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

Built 1724.
Restored 1879-80.
MINISTERS.
Edmund Taylor ...
Henry Roughley ...
Jonah Malkin ...
John Byng ... ...
John Owen ... , . .
William Parkinson . . .
Thomas Bowring ...
Charles Frederick Biss
John Dean ... . . .
Richard Elliott Birks
William Robinson . . .
Frederick Teasdale Reed
John Howard . . .
Before speaking about <strong>the</strong> men who have ministered to this society,
let us see what is known respecting <strong>the</strong> meeting-house. On <strong>the</strong> outside
wall <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> present building, above <strong>the</strong> porch, is a stone inscribed :-
THIS HOUSE WAS BUILT 1724.
That this is not <strong>the</strong> first place <strong>of</strong> meeting is evident from various entries in
<strong>the</strong> interesting Baptismal register, to <strong>the</strong> pages <strong>of</strong> which <strong>the</strong> author is largely
indebted, indeed had it not beeii for a perusal <strong>of</strong> this volume in Somerset
House it would have been impcssible to have found <strong>the</strong> information else-
where, owing to <strong>the</strong> very scanty topography which seems to be forthcoming.
On 14 November, 1702, it is recorded that John Naseldzize, son <strong>of</strong> John
HaseZdi~ze, was baptized in yyc nzeeti~zg-hoz~se <strong>of</strong> Tai?~worth by MT. Thomas Bladen.
Here, <strong>the</strong>n, is reference to a former meeting place and a record <strong>of</strong> Bladen
-who was ejected from Alderwas, lived many years in Birmingham, preached
at many places <strong>the</strong>reabouts, and died at Tamworth-<strong>of</strong>ficiating in it. Two
or three similar entries also mention this meeting-house, but whe<strong>the</strong>r it
stood on <strong>the</strong> same site as <strong>the</strong> present on2 is not known. If me may be