Historical notes on the Church at Sowerby.

SOWERBY:
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The first marriages in Sowerby Church are thus recorded:- April the 21, Ralph Taylor and Sarah Swain February the 16th 1712-13, Jonathan Rushworth and Sarah Hoyl April the 6th, 1713, John Ogden and Martha Naylor All six inhabitants of the township of Sowerby

In 1720 Sowerby "Chapel-house" or what would now be called the Vicarage, was erected on the north side of the old Church. The present Church at Sowerby does not occupy the same site as the old one, it being more to the west. The chapel-house is now occupied as a cottage, by Mr Thomas Helliwell, the building being separated from the grave yard by what is now called Flint street. The old Church tower came close up to the chapel house, and the fabric stretched across what is now the lower portion or north eastern end of Sowerby church yard. Near the chapel house was the entrance to the Church, approached by a flight of steps, called Church Stile, by which the locality is still known. Even when the Rev. W H Bull became minister of Sowerby, there was an arched gateway near the top of Flint street, opening into the church yard. Over the stone arch were three large balls for ornament, one on each side and one in the middle, The arched gateway was pulled down and several other alterations made when Mr Bull was at Sowerby.

On the 18th May, 1722, a great flood occurred in the Ryburn valley, doing considerable damage. Ripponden Church was destroyed, a well as many mills on the brook. Twelve persons, eight in one family, were drowned, and several corpses washed out of their graves. Thoresby entered in his diary, under date May 22nd, 1722:-

Read and wrote till eleven; after abroad, inquisitive after the astonishing effects of the thunder shower last Friday (May 18, 1772) in the Vicarage of Halifax, where it took down part of Ripponden chapel, bore down two mills, and several houses and bridges, about twenty persons said to be drowned; corpses washed out of graves, &c.

Many other floods have occurred in this valley since that time.

In May, 1736, the Rev. Christopher Gunby was appointed the perpetual curate of Sowerby, and the following year Mr John Sutcliffe was one of the chapel-wardens. About this time was entered in the register book a list of "Tombs and gravestones, by whom erected or laid down." This list includes the following:- Richard Ellam, Manchester; James Broadbent, Wadsworth; - Ogden, Midgley, John Whiteley, Warley; John Walton, Halifax; David Smith, Sowerby; Eli Mitchell, Carr; James Heap, Sowerby; George Holstead, Sowerby; Wm. Threapland, Leeds Pond; Thos. Milne, Warley.

The Rev. C. Gunby was buried at Sowerby, as shown by the following:-

March 21, 1744      C Gunby, Curate.  Amos Ogden. 
 James Gledhill, Chapelwarden
    Wm. Bramley, Chapelwarden
 

It was in this year that England was threatened with invasion. The French King offered to land 15,000 men in Kent, with Marshal Saxe, one of the ablest officers of his age, at their head. In 1745, the Pretender landed in Scotland, unfurled his standard, and not long after won the battle of Preston Pans. This naturally created considerable alarm in the provinces, and it was at this time that a beacon fire was lighted on Beacon Hill, for the purpose of signalling to more distant parts of the country. Before that time there had not been a beacon fire lighted on this hill for 130 years.

Turning from the civil war, which ended ingloriously for the Pretender, to local affairs, a dispute may be mentioned, in which Sowerby took an active part. A memorandum, printed in 1764 (kindly lent me by John Rawson, Esq., of Brockwell), states that:-

"In 1748, some persons in Halifax took it into their heads that the bells wanted chipping; that a new wainscot ought to be put up in place of the tapestry in the chancel; and that a new pulpit should be erected in a situation agreeable to their own taste. These alterations were estimated at above £500; all to be laid upon the parish. Nine out of ten of the parishioners opposed this; but they were called cyphers, and it was boasted that the two churchwardens for the township of Halifax had all the power, and that the ten churchwardens of the tributary townships had only to raise and pay the money demanded of them. Upon this principle they chipped the bells at a venture. The parishioners refused to pay, upon which a lawsuit was carried on for six years together; at last, a verdict was given for the parishioners. Halifax lost the money expended in chipping the bells, and paid costs of suit. The idea of the new wainscot and the new pulpit soon after vanished away.

The object of the Halifax churchwardens, no doubt, was a good one; but

"The best laid schemes o'mice an' men Gang aft a'gley."

The fact is that the churchwardens at Halifax and those in the out townships did not for many years work together in the most harmonious manner, as the above account and subsequent disputes will show. They have not been mentioned in our local histories; and as no harm can arise form a reference to events occurring so long ago, they will be give in their proper place.

The Rev. J Welsh, A. M., was licensed curate of Sowerby by Matthew Hutton, Archbishop of York, on the 17th May, 1750; and in this year, George Stansfeld, Esq., who had erected the imposing mansion at Field House (now the residence of Col. Stansfeld, J.P.), was chapel warden.

