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

Of Samuel Griffiths' ministry here <strong>the</strong> author has no particulars, o<strong>the</strong>r
than that <strong>of</strong> a note in <strong>the</strong> II/POIZZ~/Z& Mt'cting minutes <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> meeting at
Cradley, 2 May, 1809, to <strong>the</strong> effect that <strong>the</strong> preacher was <strong>the</strong> Rev. S Gn$ths,
nephew <strong>of</strong> late Mr. G. <strong>of</strong> lVolverha??z$ton; and that his first ertry in <strong>the</strong> Old-
bury registers bears date, 2 January, 1811, his last, 25 March, 1812.
Samuel Goode supplied for a few (three?) months in <strong>the</strong> first half <strong>of</strong> 1812.
On 14 July, 1812, Timothy Davis removed from Swansea to Birmingham,
and, as recorded in <strong>the</strong> register, became nzinister <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Presbyterian
Chapel, OIdbu~y, from jiz~b, 1812, which <strong>of</strong>fice he held until his resignation
in June, 1845, just three years prior to his death. He was first cousin to
Timothy Davis (q.v.), <strong>of</strong> Evesham, being son <strong>of</strong> Thomas Davis, <strong>of</strong> Pentresion,
who was bro<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong> David Davis, <strong>of</strong> Castellhywel. He was a frequent
preacher at <strong>the</strong> JZonthly fl~feetihg, and was twice Dudley lecturer. In an
early number <strong>of</strong> Yr. Yilr<strong>of</strong>ynydd <strong>the</strong>re is a touching poem from his pen, full
<strong>of</strong> reminiscences <strong>of</strong> his old home and its associations.
William McKean, a native <strong>of</strong> Paisley, was brought up among <strong>the</strong> Scotch
Independents, being a lay preacher in that denomination. Being in Glasgow
he heard George Harris preach, when he found, what so many o<strong>the</strong>rs did,
that he had been a Unitarian unawares to himself; and to <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> his
long life regarded Harris as his spiritual fa<strong>the</strong>r. In 1835, on <strong>the</strong> recom-
mendation <strong>of</strong> Harris, he became minister <strong>of</strong> a small society at Alnwick,
and after about a year's residence <strong>the</strong>re moved to Sunderland, where he
remained some two years, when he settled at Walsall. Seven years after-
wards he removed to Oldbury, where, for quarter <strong>of</strong> a century, he was
minister <strong>of</strong> this society and master <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Free School. The last years <strong>of</strong>
a wonderfully active ministry were saddened by blindness, which began
to assert itself in 1862 ; an operation for cataract proving unsuccessful.
On March, 1858, his son Henry, <strong>the</strong> present esteemed minister <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
society, became his assistant. He preached <strong>the</strong> Dudley lecture on three
occasions, besides being a frequent preacher at <strong>the</strong> MoslzthZy Meeting.
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE OLDBURY DOUBLE LECTURE.
I 776-1865.
Concerning this lecture, Job Orton says (27 June, 1775) :-" 1 wondered
very mz~ciz 7rrherz / was a child that no i~zore notice was taken <strong>of</strong> Bartholomew's
Day l?y <strong>the</strong> dissenters, as 1 had head so ntzcch <strong>of</strong> it fro?;r~ nzy grandfa<strong>the</strong>r and
o<strong>the</strong>rs, pious rdations and aged Christiarzs. Ol4bztry Lectzrre in this neigh6ou?*hood
used to be preached in <strong>the</strong> week in which <strong>the</strong> 24th <strong>of</strong> Az~gust fell, a7zd atas
ifzstitztted 072 pz~rpose to co?ltnzen~orate <strong>the</strong>se enzinent men. 1 once preached <strong>the</strong>re,
and considered <strong>the</strong>ir case. Bztt on accors;lzt 07 <strong>the</strong> harvest it was jut <strong>of</strong> to <strong>the</strong>
middle <strong>of</strong> Septenzber [second Tz~esday i?z S~eptenzber], which I think was zezrong-, as
<strong>the</strong> object <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> lecture was in time forgootte?. I perszcaded sonze ministers whom
I coztld be free with, ze~hen <strong>the</strong>y preached this Zectz~re, to keep in view <strong>the</strong> intention
<strong>of</strong> it, and <strong>the</strong>y did so, nzuch to <strong>the</strong> pleasure and edz$cation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir hearers."
In his MS. history <strong>of</strong> Park Lane Chapel, Cradley (q.v.), James Scott
says :-Oldbzrry Lectz~re has existed nzore than n centz~ry. Tradiz'io?z reports that
a stack <strong>of</strong> chi?~nies fell down at <strong>the</strong> Brades House, by 70hich <strong>the</strong> Tztrto~z family were
in i~?zmi?zent danger. To express <strong>the</strong>ir gratitztde for this deliverance <strong>the</strong>y zizvited
<strong>the</strong> neighbouring nzinisters to assisl <strong>the</strong>m in keeping a day <strong>of</strong> thanksgivi~zg; wko
from that ti711e annually asse??zbZed in <strong>the</strong> Dissenting Chapel in Oldbury. I have
since learzt, from z~ndoubted authority, that it was instituted to commenzorate <strong>the</strong>
nzi?ziskrs ejected on Bartholomew's Day, 1662.
David Maginnis, F. R. Hist. S., minister at Stourbridge (q.v.) 1862-1884,
in his " Historical Sketch," read at <strong>the</strong> Centenary Celebration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Monthly
Meeting <strong>of</strong> Protestant Dissenting Ministers <strong>of</strong> Warwickshire and <strong>the</strong> neighbouring
Counties, held in Birmingham, 13 December, 1882, says :-" A
traditional account attributes <strong>the</strong> origin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Oldbury Lecture to <strong>the</strong>
following incident-The Turton family, who resided at <strong>the</strong> Brades, narrowly
escaped serious injury from <strong>the</strong> falling <strong>of</strong> a part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir house, and <strong>the</strong>y
invited <strong>the</strong> neighbouring ministers to assist <strong>the</strong>m in keeping a Day <strong>of</strong>
~hanks~iving, and it has been stated that <strong>the</strong> ministers from that time
annually assembled in <strong>the</strong> Oldbury Dissenting Chapel. The fact seems
to be that <strong>the</strong> Oldbury Lecture, though not coeval with <strong>the</strong> Dudley Lecture,
was founded for <strong>the</strong> same object by successors <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ejected ministers,
and that <strong>the</strong> Brades accident occurring about <strong>the</strong> same time as one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
Oldbury Lectures was naturally made a prominent subject <strong>of</strong> thanksgiving
by <strong>the</strong> brethren, <strong>the</strong> Turtons being an influential and much respected family,
with whom <strong>the</strong> eminent minister <strong>of</strong> that name, <strong>of</strong> Birmingham and Oldbury,
was closely connected."
The earliest reliable record <strong>of</strong> this lecture is <strong>the</strong> minute book, which
begins in 1776.