West Yorkshire Providence Chapel Stainland

[kenf48]

I recently acquired this order of service which was folded in a book celebrating the centenary of the Providence Independent Chapel at Stainland West Yorkshire. The centenary was celebrated in the summer of 1914. A few short years later 22 men from the congregation were dead, and no doubt many of those commemorated on the side panels were changed by their experience. (The names are clear on the original I reduced the scan to upload it).

This document is four pages and gives the complete order of service. It's a bit damaged from being folded in the book for over 80 years.

The Chapel closed around 30 years ago and was converted to apartments. Fortunately the national inventory of war memorials shows it was moved to Southgate Methodist Church in Elland.

I guess there's a project there, dare I say it seems a manageable number to try and trace. I had a quick look at the CWGC and there is a naturally higher number of casualties from Yorkshire regiments. It must have been such a small community, the history records there were less than 250 members of the church in 1914 and it was probably the centre of their world until the war.

It seems Stainland built a cricket pitch to commemorate their heroes and afaik the village/town doesn't have any other memorial, other than those that were placed in the churches (though happy to stand corrected by a local - I'm in Sussex!).

My research is actually more centred on the Stainland Wesleyan Chapel (also demolished) and their brass plaque was apparently moved to the same location as this one, although that is shown as 'in storage' on the index.

May be of interest locally,

Ken

[JPAE]

Ken,

The massive Blackley brickworks must have employed Stainland men as it is close to the village. If you were to research furthur then this now derelict factory may have left records behind. I know the area well as the in-laws lived at Outlane, and as my work takes me to Brighouse this afternoon I shall return the Halifax way and head for Elland, via Stainland, and have a recce of the area, especially looking out for the Southgate Methodist Church. It'll be nice and light up there still, when darkness has settled upon Sussex. Another advantage for the Northerner. I will report any finds.

Phil.

[Spud Trevor]

Hello,

There was a chap Pte David Dunwell Shepherd actually buried in the Stainland Wesleyan Chapelyard, I don't know what if anything happened to his grave, if the chapel was demolished.

Regards,

Spud

[JPAE]

Called at the Bethdesa Methodist Chapel at the Top of Southgate but it was shut. The Notice board gave a tel. no. for the Rev. R. Gee which I rang but was informed that it did not take incoming calls. Mysterious ways..... Basically,got nowhere but will try again--perhaps on a Sunday. Spud, I will have a nosey round Stainland too. At least the Elland Chapel is used for Services, and not converted.

Cheers for now, Phil.

[kenf48]

Thank you gentlemen, the Stainland Wesleyan Cemetery is still there, don't know about any CWG as I've yet to make a visit. (Which will probably destroy my romantic image of the place!). An inventory was done and recorded in a book 'where no shadows fall' which is in the local records office. I have a transcript somewhere and will look up later (after the rugby - aren't laptops great!).

The cemetery gets very overgrown in the summer as these pictures show

http://picasaweb.google.com/Cath53/StainlandAndWalkerGraves

Ken

[JPAE]

Beware of TOO romantic an image, Ken. The M62 lurks in the area! However, if you plan to visit Stainland then your spectacles will not require tinting. Elland and Halifax have an urban appeal. Rugby League I hope--Bulls v. Giants on my crystal set.

Phil.

[kenf48]

A very belated update and another problem

We visited Stainland in April and I can confirm efforts had been made to clear up the Wesleyan Cemetery and David Shepherd is still there, and, it appears remembered (Spud I have a photo if interested).

I attempted to contact Southgate Methodist Church to view the original memorial and that for the Methodist Chapel (which UKNIWM list as 2701 & 2702) but without success in the limited time we were there.

We saw the memorial cricket ground and the plaque in the Anglican Church.

An American family history contact saw the original post and detailed her difficulties with UKNIWM, she told me neither memorial was at the Elland Church (logically why would Methodists have a Congregational memorial?) and she tells me she has been in contact with someone who had both memorials in their garage and was (apparently) desperate to find somewhere more appropriate to display them (one church is now flats and the other demolished).

Unfortunately I'm in Eastbourne and wonder if Phil or any other Forum Pals in the West Riding could make some further enquiries, perhaps in the local press. I know it's a big ask but as recent threads have shown the forum usually gets results.

Regards

Ken

[JPAE]

Ken,

My current daily route takes me to Mirfield, and therefore a few miles from the Stainland area. After trying several times to contact the Rev. Gee, I gave up I'm afraid. There may well be other Forum members who can do a lot better than my feeble effort, but if you do find a specific place to visit, or some more information, I can do a little detour.

