Catalogue description BUSHEY UNITED REFORMED CHURCH
This record is held by Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies
Reference: | NR2 |
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Title: | BUSHEY UNITED REFORMED CHURCH |
Description: |
The United Reformed Church was founded in October 1972 by union of the Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England. However not all the churches belonging to these two denominations agreed to accept the 1972 Scheme of Union. The records of those Hertfordshire churches which remained separate are catalogued under the reference NC. CLASSIFICATION SCHEME NR2/1 Church Books NR2/2 Church Meeting NR2/3 Deacons NR2/4 Registers NR2/5 Church Committee and Organizations NR2/6 Church Finance NR2/7 Church Buildings NR2/8 Sunday School NR2/9 Choir NR2/10 Membership NR2/11 Charities NR2/12 Church Magazines NR2/13 Miscellaneous UNITED REFORMED CHURCH RECORDS NR1 Barnet, Wood Street United Reformed Church NR2 Bushey United Reformed Church NR3 Barley United Reformed Church NR4 St Albans, Trinity United Reformed Church NR5 Letchworth Free Church NR6 Ware United Reformed Church NR7 Royston United Reformed Church NR8 Hitchin United Reformed Church NR9 Radlett United Reformed Church NR10 Wheathampstead United Reformed Church NR11 Hemel Hempstead, Adeyfield Free Church (affiliated to the United Reformed Church NR12 Bishops Stortford United Reformed Church NR13 Harpenden United Reformed Church NR14 Hertford United Reformed Church NR15 New Barnet United Reformed Church NR16 Knebworth United Reformed Church |
Date: | 1815 - 1973 |
Related material: |
For Walkern United Reformed Church see D/EX838 |
Held by: | Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, not available at The National Archives |
Language: | English |
Creator: |
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Physical description: | 258 files |
Immediate source of acquisition: |
Records concerning Bushey United Reformed Church deposited in the Record Office on 15 January 1976 by the Church Secretary. Accession 1491 |
Subjects: |
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Administrative / biographical background: |
Introduction In August 1809 Mr Keen gave an outhouse on his land at Clay Hill, Bushey to be fitted out as a Chapel for Independents. This proved so popular that by 1812 the Chapel had to be enlarged to seat 200. Mr Capper offered land in Herkomer Road which was gratefully accepted but the parish vestry vetoed the plan. In the end Mr Capper erected the Chapel and the manse on his own freehold estate. The building and the land cost £400. The Chapel opened for worship on 1 December 1814. In 1815 a Sunday School was established and a library set up. Mr Capper put the Chapel, manse and its land in the hands of a trusteeship named "Village Itinerancy" or "Evangelical Associations" for the propagation of the Gospel. On 5 October 1815, the Revd Thomas Gilbart was ordained the first minister. (For a list of succeeding ministers please see appendix). In 1840 the Chapel met a financial crisis finding that they were unable to find the money to pay the minister's stipend. Most of the income came from pew rents which were charged at £2 per annum. A new chapel was opened for worship on the same site on 11 September 1850, but the building suffered subsidence in 1857 and buttresses had to be built to make the building safe. In 1865 a new organ was installed and in 1871 gas was installed in the church, for both lighting and heating. At the turn of the century the church had to be taken down and was sold for £70. Plans for a new church by Morley Horder were put in hand. The church opened for worship, again on the same site, on 9 November 1904 and had cost £5000. A new manse was also built at that time. The Sunday School Hall was used during the day in the 1880s as an Elementary School classroom. The Sunday School Library was enlarged and became the church lending library. In 1902 a Fund was raised for the pastor and his wife both of whom were suffering from tuberculosis. The sum of £420 was raised for them (see NR2/13/1). A Literary Society was formed in 1912 (see NR2/5/1) and in 1927 a Young People's Fellowship. The Falconer Hall was erected in 1918 as a memorial to peace, although a statue had already been erected on Clay Hill, and it was used for many of the church events. The church celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 1959 with a variety of activities. In 1971, the Church affiliated to the United Reformed Church. CHURCH OFFICERS Ministers 1809-15 Preachers from Hoxton Academy 1815-18 Rev. Thomas Gilbart 1818-28 Rev. Wm Snell 1828-29 Rev. R Cope 1829-34 Rev. John Vine 1834-36 Rev. Wm Warden, M.A. 1836-44 Rev. John Fernie 1845-59 Rev. John Vine 1860 Rev. John Moses 1860-63 Rev. A H New 1864-80 Rev. J Basley 1880-84 Rev. W H Edwards 1884-03 Rev. A J Wood 1904-13 Rev. J Tatton 1913-14 Rev. W Lower-Carter 1914-16 Rev. O L Whitmee 1916-36 Rev. T H Cooper, M.A. 1936-46 Rev. C H Gay 1948-56 Rev. T Greenaway 1957- Rev. F G Ewen |
Link to NRA Record: |
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