Mirfield Zion Baptist Church
The following source list was originally available only on paper in one of the West Yorkshire Archive Service offices. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject, but may relate only to one West Yorkshire district, or be an incomplete list of sources available. Please feel free to add or update with any additional information. |
c1799, Joshua Ingham of Blake Hall, Mirfield (1740-1814) married as his second wife Margaret Welsh, widow and daughter of Hugh Evans who had been principal of Bristol Baptist College.
Joshua, Margaret and Joshua's brother Benjamin all subscribed to the Baptist Academy at Little Horton, Bradford which was set up 1805.
Joshua and Margaret attended Hopton Independent Church until his death in 1814.
Baptist meetings held at Margaret's home in Blake Hall 1816. Meetings were moved to Mirfield Town Barn in Town Gate from winter 1816 (after Margaret fell ill with a lingering illness which confined her to her bed until she died in 1824).
The meetings were moved to Littlemoor Barn in 1818 and then to the Grammar School in Knowl Lane in 1820. A congregation was established in 1825 and was turned out of the Grammar School in 1825 when the anglican curate, Rev Samuel Wass became the schoolmaster.
The congregation met at the home of one of the deacons, James Clarkson in Nab Lane from 1825.
A chapel was built in Water Royd Lane 1828-1830, opening in 1830.
A Sunday School was established in 1830 and a Sunday School building was built next door to the chapel in 1854-1855.
A new Zion chapel was built on the site of the old one 1871-1873.
From c1976 the Sunday School was used for worship and the disused chapel was demolished in 1993.
The church is still in existence in 2009. http://www.mirfieldbaptist.org.uk/
Records for this church can be found at WYAS: Kirklees under the reference no KC1038.
NB. This is the only Baptist church in the Huddersfield District unconnected with Salendine Nook.