Copeland - The Dissenting Churches
The Dissenting Churches of Copeland
A dissenting church is one which does not follow the rites of the established Church of England. The problem for the family historian in researching families attending one of these churches is the availability of any of the usual BMD records. Some have survived many have not.
The Early Dissenters
In common with most rural communities there was not a lot of dissention in Copeland as revealed by the Protestation Returns of 1641 and the enquiries / surveys made by the Bishop of his clergy from time to time.
Such enquiries can be summarised as follows:
There were small numbers of Roman Catholic families in the Copeland district & there were Quaker communities centred on the Cockermouth - Pardshaw area. There was also an early Quaker community in the upper Eskdale / Ulpha district that had its own burial ground on the fell side - said to be near Woodend.
There was a growing Methodist following in Whitehaven & district after John Wesleys visit of 1749
The Baptists had a following in the south of Copeland in the fell areas between Ulpha & Eskdale associated with the congregation at Hawkeshead Hill. A member of this group, John Wilson of Low in Ulpha, converted one of the farm outbuildings to a chapel in 1808. The Baptist records, where they exist, have the problem that the members of this church were not baptised until they were adult.
There is a dissenting chapel in Bootle, the Lady Huntingdons connection, that was paid for by Joseph Whitridge (of London) and opened in 1780. It is still open today.
Impact of Migration
As the larger towns such as Whitehaven developed then the number of religions multiplied which were often brought in by the migrant workers.
Irish migrants had come to Whitehaven on the boats used to carry coal to Ireland from the Whitehaven coal pits. Originally they came for the summer harvest season and then returned home but when the potato famine occurred circa 1840 this changed to large scale migration into Copeland and then onwards from there.
This movement was true of other places - with a large increase in Catholics associated with the Irish immigrants working in iron mining & manufacture in the Cleator district. Similarly there were substantial Methodist & Bible Christian communities associated with the miners coming from Cornwall & Devon into the Millom district to work in both the Eskdale & Hodbarrow Iron mines.
The following table includes those Churches of which I am aware. There must be others.
Whitehaven’s dissenting churches
Presbyterian Congregational (Irish based)
1695
Society of Friends Meeting house
1724
Catholic - Blessed Virgin started in
1780
Catholic - St.Gregory - Quay St.
Catholic - St.Beghs
1834
Primitive Methodist (Mount Pleasant)
1789
Independent Chapel (Lady Huntingdons connection)
1793
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel - Lowther St.
1818
Wesleyan Association Chapel
1836
Baptist Chapels (rebuild)
1842
Congregational Chapel - Scotch St.
Plymouth Brethren - Sandhill’s Lane
Christian Brethren - High St.
Seamen’s Mission - Lowther St.
Hogarth Mission - Wellington Pit
Kirk Mission - High St.
Workington’s dissenting churches
Catholic - Our Lady & St.Michael
1814
Presbyterian Chapel - Thompson St.
Baptist Chapel - Harrington Rd.
Church of Christ
Congregational - South William St.
Exclusive Brethren - Oxford St.
Free Episcopal Church of England
Plymouth Brethren - Corporation Rd.
1891
Primitive Methodist - Corporation Rd.
1900
Primitive Methodist - John St.
1882
United Methodist - Vicoria Road
1891
Wesleyan Methodist - William St.
Wesleyan Methodist - Westfield
1889
Wesleyan Methodist - Barepot
Welsh Presbyterian - St.Johns Court
Duke St. Mission
Salvation Army - Edkin St.
Cleator’s dissenting churches
Cleator St.Bega RC
1853 - 1885
Cleator St.Marys RC
1885
Kiln Brow Methodist
1844 - 1934
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
1879 - 1932
1834 - todate
Primitive Methodist - 3rd.Chapel
1875 - 1890
Primitive Methodist - 4th.Chapel
1893 - 1965
Wath Brow Mission Church
1881
There have been Congregational and Presbyterian Chapels in addition.
Cockermouth’s dissenting churches
St.Joseph RC
1856
Friends Meeting House
Congregational Chapel
1651
Congregational Chapel - rebuilt
1856
Primitive Methodist Chapel
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
1841
Egremont’s dissenting churches
Egremont St.Mary RC
Bigrigg United Methodist Chapel
1862
Egremont Wesleyan Chapel
1873
Egremont United Methodist Chapel
1893
Frizington’s dissenting churches
Frizington, St.Joseph RC
Frizington, Primitive Methodist Chapel
1876
Frizington, Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
1884
Frizington, Christian Brethren Gospel Hall
1892
Harrington’s dissenting churches
St.Mary RC
1893
Wesleyan Chapel
1886
Primitive Methodist Chapel
1891
Presbyterian Chapel
1881
Plymouth Brethren
Millom’s dissenting churches
Millom - RC
1868 - 1888
Millom - RC Our Lady & St.James
1888 - to date
Primitive Methodist Chapel
1866
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
1872
Baptist chapel
1884
there were also Bible Christian & Welsh Calvanist chapels in the town
Other dissenting churches
Bootle - Congregational chapel (Lady Huntingdons)
1780 - todate
Dean - Ullock Wesleyan Chapel
1870
Dean - Pardshaw Wesleyan Chapel
Dean - Pardshaw Hall Friends Meeting
Eaglesfield - Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
1845
Eskdale - Wesleyan Methodist
1849
Eskdale - Bible Christian
1874 - c.1883
Gosforth - Wesleyan Methodist
1874 - to date
Irton with Santon - Methodist Chapel
Lamplugh - Kelton Primitive Methodist Chapel
Moresby - Primitive Methodist Chapel
Parton - Congregational Chapel
1861
Parton - United Methodist Chapel
Parton - Christian Brethren
St.Bees - United Methodist Chapel
Seascale - Wesleyan Chapel
1888 - to date
Nev. Ramsden, November 2008.