Around 1776, a number of Baptists from Brierley Hill went to live in Coseley. Being too far to travel back to their Chapel in Brierley Hill, they went to the Baptist Chapel at Dudley for about seven years. They then decided to separate from Dudley and began to hold meetings in a farm house, known as Darkhouse, belonging to Mr Wassell.
In 1798, some of the members established a church in Bilston, whilst in 1804, some of the remaining members of the Darkhouse congregation who lived in Old or West Coseley, found the distance too great and began to meet in their own houses. In 1808, the pastor at Darkhouse Chapel died and whilst without a pastor, a division occurred resulting in the foundation of Providence Chapel in 1809. Mr. J. Pickering was the first minister of the newly formed Church. Members at the time of opening were Elwell. Smith. Parkes. Mason. Richards.Nicholls and others.
Providence Chapel was registered for Dissenting Worship by John Maddox on the 9th April 1810. Witnesses to the registration were Thomas Hartland. John Bill. William Gibbons. Abraham Richards. Joseph Whitehouse. Samuel Lane. Henry Smith. Thomas Carswell. John Pickering. Isaac Whitehouse. Thomas Hancox.Richard Hancox. Isaasc Danton. William Smith and Charles Allen.
Interestingly, a house had been registered by some of the above some time previously for the use of Baptists. This was on the 26th January 1809 when the registration was by John Pickering and witnessed by Thomas Hartland, Thomas Willdley. Henry Smith, Isaac Dunton. Joseph Henn. Richard Hancox. S Parks and William Hayns. This was obviously for a house they were using for worship before they built the Providence chapel itself.
The registration deposited at the PRO, reference RG4 3295, begins in 1810, although it records a number of births in 1809, The information given is the child's name, surname, name of parents, place of registration, date of birth and date of christening.
Names from 1810-1837. Include.
Bailey-Baker-Badley-Bill-Brown-Bonsetter-Bissell-Caddick-Cambridge-Clarke-Cope-Crow-Colley-Crumton-Davis-Devonpool-Downes-Dunton-Evans-Elwell-Fellows-Fownes-Flacher-Peaceson-Garbet-Griffiths-Griffis-Gouff-Gutteridge-Gibbons-Hancox-Haywood-Harris-Hill-Hilton-Howell-Holt-Hunt-Javans-Jebbs-Jones-Johnson-Jounes-Kingley-Lane-Langston-Lankford-Love-Maddox-Millard-Nicholds-Parkes-Parker-Percival-Peceson-Penn-Perrey-Peison-Potts-Roper-Rose-Saunders-Savage-Screen-Smallman-Smith-Southall-Stanford-Stevens-Stanford-Stephens-Webb-Wilkes-Williams-Worton
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