Phil.

[mattgibbs]

Depending on the exact circumstances of ownership I might possibly be able to help with relation to the displaying of the memorials in an appropriate setting. I have a couple of "non-anglican" contacts I can approach, and as I am north of Leeds this isn't a great distance to cover either.

If someone would care to PM me with any more info I will see what I can do to help.

Regards

Matt Gibbs

[kenf48]

Phil, thanks for trying, and if I ever find them Matt I'll be in touch. I guess the local community made what they thought was the most appropriate decision at the time and went for grass rather than granite but I wondered if anyone local had a view.

Ken

[Oggy2378]

Ken,

I have recently looking for information on Joe Mellor, East Yorkshire Regiment, 29062 who on enlistment was living at New York Farm, Stainland. Is he on this memorial tablet? The names are unreadable when the photo is enlarged.

Many thanks

Wayne

[kenf48]

He is not on the Providence Chapel Memorial nor any of the other Memorial Plaques in the village

Full list of names on Providence Capel Tablets here on the IWM site

 

Better rendition of the Memorial on Malcolm Bull's site

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~calderdalecompanion/ph5114.html

 

The Anglican Church also has a Memorial Plaque which is still in situ

http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2606

again Malcolm has published work on some of the names

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~calderdalecompanion/x181.html

 

As did the Wesleyan Methodists

http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2702

 

As previously noted on this thread Stainland opted for a 'utility' memorial, a cricket pavilion (now destroyed but rebuilt) and cricket ground which is still known as the 'Stainland Memorial Ground'.

 

If there was no association with any of the Churches it may be Pte Mellor was not commemorated on any memorial. Dave Cochrane and I researched the dead on the two Chapel Memorials, Dave found most of them in the local newspapers, and I did a bit more work on the Wesleyans which was my family history interest but I don't recall coming across Pte Mellor.  There are three Mellors on the Elland War Memorial but he does not appear to be one of them.

 

Ken

 

Edited 11 October , 2017 by kenf48

[Oggy2378]

He was a native of Huddersfield up to 1911, so he may be commemorated there. He was mentioned in the local Brighouse paper. I am in Mytholmroyd not far from Elland/Stainland and we too had a recreation ground as part of the WW1 memorial as well as the monument. Unfortunately the rec lost it's WW1 identity over the years. Only recently have moves been made to once again recognise it as White Lee Memorial Park

Thanks for your assistance

Wayne

[Phil Taylor]

I’ve just collected my 4 year old Grandson from Bowling Green School. My Dad also went to this school (circa 1926).

Whilst waiting in the school yard I noticed an old plaque on one of the outer school walls. On investigating this plaque/tablet, which was to commemorate men from a church in Stainland that served in the Great War, I noticed my Grandad’s name: Robert Taylor.

I knew my Grandad had served in the war and was badly wounded in France. He spent about one year in the Halifax General hospital (in one of the round towers I believe).
No members of the Taylor family have lived in Stainland for decades. The last were a sister & sister in law of Robert Taylor on Beech Street, whom I visited when I was as younger. My son & daughter have both moved here to live in the last 4 years. Hence me going to the school.

I am really chuffed to have found this memorial tablet with my Grandads name on.
I would just like to know which church the Tablet was from. I’m guessing it was Providence Chapel, Beestonely Lane, Stainland, as my family were Methodists.

Does any one have an idea?

 

PPhil Taylor

 

[ilkley remembers]

1 hour ago, Phil Taylor said:

I’ve just collected my 4 year old Grandson from Bowling Green School. My Dad also went to this school (circa 1926).

I think that the plaque at Bowling Green is the memorial from Stainland Wesleyan Church which was near to Holywell Green The memorial from the Providence Chapel is at Southgate Methodist Church in Elland

[Phil Taylor]

Ok. Thank you for that info.

When my Dad went to Bowling Green school about 1926 he lived at Coldwells Hill very near to Providence Chapel & yards away from the school.

Though my Grandad would probably have lived below St Andrews Church near to Beech St when he went to war. So not too far from Holywell Green.

 

 

[kenf48]

I can confirm the plaque which you have photographed was preciously in private hands, and is from the Stainland Wesleyan Chapel.  The Chapel was dmolsed in, as I recall 1965  and the stones use to build two bungalows on the site.  The burial ground is behind the houses and I last visited, as above in 2009.

I have done some work on the the memorial along with forum pal  @Dave C

As a matter of interest the folk at Stainland decided against a village memorial and opted for a cricket pavilion/memorial ground or 'utility memorial'.  The original pavilioin burned down but the ground still remains.  Each of the churches,i.e. the Providence Chapel; the Methodists and the C of E have a memorial plaque, some of the names are duplicated.

