with dove and olive
branch, and <strong>the</strong> vestry furniture in <strong>the</strong> Meeting-house at Alcester, are all