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The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel

During the 1820’s and early 1830’s the Embsay Wesleyan Methodists held services in the Union Chapel on East Lane which they shared with the Primitive Methodists and the Swedenborgians. A Wesleyan Preachers Plan for the Skipton Circuit dated 1827 shows that their services were held at Embsay on alternate Sunday mornings and evenings. This would have allowed the other denominations to arrange their services on other Sunday mornings, afternoons and evenings.

In the 1830’s the increasingly uncooperative Primitive Methodists drove firstly the Swedenborgians, and later the Wesleyans to build their own Chapels.

The Wesleyan Chapel was built on Main Street in 1839 at a cost of just over £300. It was the fourth and last non-conformist chapel to be built in Embsay and Eastby. The plaque records it as the “Wesleyan Centenary Chapel 1839” which commemorated the founding of the Methodist movement in 1739. John Wesley, who remained an Anglican clergyman throughout his life, began ‘field preaching’ in April 1739 and on 9^th May 1739 decided to build the first Chapel.

At the time the Wesleyan Chapel was built it had the largest capacity of all the non-conformist chapels in Embsay and Eastby with seating for up to 318 people and there was enough seating in the four non-conformist chapels to accommodate the whole of the population of the two villages even before St Mary’s Anglican Church opened in 1853.

The land for the Wesleyan Chapel was sold for a nominal fee by two parties, Alice widow of John Hammond part-owner of Whitfield Syke Mill which stood on the site of the reservoir, and by the beneficiaries of the estate of Jane Baynes, formerly of Embsay Kirk, who during her life donated the land for both the Union Chapel on East Lane, and Eastby Methodist Chapel.

Many of the initial Trustees were relatively young men, William Mattock, grocer of Embsay was only 24, and William Parker, farmer of The Heugh 26, William West, grocer of Eastby was 38, and Thomas Read, farmer of Hill Top, Embsay was 39. Most of the remaining trustees were Skipton tradesmen.

Thomas Read’s family were closely involved with the Chapel through most of its history, firstly via his sons and later his grandson Dick Read whose own son William Metcalfe (Willie) Read was a trustee until his death in 1980. Willie Read’s sister Mary (Lemon) was the first woman to be appointed church steward, serving from 1977 to 1986. She died in 2009.

William Metcalfe Read 1908-1980

The former animosity between the various non-conformist groups in Embsay seems to have declined by the later 19^th century and articles in the Craven Herald and Craven Pioneer reveal how they cooperated and attended social events in each others chapels and schoolrooms. This is illustrated by an event on 21^st August 1880 which was not only reported in Yorkshire newspapers but even the Daily Telegraph which carried an article on 24^th August “On Saturday afternoon the children of the Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and Swedenborgian schools, along with the Wesleyan school of Eastby united in Commemorating the Centenary of Sunday Schools, the celebration taking place in Embsay”. The event involved each of the Sunday Schools walking in procession through Embsay and Eastby led by the Embsay Brass Band with singing conducted by Thomas Holgate of Embsay. Annie Greenwood of the Mason’s Arms recorded in her diary for Saturday 21^st August 1880 that it was a beautiful day and “about 400 Sunday School scholars from the Swedenborgians, Wesleyans & Primitive Methodists walked in procession through the villages, and a little past our house they all sang, and their united voices sounded very well.”

The event was followed by tea and buns and an invitation to visit the grounds of Embsay Kirk, home of Mr John Heelis and his wife Emma Theodosia. In the evening a public meeting was addressed by ministers from all the churches and chapels.

In 1870 the trustees had acquired further land and the rear of the chapel was extended to its present size which also included a small schoolroom. In 1881 the Trustees acquired a further plot from fellow trustee John Mattock, wholesale grocer of Embsay, which allowed the caretakers cottage to be built. A house belonging to Jeremiah Phillip which stood in front of the present school room facing the roadside was bought by the trustees and subsequently demolished to make the present yard.

In 1889 the harmonium which had been in use for the first 50 years was replaced by a pipe organ. In 1950 the organ was re-built at a cost of £560 and was finally replaced with a modern electronic organ in 1988.

In 1897 money was raised to build a new schoolroom at an estimated cost of £400. The new schoolroom was built the following year by Samuel Whitham of Crosshills at a total cost of £469 15s. Foundation stones were laid in a ceremony on 9^th August and the new assembly room, classroom and kitchen were opened on 22^nd November 1898.

The Chapel thrived through the first half of the 20th century with an active and prize-winning choir with a series of choirmasters, plus many social events. In 1989 the Chapel celebrated its 150^th Anniversary.

Until early this year Embsay Methodist Chapel was the only active non-conformist Chapel remaining in Embsay and Eastby. Sadly it has now closed and with it a history of more than two centuries of non-conformism in the two villages. Only St Mary’s, the last church to be built, remains as an active place of worship.

NEXT TIME: PART 7 – ST MARY THE VIRGIN PARISH CHURCH

David Turner, Embsay with Eastby Historical Research Group