During the ministry of Mr Welsh, the attention of the inhabitants was called to the condition of Sowerby Church, which had become much decayed in the roof and other parts; and the movement then commenced for restoring the fabric, ended in the decision to erect a new one - the present Church of St Peter, Sowerby, being the outcome of that effort. In this noble and laborious work, George Stansfeld, Esq., of Fieldhouse, entered with great zeal, and his perservering efforts were crowned with success. Not only did he help to initiate and mature the schemes, but he contributed liberally of his means, obtined subscriptions from others, superintended the works, and acted a hon. Secretary for the whole affair. Through the kindness of Col. Stansfeld I am enabled to quote from the excellent memoranda of George Stansfeld, Esq. made at the time. He says;-

"The chapel of Sowerby being greatly decayed in the roof, and other parts thereof, some of the principal inhabitants resolved in order to ease the poorer sort of tenants to try whether a voluntary subscription could be procured, sufficient, without a particular assessment, to repair the same, and to make such further alterations and improvements thereof as should be judged expedient. Accordingly, the minister published the following notice in the chapel on Sunday, the 3rd December, 1758;- ''the inhabitants within the chapelry of Sowerby are desired to meet after evening service, both today and next Sunday in order to fix upon the properest and most convenient method of putting this chapel into more comfortable, decent, and commendable repair.' Pursuant whereto a great number of the principal inhabitants met, unanimously approved of the design and in order to make it as much known as possible, ordered the meeting, published as above, for Sunday, the 10th December, to be again published during the service on the 10th of December."

"The meeting held hereupon was very numerous, and unanimously resolved to attempt the repairs and improvement of the chapel by a voluntary subscription, to be opened at the next meeting, on Wednesday, the 13th of December. And it is also agreed, that unless the sum of Eight Hundred pounds should be subscribed, the whole should be void. Mr Stansfeld was desired to provide an instrument, and the Rev. Mr Welsh and Mr Greenwood the churchwarden to go in the interim from house to house to acquaint the inhabitants fully with the design and to desire their attendance." Accordingly, a most numerous meeting was held, and the instrument being presented, upwards of £800, the sum fixed upon, was subscribed. The document referred to, showing great consideration for the poor, commenced as follows:-

"Whereas the chapel of Sowerby, within the Parish of Halifax, in the County of York, is in bad repair, and in very indecent order, and at sundry meetings of the inhabitants of Sowerby aforesaid to take the same into consideration, and the best means of repairing an improving thereof. It hath been found indispensably necessary to mend the roof and other decayed parts of the said chapel and judged proper and determined to put the whole into more decent and commendable order, the charges whereof will necessarily amount to a very considerable sum of money. And it hath been considered that little relief can be had by means of a Brief, as that charity is too frequently abused by the collectors thereof. And yet, without some help the said charges would be grievous and intolerable to the poorer sort of the inhabitants of the said, township, who are liable to contribute thereto. And, therefore for their care and assistance, and in order that the said chapel may be well and sufficiently repaired and improved We the several persons who have duly executed these presents, being the principal inhabitants of or owners of lands or tenements within the said townships, and others, have mutually agreed by subscription to raise a sufficient sum of money for that purpose."

The instrument then goes on to say that the persons who had executed these presents granted and agreed with George Stansfeld, Esq., of Fieldhouse, in Sowerby, and the Rev. John Welsh, Master of Arts, curate of the said chapel, that they would pay to them the several and respective sums they had promised, at such times, by such payments, and in such methods as were thereafter expressed. To make the payments easy it was afterwards declared

"That no call shall at any time hereafter be made on us or any of us, whose single subscription is five pounds or upwards, for any part of our respective subscription, but by an order of the majority of such subscribers; " and "no such order should exceed 2s. 6d. in the pound of subscriptions of £5 or upwards at any one call."

All the meetings were held at the house of John Garnett, the King's Head Inn, Sowerby. Each subscriber of £5 had a vote, but none under that sum. The document was dated the 14th December, 32nd year of the reign of King George the Second, 1758.

"On Sunday, the 17th, December, the subscribers met after the evening service, and appointed proper persons to go round every quarter, who accordingly went, and in the whole upwards of £100 was subscribed in small sums."

At a meeting held on the 15th of January, 1759, a resolution was passed that the Rev. Mr Welsh, and Mr George Stansfeld, should apply to Mr Mackley of the Court of York, for improvements, and to erect a gallery or galleries in the said chapel. John Walker, John Starkey, Eklanah Holroyde, William Starkie, Thomas Swaine, David Waterhouse, John Sutcliffe, L Greenwood, Jno. Welsh, and George Stansfeld are noted as having been present.

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