An image of the Providence Chapel Memorial which was marble is at the top of this thread.  St Andrews Anglican Church has a wooden plaque.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2606

There are two Taylors listed on this memorial.

 

 

[ilkley remembers]

Lived variously at Rishworth and Brighouse for some years so know the Calder/Ryburn Valleys fairly well. Methodism in its various guises seems to have been very strong in the area and indeed was in Halifax itself. Methodist adherents identified with particular denominations and the Providence Chapels, of which there are several in this part of the Pennines, probably attracted a mainly working class congregation. Sadly, as in the case of Stainland the small hill top chapels have either been demolished of re-used but some still exist. A couple of years ago visited the delightful chapel at Wainsgate above Hebden Bridge contains a lovely little WW1 memorial which incorporates photographs of the fallen.

[kenf48]

2 hours ago, ilkley remembers said:

Lived variously at Rishworth and Brighouse for some years so know the Calder/Ryburn Valleys fairly well. Methodism in its various guises seems to have been very strong in the area and indeed was in Halifax itself. Methodist adherents identified with particular denominations and the Providence Chapels, of which there are several in this part of the Pennines, probably attracted a mainly working class congregation. 

Off topic for the GWF but the religious/church history of Stainland, which was visited and preached to by John Wesley is of great interest.

“The ancestor I would most like to meet” was a lay preacher at the Chapel.

[ilkley remembers]

9 hours ago, kenf48 said:

Off topic for the GWF but the religious/church history of Stainland, which was visited and preached to by John Wesley is of great interest.

“The ancestor I would most like to meet” was a lay preacher at the Chapel.

Wesley and his followers must have done a good job since it is estimated that almost 20% of the population in that area were no-conformists prior to the war. It doesn’t appear to have dented patriotic sentiment as numerous chapel war memorials testify. See Malcolm Bulls Calderdale Companion

 

http://www.calderdalecompanion.co.uk/mmm2000.html#s

 

Interestingly, in 1914 the MP for Elland, which included Stainland was Sir Charles Trevelyan, a minister in the Liberal Government who resigned his position in protest at the declaration of war.  He seems to have sided with the Quaker Liberal tradition of progressive radical reform, although it didn’t do him much good as in 1918 when he lost the seat he had held for over 20 years to a Tory.

[kenf48]

1 hour ago, ilkley remembers said:

It doesn’t appear to have dented patriotic sentiment as numerous chapel war memorials testify.

Thank you for pulling us gently back on topic.

The Great War was considered a 'just war' and whilst many non conformists, including Methodists objected to any form of killing and warfare it is estimated 200,000 Wesleyan Methodist men contributed to the effort of the British armed forces. 

They were ministered to by some 330 Wesleyan Chaplains all of whom were volunteers.

As part of the Centenary commemoration a notebook showing details of who and  where they served was digitised and made available online by the Methodist Church and the John Rylands Library at Manchester University.

https://luna.manchester.ac.uk/luna/servlet/detail/Manchester~19~19~3159~183298?qvq=q:armed%2Bforces%2Bboard&mi=0&trs=1

There were of course other Methodist and non-conformist soldiers and chaplains serving in the forces as evidenced as you say by the many Chapel Memorials. The Wesleyans loved their Minute Books, I was delighted to find the Halifax Record Office holds the minute book for Stainland Chapel.

[ilkley remembers]

On 22/09/2022 at 11:15, kenf48 said:

The Great War was considered a 'just war' and whilst many non conformists, including Methodists objected to any form of killing and warfare it is estimated 200,000 Wesleyan Methodist men contributed to the effort of the British armed forces. 

I wonder to what extent the Methodist Churches had to engage in doctrinal Calisthenics to reach the moral position of a ‘Just War’ given the relative antipathy towards organized violence that had been evident during the 19th Century.

 

The various Methodist Churches probably found it easy to justify Britains involvement in the war when the enemy indulged in what were seen as barbaric practices during the early stages of the war. However, the introduction of compulsory service seems for some Methodists to have tested their religious conscience as reflected in support for the anti conscription movement and as conscientious objectors. Clearly as you say the vast majority of young Methodists had few qualms about embracing the colours; reflecting perhaps the power of loyalty and patriotism over religious adherence.

 

It is interesting to see if these debates are reflected in the records and minute books of local congregations like Stainland and a few months ago managed to view the records of the circuits and churches out here in Ilkley. Sadly, they were largely incomplete and their value somewhat limited.