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Chawleigh stands in an area of Devon which saw a whole series of
religious changes from Tudor times onwards. It
had a Congregational Chapel, a Bible Christian Chapel and a Methodist
Chapel - all lumped together under the general title of Independent
Chapels, the followers being called Dissenters or Non-Conformists.
Non-Conformist places of worship were legally permitted to carry out marriages and to
keep Registers. Often, the entries are not so detailed as those in
Parish Registers but family historians should always check them,
especially in Devon and Cornwall where the membership of dissenting
churches has always been high. |
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Congregationalism began with people gathering together in
woods and fields in Tudor times to hear the Bible read in their own
language instead of the Latin used in churches. Their leader was John
Wyclif. Many followers were persecuted for their beliefs and it
was not until the Toleration Act was passed in 1689 that Dissenters, as
all the break-away sects were known, were allowed to build their own
churches where they could have freedom of worship, based on an oral
rather than a written tradition
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John Wesley
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Methodists were the followers of John Wesley, the great
preacher. His visits to Cornwall, and Devon, drew thousands of
followers to his cause. His converts were divided into small groups
which Wesley called "classes" and these groups appointed preachers and
leaders from the local people. Under their leadership, the classes met regularly to study the gospels and
pray together. After his death in 1791, the movement split, with many
Devon Wesleyans becoming Bible Christian Methodists.
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The Bible Christian Movement started in the village
of Shebbear, not far from Chawleigh. This movement spread rapidly
as dozens of tiny chapels were set up throughout the County, often in
people's houses. The informality and opportunities to speak out, instead of
merely listening, appealed
to the poor, who felt forgotten and alienated by the Church of England
yet wanted a simple faith, based on Bible teachings, to which they could relate their lives. By
1830, missionaries from this area of Devon were being sent to Canada, to Prince Edward
Island*
to spread the word there.
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The Bible Christian Chapel, Chawleigh
Now
a private residence
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The Congregational Chapel, Chawleigh
Now
the Jubilee Hall
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There was a Congregational Church in nearby Chulmleigh as
early as 1633. Chawleigh had its own Congregational Church well before
the fire of 1869 and this particular building probably dates from about
1863. It fell out of use in the 1930s and, in 1935, was purchased
by Chawleigh Parish for use as a village hall to mark the Jubilee Year of King
George V.
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Leaning gravestones outside the Jubilee Hall |
The Congregational Chapel at Chawleigh was surrounded by its own tiny
plot of burial ground for those who were determined not to take part in
the Church of England's rituals even after their deaths. As in the main
churchyard, the stones have now been cleared from the actual burial
plots and are stacked around the perimeter. Ann Allen (née Stentiford)
was buried in this Chapel churchyard.
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* We shall be exploring the story of the Stentifords of
Prince Edward Island in a future Issue
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Return to Issue
11
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