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

The first meeting-house, said to have been built in 1708, suffered in
<strong>the</strong> riots <strong>of</strong> 1715, when, writes James Scott, an attenvt zuns nlnde by three
Za6ourer.s to bur~~ damn <strong>the</strong> chapel. The flanzes, howez~er, were exti~zgz~zkhed, two
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> men were i17z~zediately taken, and one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m sz~fered caPital $cur ishr~zent
at Worceste?:
William Hutton, <strong>the</strong> Birmingham historian, alluding to this attempted
destruction, says that-
this solitary place had fallen by <strong>the</strong> hand <strong>of</strong> violence in <strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>of</strong>
George I. (in <strong>the</strong> Sacheverell agitation <strong>of</strong> 1714)) for which a person <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
name <strong>of</strong> Dollax was executed, and from whom it acquired <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> St.
Dol!ax, which it still bears. Three hundred yards beyond <strong>the</strong>y arrived at
<strong>the</strong> parsonage house, which underwent <strong>the</strong> same fate.
The meeting-house was restored, and left in peace, until destroyed at
<strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Birmingham Riots. The writer <strong>of</strong> AN AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT
. , . RIOTS IN BIRMINGHAM, SAYS :-
Sunday, 17 July, 1791, nine o'clock at night. The rioters have been all day
busy in <strong>the</strong> country. Dollox (sic) Chapel, five or six miles from Birmingham,
and Sorhole Mills, are said to have been this day burnt to <strong>the</strong> ground.
Birmingham, Tuesday, July 19. Three quarters past Nine in <strong>the</strong> Morning.
The fires seen from Birmingham, on Sunday, were at <strong>the</strong> houses <strong>of</strong> Mr.
Harwood, Mr. Russell, Mosley HalI, several hayricks, a farmhouse, Dollox
Chapel (better known by <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> King's-wood or King's-heath Chapel),
and some o<strong>the</strong>rs ;
whilst we get references to Mr. Hobson in A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL HOUSES
ONLY THAT HAVE BEEN SET ON FIRE AND PULLED DOWN, viz. :-
Rev. Mr. Hobson's, Balsol Heath. The house <strong>of</strong> Mr. Hobson, a Presby-
terean (sic) Parson, and <strong>the</strong> dwellings <strong>of</strong> Messrs. Budd, Hawkes, Harwood,
and a farmhouse in <strong>the</strong> neighbourhood <strong>of</strong> Mosley, were also demolished.
These persons were marked as principal applauders <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> French Revolution.
Every obstacle was placed in <strong>the</strong> sufferers' way, from claiming com-
pensation for <strong>the</strong>ir losses at <strong>the</strong> rioters' hands, and even when <strong>the</strong> sums
were awarded by Government two years elapsed before payment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m.
This society claimed <strong>the</strong> modest figure <strong>of</strong> A198 8s. gd. for <strong>the</strong> meetinghouse
and A267 14s. II~. for <strong>the</strong> parsonage ; it received A139 17s. 6d.
and A200 respectively.
Building operations were soon begun on a site close to that on which
<strong>the</strong> burnt meeting-house had stood. By October, 1793, <strong>the</strong> place was
finished, and on <strong>the</strong> 28th <strong>of</strong> that month a memorial was printed and circu-
lated by <strong>the</strong> society, stating that <strong>the</strong> rebuilding was accomplished, giving
<strong>the</strong> dimensions-
39 feet by 33 in <strong>the</strong> exterior,
and <strong>the</strong> expense as g461, exclusive <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> members' own manual labour.
Contributions were requested to supply deficiencies and to raise a fund for
<strong>the</strong> rebuilding <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> parsonage. The memorial also stated that since <strong>the</strong>
new place had been opened, <strong>the</strong> congregation was considerably larger, and
had a more numerous attendance <strong>of</strong> stated hearers than was customary
before <strong>the</strong> riots. Four bricks, which <strong>the</strong> author saw ziz sifu on 20 Septem-
ber, 1896, were built into <strong>the</strong> outer side wall <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> meeting-house, at <strong>the</strong>
corner next to <strong>the</strong> parsonage, bearing <strong>the</strong>se names and dates :-
THOS. GREVES, I
Kingwood, 1792. John Bardill. I
In 1874, during <strong>the</strong> ministry <strong>of</strong> Rev. James Taplin, <strong>the</strong> building was
thoroughly restored ; his son Russell, a musician <strong>of</strong> no mean order, being
mainly responsible for <strong>the</strong> organ improvements.
Situated in one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most pleasant and retired spots in <strong>the</strong> county
<strong>of</strong> Worcester, <strong>the</strong> chapel, school house, and parsonage have still an old-
world look and charm, remote from all city noise and smoke. The burial
ground, with its many associations and memories, stands in much <strong>the</strong> same