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

John Pru<strong>the</strong>ro-
a Welshman <strong>of</strong> Cardiff,
was one <strong>of</strong> Dr. Doddridge's students at Northampton academy. He was
at A<strong>the</strong>rstone in 1744, in which year a Presbyterian Board grant to <strong>the</strong>
congregation was paid to him. He may possibly <strong>the</strong>n have been assistant
to John Reynolds. Walter Wilson in his MSS. notes him as at Evesham
and A<strong>the</strong>rstone, but it is certain he was not minister <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Presbyterian
society in Evesham. As we saw above, by 1760 he had been-
lawfully ejected.
His successor here was William Buckley, one <strong>of</strong> Dr. Ashworth's students
at Daventry academy, who to-
<strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> his life used at breakfast his Daventry tea cup and saucer ; this
shows that he must have been a very careful man."
A little before Michaelmas, 1762, he became minister <strong>of</strong> Dukinfield
Chapel, where his fa<strong>the</strong>r had previously been from 1714 to 1752, but-
he inherited none <strong>of</strong> his fa<strong>the</strong>r's commanding talent. Nei<strong>the</strong>r in mind nor in
body was he a very active man ; he is described, in early life, as a clerical
dandy, and is said to have introduced into <strong>the</strong> Dukinfield pulpit a silk gown
and powdered wig. The story goes that on one occasion, Nathaniel Walker,
when Buckley was about to ascend <strong>the</strong> pulpit, met him in <strong>the</strong> passage, and
pointing with his walking stick to <strong>the</strong> minister's dress, exclaimed aloud,
'Where silk gowns and powdered wigs come, <strong>the</strong>re cometh no gospel.'
Perhaps Angier's was a stuff gown ; at any rate after Buckley, we hear
<strong>of</strong> no wig in <strong>the</strong> Dukinfield pulpit, and no gown till 1832.f
Richard Wright, <strong>the</strong> youngest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ebur Bro<strong>the</strong>rs, and <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> four
sons <strong>of</strong> Mat<strong>the</strong>w Wright was born near Congleton, in Cheshire-
A mile and a half from Daneton [Congleton], at <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> a steep rise in
<strong>the</strong> opposite direction from Minsterbury [Astbury], stands <strong>the</strong> three-gabled
manor house <strong>of</strong> Hiltonbrook. In spite <strong>of</strong> a new front, and many modern
*Gordon's DuKinjeId p. 57.
fGordon's Dukinfild p. 58.
A quaint reference to ministers' wigs is met with in <strong>the</strong> M.S. minute book (1691
1717) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> United Brethren <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> City and County <strong>of</strong> Ex6n., and County <strong>of</strong> Devon ; in
<strong>the</strong> custody <strong>of</strong> Dr. Williams's Trustees, at <strong>the</strong>ir library in Gordon Square, W.C. Exdn.
9 and zo May, 1710. Otze <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> brethren, Mr. Ball, sspoke with much warmth against ministers
wearing long ZiglZt Pmder'd Wigs, ns Chat which gives great <strong>of</strong>eence to seriogs people, and is a
preirt hindrance to <strong>the</strong> success <strong>of</strong> our ministry. A later hand has added :-The aersons which
gave this <strong>of</strong>ence were Parr and Huxham.
improvements, <strong>the</strong> last <strong>of</strong> which divided it into two separate dwellings, it
still retains some features corresponding with <strong>the</strong> date <strong>of</strong> 1633, carved on an
oaken beam <strong>of</strong> its upper storey. Here lived, from <strong>the</strong> early part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> last
century till very near its close, Farmer Mat<strong>the</strong>w [Wright], a Tameshire
[Cheshire] yeoman <strong>of</strong> good position, and a pillar <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Presbyterian cause.
I know little about him, except that he brought up four sons and two
daughters, and died at a great age, outliving all his sons, though one <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong>m had passed <strong>the</strong> appointed' term <strong>of</strong> three score years and ten.
In 1757 Mat<strong>the</strong>w Wright was appointed one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> trustees <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
Cross Street Meeting-house, Congleton, which in 1883 gave place to <strong>the</strong>
present modern erection. Large pictures <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> exterior and <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> interior
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> old place are before <strong>the</strong> author, <strong>the</strong> details shewn <strong>the</strong>rein corres-
ponding with this description in <strong>the</strong> Rozw Bro<strong>the</strong>rs:-
Its existing meeting-house <strong>of</strong> brick, except <strong>the</strong> stone sills to <strong>the</strong> latticed
windows, dates from 1733. It possesses a panelled pulpit, and, within dark
oaken rails, a tiny communion table, and a fine specimen <strong>of</strong> an old oak
chair. At <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> venerable pews on <strong>the</strong> ground floor are holes
originally intended for inserting candles, in case <strong>of</strong> evening service. The
gallery is more modern. This ancient structure is doomed to destruction,
if indeed it be not already swept away, as I write. Its present possessors
want a more modern building to worship in, so it must go.*
Of <strong>the</strong> four bro<strong>the</strong>rs, Mat<strong>the</strong>w was <strong>the</strong> eldest. He went to London
to study law, but died a minor. The o<strong>the</strong>r three, Thomas, John, and
Richard became Presbyterian ministers. Thomas sustained, with dignity,
<strong>the</strong> character <strong>of</strong> minister <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> society <strong>of</strong> Protestant dissenters in Lewin's
Mead, Bristol, during <strong>the</strong> space <strong>of</strong> 48 years, and died on 14 May, 1797,
in <strong>the</strong> 71st year <strong>of</strong> his age. John, who from an incapacity through a
failure <strong>of</strong> voice to discharge <strong>the</strong> duties <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Christian ministry, in which
he delighted, engaged in <strong>the</strong> medical pr<strong>of</strong>ession, and died 23 December,
1794, aged 62.
In Guelph Square, Westport [Brunswick Square, Bristol] is a quiet grave-
yard where lie <strong>the</strong> remains <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dissenting dead. A quaint little building,
called <strong>the</strong> Speaking House, is erected <strong>the</strong>re for <strong>the</strong> services customary at
funerals. On its walls are tablets, commemorative <strong>of</strong> generations passed
away. And <strong>the</strong>re we may read, with much appended eulogy, <strong>of</strong> a sober
and solemn sort, <strong>the</strong> names <strong>of</strong> two <strong>of</strong> Farmer Mat<strong>the</strong>w's sons.?
"The panelled pulpit and oaken chair were transferred to <strong>the</strong> new building and
<strong>the</strong>ir use continued.
+The inscriptions on Thomas and John Wright's tablets will be found in Mzrrch pp. 125-7.