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Barton on Humber & Brigg Methodist Circuit Lincoln Grimsby District |
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In Goxhill, Lincol nshire.
The earliest record of Methodism in Goxhill dates back to 1769 when we can see in the Archives at Grimsby a list of the members of the Methodist church at Goxhill. John Wesley is known to have visited Barrow on Humber (which is about 3 miles from Goxhill) as early as 1761 and in fact opened the Church there. It is not sure where these people worshiped as the first record of an actual building was in a Dissenters Certificate of 1787.
When in 1810 High Bourne and William Clowes were excluded from the Methodist church they with others formed the the Society Of Primitive Methodists. William Clowes reported in his journal that he preached in Goxhill in 1820 and that the people were open to his word. His word must have been well received as only four years later it was reported in the Stamford Mercury that a new chapel had been opened by the Primitive Methodists at Goxhill. It was a brick building covered with tiles and was 32ft long and 23ft wide. The Primitive Methodists must have been a strong group in those times as only 15 years later this chapel had become too small and a bigger chapel erected. This new chapel also became too small as it was reported in 1894 that this building also needed enlarging.
The
Wesleyans had also been chapel building at this time and a new building
was erected in 1829. This building which is still standing, on the
main street in Goxhill has a date stone of 1828This chapel was enlarged
in 1859 after the purchase of more land. The extensions to the chapel
can easily be seen on the building today as a different type of brick
was used. The building was extended from 36feet 6inches long to 58feet
long. Part of this extension was a the building of an organ and choir
loft.
The
Wesleyans, in 1840 decided to build a Sunday School building. This
still stands and is on the corner of Main Street and Chapel Street.
Above the door of the building can be seen a date stone which reads
SABBATH SCHOOL 1840.
It was in 1855 that the local Wesleyans started their largest undertaking which was the building of a Wesleyan Day School. There was quite a lot of opposition for this school in the village but the Schoolrooms, masters house and the playgrounds were finished by the end of that year. The total cost of the undertaking amounted to £866. About half of this cost came in the form of education grants and the rest had to be found locally. The land used for the school was formally owned by Charles Burkinshaw and was purchased at a cost of £90. This was a reasonable price for some 1078square yards.
The total population for
the village in 1851 was about 1,138 and o
f
these 220 attended the Methodist Services with 94 children at the Sunday
School. Goxhill is one of the largest villages ( in area ) in the country
which meant that some of the people lived some distance from the chapel.
There grew up a mini sub village about 3 miles from the center of the
village proper with the growth of the brick and tile yards. In 1875
the Primitive Methodists erected a small Chapel near to the haven for
these workers. This was demolished some years ago. There was also a
Primitive Methodist Chapel near to the East Halton Skitter brickyards
which is actually just inside the Goxhill Parish boundary.
The
Primitive Methodist were going from strength to strength and in 1891
they decide to build a large chapel in a prominent part of the village
to rival the Wesleyan Chapel. This building took just over a year to
construct and cost £1,400. The building which is still used today
had a large school room at the rear along with a kitchen. The vestry
is to one side at the front of the church. The building has undergone
some changes over the years. Originally the front doors opened directly
into the church and the center seats came to the back of the church
under the large window. Today a wall has been erected at the back of
the church to form an entrance. The decoration in the church has also
changed over the years and the Gothic lettered "Do Justly,
Love Mercy, Walk Humbly With Your God" over the pulpit has
now gone.
This potted history of the Methodist Church in Goxhill has been taken along with the pictures from a book produced by Mr. Kees van den Bos
The activities of the Methodist Church in Goxhill can be seen by visiting the Goxhill Church Page