King Edward Street Unitarian Chapel
Serving Spiritual Needs since 1690
History
Alderman Lunt did give £10 to his hands to dispose at his pleasure and he gave it towards building the meeting house.
Extract from the Record of Gifts 1689
The earliest entries in the ledger recording subscriptions to build King Edward Street Chapel date from the 15th February 1689. The first donor, Mr Hodson, gave £2 10s, (approximately £300 today).
Having spent the preceding years meeting secretly in John Brodehurst’s barn, the congregation wanted a purpose built meeting place and fast. they were motivated, astute and brave enough to build one of the first dissenting meeting houses in England.
A total of 426 pew seats were purchased on 22nd August 1690, two days before the Chapel’s official opening, representing 146 families.
Trade links with London may have fuelled the growth of dissent. The benefactors William Stonehewer and Mr Hodson are described as ‘London Merchants’.
Inspite of this, the vast majority of the early congregation were ‘of Sutton.’
Puritan names dominate the original register. The name Courage Ely stands out. Although nothing is known about him other than the 12s he paid for his seat, his name encapsulates what it took to be a dissenter in turbulent times.
If you would like to know more about the chapel’s history why not come along to one of our Services. We hold copies and transcripts of the first gift ledgers. The originals are held by Cheshire Archives.