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

ministry a gentleman <strong>of</strong> considerable influence borrowed <strong>the</strong> title deeds,
and retained <strong>the</strong>m in his possession, who, with his friends, procured <strong>the</strong>
election <strong>of</strong> a second Mr. Jones [Noah], whose religious principles were not
esteemed correct by <strong>the</strong> church and pious part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> congregation on which
account <strong>the</strong>y were compelled to leave <strong>the</strong> old meeting-house.
James Scott, in his MSS., says :--In Sejte??zber, 1762, Mr. [[Noah] Jo,res
removed to WaZsaZl, by <strong>the</strong> desire and i?tvitation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ?7tajority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Disselzters.
This, he was soon convinced, was an error irz cnndztct for <strong>the</strong>factioz/s party zealots in
that to7u?z, who had before separated i7z <strong>the</strong> Rev. Mr. Winter's tiute, afer caailli~zg
and jndifzg faz~lt about a year, e?-ected a nzeeiifzg -house and exerted <strong>the</strong>ntselz~es
strenuously to sz@fort it. This secession <strong>of</strong> 28 members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> society and two
deacons, on doctrinal grounds, took place in 1763. The first meeting-house <strong>of</strong>
this new society was in a court in Dudley Street, which, in 1791, gave place to
<strong>the</strong> large chapel in Bridge Street.
Shortly after <strong>the</strong> decision in <strong>the</strong> Wolverhampton Chapel (q.v.) case, an
attempt was made by this society in Bridge Street to take possession <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> parsonage house in Rushall Street belonging to <strong>the</strong> parent society in
Stafford Street, which at <strong>the</strong> time happened to be empty, it being an in-
terval between two pastorates. An entrance was forced, and a man put
in possession with bedsteads and o<strong>the</strong>r furniture. Upon this reaching <strong>the</strong>
ears <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> late Dr. John Day, afterwards a justice <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> peace, and a
leading member <strong>of</strong> Stafford Street congregation, he at once repaired to
<strong>the</strong> house and turned out <strong>the</strong> intruder, and threw his furniture into <strong>the</strong>
street after him ! The Bridge Street people threatened <strong>the</strong>y would prosecute
Dr. Day for rioting, but <strong>the</strong>y never did, and, as <strong>the</strong> doctor used to add
when telling <strong>the</strong> story-
soon after me a magistrate.
And so <strong>the</strong> parsonage once more was saved by its rightful owners.
Unfortunately for our purpose <strong>the</strong> early register <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Old Meeting
is not forthcoming. Its disappearance is thus accounted for by an entry
in <strong>the</strong> later one, now in Somerset House :-Of <strong>the</strong> dates fror~z 1752 to 1788<strong>the</strong>
register <strong>of</strong> this Walsall Old Meeti~zg-hozlse is lost or ntislaid. It was slpposed to have
p been plnced i?z <strong>the</strong> hands <strong>of</strong> Mr. S??~it/l, clerk to <strong>the</strong> church, by Rev. Aroah Jones, 7e<strong>the</strong>n
he was ill and retiring from his o8ce <strong>of</strong> pastor, about <strong>the</strong> year 1767. If not so, it was
€onsidered that a fifr..Jefries, <strong>of</strong> thr! o<strong>the</strong>r nzeeting-house, ??z&ht have had it intrusted
to his care, This latter person died on a ranzbZingjour~zey to get szdbscribers to a large
-
7e)ork which he proposed to pltblish ; afzd no elzquiry coz~ld be mode nboztt <strong>the</strong>
register from hiuz, nor any frz'end <strong>of</strong> his.
The book from which this extract was taken by <strong>the</strong> author, in July,
1898, is headed :--The I Register <strong>of</strong> Baptisltls I nt I The Old Jfeeti?zg-house I
WalsalZ. I A?B.-I$ <strong>the</strong> congregation. ever break I@, this Register is to be sent to
Dr. WilZia?~zs's Library, Red Cross Street, Lolzdo?z. It is a thin octavo volume,
in marble papered sides, and covers <strong>the</strong> period from 1788 to 1837.
Thos. Ebenezer Beasley
Benjamin Davis
Thomas Moore
Thomas Bowen
Abraham Manley
Thomas Bowen
27 April, 1788
21 Nov., 1789
13 July, 1791
4 Feb., 1798
22 Oct., 1820
26 June, 1823
11 Oct., 1'189
27 June, 1790
1 1 Aug. , I793
11 June, 1820
16 July, 1821
26 Feb., 1837
In 1699, George Fowler bequea<strong>the</strong>d a sum, <strong>the</strong> interest <strong>of</strong> which was
to be devoted to <strong>the</strong> teaching and instructing <strong>of</strong> poor children <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> town
<strong>of</strong> Walsall. This bequest, now known as "Fowler's Sunday School
Charity," is still administered by <strong>the</strong> minister and members <strong>of</strong> this society.,
It is also worthy <strong>of</strong> record that this society gave <strong>the</strong> Anti-Corn Law
League its secretary, in <strong>the</strong> person <strong>of</strong> .James Hickin, who was one <strong>of</strong> its
and a teacher in <strong>the</strong> Sunday school.
FWL&W 3
Godly was voluntarily assisted in his ministerial duties by John Rey-
nolds (q.v.), who, after resigning his Shrewsbury ministry and spending a
short time in London, lived at Walsall for <strong>the</strong> remainder <strong>of</strong> his life.
No particulars have yet been found which give <strong>the</strong> period <strong>of</strong> Winter's
ministry, nor <strong>the</strong> year in which his successor, David Jones, settled here.
Noah Jones, from what is stated before, could not have had a very
pleasant ministry here. Perceiving <strong>the</strong> discontent <strong>of</strong> a portion- <strong>of</strong> his
hearers, and <strong>the</strong> perfidy and unsteadiness <strong>of</strong> many who had signed his
invitation, he endeavoured to preserve a proper temper. Not wasting his time ziz
f~uilless co?@Zaints he II&-OMZLS& aMied himself to <strong>the</strong> con@ositz'on <strong>of</strong> sernzolzs, to
his school, and to <strong>the</strong> per?~sal <strong>of</strong> a great zjariety <strong>of</strong> valz~able aztthors, by which he
acqzihed a ntuch larger stock <strong>of</strong> Knowledge and experience than he would have