Registration and Early References in Aspley Guise

In 1672 Charles II issued a Declaration of Toleration for Protestants dissenting from the Church of England; this had the effect of some dissenting meeting houses registering with the Secretary of State. The Toleration Act of 1689 enshrined the right of protestants to dissent from the Church of England and, once again, encouraged meeting houses to register voluntarily with local quarter sessions and Anglican church. Registration provided protection against persecution, laying a duty of protection upon magistrates and so was popular with nonconformists. Most registrations were made with quarter sessions until the middle of the 18th century, presumably due to the mutual antagonism of nonconformists and established Church. However, from that point registration with the Church, via the local archdeaconry began to become the favoured method, because the archdeaconry Registrar would issue a licence at any time rather than during the days each quarter when the quarter sessions met.

Visitations by the Bishop of Lincoln to Bedfordshire in the early 18th century give some idea as to the number of nonconformists in each parish from returns made by the vicar or rector. Former County Archivist Patricia Bell has compiled returns from 1706 to 1720 for the Bedfordshire Historical Records Society (Volume 81, published 2002); information forAspley Guiseincludes the following:

• 1706: “56 families in it. Among these there are some Dissenters both Quakers and Anabaptists; to the number of about 6 families but they have no meeting house in the parish.”
• 1709: “Families 73. Souls about 300. Of these 6 families of Quakers, 2 of Anabaptists.”
• 1712: “None unbaptized come to Church. Many not confirmed.”
• 1717: “Families four score: five families Quakers; three families Presbyterians.”
• 1720: “Between 50 and 60 families, seven of them Dissenters, six Quakers and one Anabaptist.”

Bedfordshire Archives has a reasonable number of registrations of nonconformist meeting houses in both the Quarter Sessions and Archdeaconry of Bedford archives. Registration continued through the 19th century even though persecution faded away - this was because registered buildings were allowed to claim exemption from parish poor rates, were exempt from control by the Charity Commission and were allowed to be licensed to carry out marriages. These things meant that registration became almost compulsory in practice for well established nonconformist meetings. This is fortunate for the local historian because sometimes the only surviving references to a nonconformist meeting occur as registrations. One drawback with the registrations are that they do not usually inform the reader of the particular type of denomination involved, though sometimes it is possible to infer it from other evidence.

Edwin Welch researched the history of registrations in Bedfordshire for Bedfordshire Historical Records Society Volume 75 Bedfordshire Chapels and Meeting Houses [published in 1996] and found the following for Aspley Guise

• On 2nd November 1807 the house of Thomas Candy is registered [ref: ABN1/1].
• On 2nd April 1808 the house of Eleanor Bosworth is registered [ref: ABN1/1].
• Between the 26th October and 2nd November 1809 the house in occupation of Thomas Candy, bounded on one side by tenement of James Fensam, and on another by dwelling house of Thomas Sear is registered by Joseph Sibthorpe senior and junior, William Jackson, George Foskett, William Smith, Josiah Chapman and Peter Gilks (all of Aspley)
• On 29th July 1815 a Methodist Chapel is registered [ref: ABN1/1].
• Between the 14th and 10th April 1823 a dwelling house of William Percival at Hogsty End is registered by himself [ref: ABN1/1, ABN2/201 and ABN3/3].
• On 27th November 1849 a Primitive Methodist Chapel belonging to Benjamin Herbert, William Mayne and others is registered by Henry Yates, minister in Newport Pagnell [ref: ABN1/2 and ABN2/416].
• On 20th June 1854 a Wesleyan Chapel is registered by William Britten of Bow Brickhill, baker (trustee). It was cancelled on 31 December 1866.
• On 18th December 1860 a Primitive Methodist Chapel at Woburn Sands is registered by Samuel Turner of Aylesbury, minister. It was cancelled on 29th June 1954 on revision.
• On 3rd February 1863 a Wesleyan Chapel on Chapel Street [Mount Pleasant in 1954] is registered by John Shemeld of Aspley, painter (trustee). It was cancelled on 5th July 1978.
• On 17th August 1866 a Primitive Methodist Chapel at Water Hall, Salford Ford is registered by John Wilson of Linslade, town missionary. It was cancelled on 5th February 1897 on revision.  
• On 9th August 1875 a building belonging to Lucy Heart is registered for Protestant Dissenters by Lucy How of Aspley, widow (proprietor).