Catalogue description HITCHIN AND LETCHWORTH CIRCUIT

This record is held by Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies

Details of NM4
Reference: NM4
Title: HITCHIN AND LETCHWORTH CIRCUIT
Date: 1828 - 1994
Related material:

see NM8A

 

For information as to the later history of these churches see the notes relating to the Hitchin Wesleyan Methodist Circuit

 

See NM8A

 

Hertfordshire Methodist Chapels

 

Alphabetical list of chapels for which records have been received in the Record Office

 

ALDENHAM NM7P

 

ARKESDEN (Essex) NM9B

 

ARLESEY Christchurch NM4D

 

St John NM4N

 

ASHWELL NM11C

 

BALDOCK NM4U

 

BARNET EAST Brookside NM1C

 

BARNET HIGH NM1A

 

BARNET NEW NM1B

 

BENINGTON NM4E

 

BERDEN (Essex) NM9C

 

BERKHAMSTED Cowper Road NM3C

 

High Street NM3E

 

BIGGLESWADE (Bedfordshire) NM11A

 

BISHOP'S STORTFORD NM9A

 

BOREHAMWOOD NM1F

 

BOXMOOR NM3H

 

BURNT MILL (Essex) NM9D

 

BUSHEY HEATH NM7N

 

BUSHEY AND OXHEY NM7Q

 

CHESHUNT NM10D

 

CHORLEY WOOD NM7L

 

CROXLEY GREEN NM7M

 

CUPID GREEN (Hemel Hempstead) NM7H

 

DASSELLS (Braughing) NM9G

 

FLAMSTEAD NM2G

 

Trowley Bottom NM2K

 

GADDESDEN ROW NM2J

 

GRAVELEY NM4F

 

HARPENDEN High Street NM2B

 

Batford NM2D

 

Southdown Road NM2C

 

Kinsbourne Green NM2A

 

HATFIELD Birchwood NM5E

 

Broadway NM5D

 

Oxlease NM5F

 

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD Marlowes NM3B

 

Lower Marlow NM3D

 

Wesley NM3F

 

Bourne NM3H

 

Cupid Green NM7H

 

HENLOW (Bedfordshire) NM4V

 

HERTFORD NM10A

 

HINXWORTH NM11B

 

HITCHIN Brand Street NM4A

 

Nightingale Road NM4B

 

Christchurch NM4C

 

Walsworth NM4L

 

ICKLEFORD NM4G

 

KIMPTON NM2F

 

KINSBOURNE GREEN (Harpenden) NM2A

 

KNEBWORTH NM8A

 

LANGLEY, ABBOTS NM7C

 

LANGLEY, KINGS NM7G

 

LETCHWORTH Broadway NM4P

 

Central NM4Q

 

North Avenue NM4R

 

LEY HILL (Buckinghamshire) NM3K

 

MARKYATE NM2H

 

NASH MILLS NM3G

 

OFFLEY NM4H

 

PEGSDON NM4I

 

PELHAM, FURNEUX NM9H

 

PIRTON NM4J

 

POTTERS BAR NM1D

 

RADLETT NM1E

 

REDBOURN NM5G

 

RICKMANSWORTH High Street NM7E

 

Mill End NM7F

 

SAFFRON WALDEN (Essex) NM9F

 

ST ALBANS Boundary Road NM5B

 

Marlborough Road NM5A

 

Hatfield Road NM5J

 

SEWARDSTONE (Essex) NM10E

 

SHEERING (Essex) NM9E

 

SHENLEY NM5H

 

SLEAPSHYDE NM5C

 

STEVENAGE Old Town NM6A

 

Chells NM6B

 

Broadwater NM6C

 

STOTFOLD (Befordshire) Brook Street NM4S

 

High Street NM4T

 

STUDHAM (Bedfordshire) NM2L

 

TRING Langdon Street NM3J

 

TROWLEY BOTTOM (Flamstead) NM2K

 

TWO WATERS NM3A

 

WALKERN NM4K

 

WALSWORTH (Hitchin) NM4L

 

WALTHAM ABBEY (Essex) NM10F

 

WARE NM10B

 

WARESIDE NM10C

 

WATFORD North NM7B

 

Queen's Road NM7A & NM7J

 

St Albans Road NM7I

 

Vicarage Road NM7D

 

Whippendell Road NM7K

 

WELWYN Oaklands NM8B

 

WESTON NM4M

 

WHEATHAMPSTEAD The Mill NM5I

 

The Folly NM2E

 

WHETSTONE (Middlesex) NM1G

Held by: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, not available at The National Archives
Language: English
Creator:

Hitchin and Letchworth Methodist Circuit, Hertfordshire

Hitchin Primitive Methodist Circuit, Hitchin, Hertfordshire

Hitchin Wesleyan Methodist Circuit, Hitchin, Hertfordshire

Letchworth Wesleyan Methodist Circuit, Letchworth, Hertfordshire

Physical description: 408 files
Access conditions:

the records are now deposited at the Cambridgeshire Record Office, Shire Hall, Cambridge CB3 0AP.

 

Records of this circuit are also held at the Bedfordshire Record Office.

