Leagrave High Street Wesleyan Methodist Church

Leagrave High Street church in 1974

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 that on 12th or 14th June 1798 the house in the occupation of Edward Pain in Leagrave was registered for worship by Pain himself, Elizabeth Pain, Richard Partridge and Joseph Harper [ABN1/1, ABN2/87]. This was the same day that Church Street Wesleyan Methodist church was registered and so these are the first two Methodist registrations in Luton.

However, this was not the first evidence of Methodism in Leagrave. In 1973 Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service staff [CRT170/6/11] wrote about the early history of Methodism in Leagrave, with reference to a book entitled "The names, numbers, occupations, residences etc. of the members of the Society in the Bedfordshire Circuit, July 1781" [MB1]: “The book begins in 1781 and already by that time there was a society at Leagrave. Ten members are listed, the leader being Richard Partridge, a farmer of Leagrave. The only other member whose address was Leagrave was Maria Godfrey, a farmer’s wife. Her husband does not appear on the list. There were seven from “Limberry”, consisting of two labourers, John Ball and William Hopkins and his wife, Mary, a woodward, John Gobley, and three widows. These were Jane Foster, a publican, Elizabeth Odel, a seamster and Mary Sells, a “hattplatter” … the other member was John Cumberland, a ploughman, giving his address as “Brammaga” [Bramingham]”.

“”For a few years the membership hardly changed. Mrs. Partridge joined the society in 1783 and perhaps Mary Sells or Sales lost her job, for in that year she was described as “poor”. The next year saw some new members, all women, and three of them from Limbury, but unfortunately the writer of the book did not bother about their occupations … In 1785 we find some new men, described as labourers and servants and the society then numbered 15. After this there is a gap in the records until 1792, when Thomas Tattersall noted: “There is no account taken that I can find since the year 1785. 6 years have been neglected by the Assistants”. Tattersall records only ten members at Leagrave in 1792, and by now some of the old names have disappeared. The leader is John Cumberland, probably the same man who was on the list in 1781. He is now a labourer and is followed on the list by his wife, Susannah. It may be that John was related to the William Cumberland who was a shoemaker and class leader in Bedford at the same time. There seem to be two other married couples at Leagrave: John and Elizabeth Stiff and William and Susannah Davis. All the men are labourers. From 1793 until 1799 numbers fluctuated between ten and twelve. In 1797 the eleven members collected 6/6 for Kingswood School [founded in Bath [Somerset] by John Wesley], but perhaps around the turn of the century they were going through a difficult time. In 1800 and 1801 no complete list is given for the society and there is merely a note that Leagrave has eight members. Perhaps the larger, flourishing congregation in Luton was attracting some away. In 1802, however, this small group managed to raise 6/1 towards the Conference Debt, 6/- for the West India Mission, 2/10 for their yearly collection and 6/10 for Kingswood School. In the next year even more was collected”.

“In 1804 there were ten members again and a note that Leagrave was “to be met by the Itinerant and Local Preachers alternately”. In 1806, the last year covered by the book, Leagrave has 14 members. It is interesting to note that some of the surnames are still the same as those appearing a generation before, but the Christian names are different. This must surely indicate a family allegiance to Methodism. Once again a Richard Partridge is leader, and in the society are John, Sarah and Jane Partridge. There are also John, Hannah and Sarah Stiff and Susannah Davis, besides some new names”.

This work was used almost verbatim in a pamphlet produced in 1974 to celebrate 150 years of the chapel in the High Street written by Rev. Bernard G. Franklin. The meeting formed part of the first Luton Wesleyan Circuit, formed in 1808. The chapel itself has a handbill of May 1819 regarding a Sunday school anniversary stating: “the number of children taught in the above School is Eighty-Four”. The pamphlet produced in 1974 rightly describes as a mystery where this extensive Sunday school met, given that the worship was then taking place at the house of one of the members. One can only conclude that a barn or similar large structure was available and Rev. Franklin notes that that the Partridge family had Lower Farm from the 17th century until 1898.

In 1824 a newly erected brick chapel was registered by William Brocklehurst, Wesleyan minister [ABN1/2; ABN2/213; ABN3/3, 59] and on 19th May 1835 the Wesleyan chapel was registered by Thomas Rogerson of Luton [ABN1/2; ABN2/303]. In 1843 Leagrave High Street church was transferred to Dunstable Wesleyan Circuit.