Subjects:
  • Hitchin, Hertfordshire
  • Letchworth, Hertfordshire
  • Religion
Administrative / biographical background:

Introduction

 

Hitchin Primitive Methodist Circuit

 

The Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Primitive Methodist Mission was formed in 1916 by the amalgamation of the Letchworth and Hitchin Stations and the Biggleswade Branch. It included Biggleswade, Arlesey St John [see NM4N], Shillington, Meppershall and Brook Street Stotfold [see NM4S], Bedfordshire and Hitchin Nightingale Road [see NM4B], Letchworth Broadway [see NM4P] and Benington [see NM4E], Hertfordshire. Primitive societies at Baldock, Ashwell and Lidlington had been associated with the Hitchin Station prior to 1916. The Lidlington chapel originally established in 1863 was closed in 1906. The Ashwell chapel was closed in 1903 and Baldock in 1916.

 

The small society forming at Knebworth was included on the Primitive preaching plan as well as the Wesleyan plan from 1930

 

Hitchin Wesleyan Methodist Circuit

 

Wesleyan societies were established at Stevenage, Hinxworth, Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and Hitchin before 1800 and were associated with the St Neots Circuit. On the formation of the Biggleswade Circuit in 1810 these churches were transferred. By 1838 this circuit, now renamed Biggleswade and Hitchin Circuit included the Hertfordshire societies at Hitchin, Baldock, Weston, Stevenage, Ashwell, Hinxworth, Newnham, Norton, Pirton, Walkern, Ickleford, Royston, Graveley and Codicote.

 

A Wesleyan Methodist circuit centred on Hitchin was first formed in 1842 and included the churches at Brand Street Hitchin, Stevenage, Weston, Walkern, Pirton, Ickleford and Codicote, Hertfordshire and Christchurch Arlesey, Bedfordshire. The society at Codicote appears to have died out shortly after 1845.

 

The chapels at Baldock, Ashwell, Hinxworth, Newnham and Norton remained with the Biggleswade circuit. Graveley appears to have trnasferred to the St Neots Circuit. A small amount of material from the chapels at Ashwell and Hinxworth has been deposited in the Record Office [see NM11B and NM11C]. The records of the St Neots and Biggleswade circuits are held at the Bedfordshire Record Office, County Hall, Bedford MK42 9AP and contain considerable information concerning individual societies. The chapel at Royston later became connected with the Cambridge circuit

 

During the period 1854 - 1864 the Hitchin Circuit churches were associated with the Luton Circuit.

 

A completely separate Hitchin Circuit with its own ministers was again instituted in 1864. The societies at Offley and Pegsdon were transferred to it from the Luton Circuit and in 1891 Graveley from the Biggleswade Circuit. Knebworth was also included on the Hitchin Wesleyan Circuit plan from 1930

 

Letchworth Wesleyan Methodist Circuit

 

A separate circuit centred on Letchworth was formed in 1918 to include the two societies at Central and Norton Mission.

 

Methodist Union 1933

 

New circuits were formed as follows:-

 

LETCHWORTH to include Letchworth Central, Broadway and Norton Mission, and Weston, Hertfordshire together with Stotfold Brook Street, Bedfordshire.

 

HITCHIN to include Brand Street and Nightingale Road Hitchin, Stevenage, Walkern, Pirton, Ickleford, Pegsdon, Offley, Graveley, Benington and Knebworth, Hertfordshire and Christchurch and St John Arlesey, Bedfordshire.

 

The former Wesleyan chapels at Baldock, Ashwell, Hinxworth and Stotfold High Street remained part of the Biggleswade Circuit which was also to include the Primitive society at Meppershall formerly part of the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Primitive Methodist Mission. A further church at Shillington, Bedfordshire also part of the Primitive Methodist Mission was transferred to the Luton Circuit.

 

The church at Broadway, Letchworth was closed in 1937 [see NM4P] and the members amalgamated with the Central Church [see NM4Q]. Knebworth formed part of the Hitchin Circuit until 1946 when it was transferred to the newly formed Stevenage and Knebworth Methodist Mission [see NM8A]. The church at Walsworth was added in 1954 [see NM4L]. The two formerly separate congregations at Arlesey, Christchurch and St John were amalgamated in 1961 [see NM4D]. The church at Graveley closed the same year [see NM4F] and at Pegsdon in 1970 [see NM4I]. The Methodist churches at Brand Street and Nightingale Road, Hitchin and the Congregational church at Queen Street amalgamated in 1969 to form the new shared church of Christchurch, Hitchin [see NM4A, B and C].

 

The modern Hitchin and Letchworth Circuit was formed in 1970 to consist of the churches at Christchurch Hitchin, Benington, Offley, Weston, Walsworth, Stotfold Brook Street, Central and North Avenue Letchworth, Arlesey, Walkern, and Pirton together

 

With Steeple Morden, Ashwell, Baldock, Hinxworth and High Street Stotfold transferred from the Biggleswade Circuit.

 

In September 1993 the Hitchin and Letchworth Circuit was combined with the Stevenage Circuit to form a new North Hertfordshire Circuit. The records of the North Hertfordshire Circuit are listed separately (see NM12), but the records of the old individual chapels of the Hitchin and Letchworth Circuit after September 1993 will continue to be listed under NM4 A-V.

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