On Sunday 30th March 1851 a census of all churches, chapels and preaching-houses of every denomination was undertaken in England and Wales. The local results were published by Bedfordshire Historical Records Society in 1975 as Volume 54, edited by D. W. Bushby. The return for Leagrave Wesleyan Church was compiled by steward William Scrogges Partridge, farmer and the information was as follows:

• The chapel opened in 1824;
• There were 103 free seats, 92 other seats and standing room for 30;
• General congregation in the morning – 84 with 98 Sunday scholars;
• General congregation in the afternoon – 185 with 99 Sunday scholars;
• General congregation in the evening - 212.

On 9th February 1854 the Wesleyan chapel in the High Street was again registered, this time by Matthew Trevan Male of Dunstable, superintendent minister. The pamphlet on the history of the church written by Rev. Franklin in 1974 notes that the chapel was altered in 1857. The church, however, was still too small and it was demolished and a replacement built on the same site in 1880 as noted in The Dunstable Methodist Circuit: 150 Years of Witness 1843-1993 by Colin Bourne.

In 1932 Wesleyan Methodism came together with Primitive and United Methodists to form the Methodist Church of Great Britain. Leagrave High Street returned to a Luton circuit in 1965 when it joined the newly created Luton South Circuit. In 1987 the northern and southern circuits were re-amalgamated into one Luton Circuit which, on 2010, joined the Chiltern Downs Circuit to create the South Bedfordshire Circuit.

Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service has the following information on Leagrave High Street chapel:

• MB1: Leagrave in "The names, numbers, occupations, residences etc. of the members of the Society in the Bedfordshire Circuit, July 1781": 1781;
• The Dunstable Methodist Circuit: 150 Years of Witness 1843-1993 by Colin Bourne and others;
• MB2390: class book: 1866-1869;
• MB2391: class book: 1882-1884;
• MB2395: Trust cash account book: 1886-1950;
• MB2392: Trustees’ minute book: 1900-1919;
• MB2398: Leaders’ Meeting minute book: 1903-1933;
• MB2407: collection journal: 1903-1911;
• MB3135: cash book: 1903-1949;
• MB3136: Choir Meeting minutes: 1904-1963;
• MB2402: Band of Hope minute book: 1910-1952;
• MB2408: collection journal: 1911-1923;
• MB2409: collection journal: 1923-1932;
• MB2403: Centenary Committee minute book: 1924;
• MB3137: choir cash book: 1924-1977;
• MB2410: collection journal: 1932-1941;
• MB2399: Leaders’ Meeting minute book: 1934-1961;
• MB2393: Trustees’ minute book: 1935-1956;
• MB2404: Women’s Bright Hour minute book: 1936-1953;
• MB2406: Women’s Bright Hour minute book: 1936-1990;
• MB2411: collection journal: 1941-1950;
• MB3138: Cradle Roll: 1948-1976;
• Z914/1/1: architect’s papers regarding the building of the church hall: 1949-1955;
• Z914/1/2: plans of the new church hall: 1949-1954;
• MB2412: collection journal: 1950-1960;
• MB2405: Women’s Bright Hour minute book: 1953-1973;
• MB460: Trustees’ minute book: 1956-1973;
• MB2413: collection journal: 1960-1969;
• MB1762: Leaders’ Meeting minute book: 1961-1969;
• MB2397: Society account book: 1961-1979;
• MB2847: Methodist Trust schedules: 1966-1979;
• MB2846: building inspection reports: 1968, 1978;
• MB3139: Trustees’ Treasurer’s account book: 1968-1987;
• MB2414: collection journal: 1969-1978;
• MB1763: Leaders’ Meeting minute book: 1970-1977;
• MB2396: Society Meeting minute book: 1971-1990;
• MB2394: Trustees and Property Committee minute book: 1973-1991;
• MB1764: booklet: A Century and a Half – and more- at High Street Methodist Church, Leagrave, Luton: 1974;
• MB2848: enquiries to be made annually at Trustees’ meeting following audit: 1974-1980;
• MB3140: Family Committee minutes: 1975-2000;
• MB2400: Church Council minute book: 1977-1990;
• MB3141: Society accounts: 1983-1995;
• MB2401: Church Council minute book: 1990-1991;
• MB3142: Church Council minutes: 1990-1992.
• CRT170/6/11: A history of Methodism in Leagrave.