I did contact the Visiter and said that I gather from the picture that it is not a headstone; it looks more like the sort of stone that would be inside a church on the wall (a sort of indoor memorial stone if you like).
Thirdly, Jamie Whatsit from the Visiter read out the inscription to me and John Wright was 25 when he died in 1866 this makes him born in 1841, and the most likely one I found was of Little London
Lastly, the article says he was a founder of the Gospell Chapel which, I think was the 'then' name for the Fishermen's Chapel, Hawkshead Street.
My twopenn'th
_________________ I may be a shrimp but I'm BIG on family history
Two references to when the Fishermen's Chapel was built.
Topography and Directory of North Lancashire (1866) page 255: "The Independent Methodist Chapel on Hawkshead Street, is an unassuming edifice, erected in 1862, for the use of fishermen."
A History of Southport by Francis A Bailey (1955), page 120: "There arose also the Independent Methodist or 'Fishermen's Chapel' ln Hawkshead Street (1862).
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:24 pm Post subject: What's up...
How interesting...fancy that lady thinking it was spooky to find. I would consider it an honour to have. John Wright must have been held in high regard and was someone's son.
I'm sure that we will find some relatives who want to give his plaque a resting place. It probably was in the Fisherman's Chapel and someone rescued it when the church was demolished...a bit like seacop and the hospital wotsits!
Dotty
_________________ Family History is moo-sic to my ears!
Dotty - the Fisherman's Chapel is still there in Hawkshead Street and was recently enlarged. You will know it better as the Spiritualist Church.
The stone doesn't look like the typical sort of wall plaque. They are usually square unless you were someone of consequence. Even the 2 plaques rescued from Chapel Street Congregational Church (now at Lord Street West) in memory of the first 2 ministers are both plain and square.
_________________ Middle-aged and seeking the middle-ages!
The only church with the official name of “The Fisherman’s Chapel” was the Independent Methodist Chapel on Hawkshead Street. This pretty whitewashed building still exists as Southport Spiritualist Church.
Edward Bland in his “Annals of Southport” (1903) says:
“1862 – June 28th. The foundation stone of the “Fisherman’s Chapel”, Hawkshead Street, the first place of worship erected by the Independent Methodists of Southport, laid by Dr. Goodman. It was opened on September 21st by Mr. Barlow, of Manchester”
As John Wright died in 1866 it must have been this church where he was a trustee as Bland goes on to say:
“1874 – April 3rd. The foundation stone of Zion Independent Methodist Chapel, St Luke’s Road, laid by Alderman Walter Smith, J.P.”
Bland has nothing further to say about the Fisherman’s Chapel but Geoffrey Ellis in his “Dissenters of Every Description” (2006) does offer a hint. While not having anything to say at all about the founding of the Hawkshead Street Chapel he does mention it under the description of Zion Independent Methodist:
“The original congregation had been joined, in 1882, by the folk from the Hawkshead Street chapel – now a Spiritualist Church”.
This would account for the transference of the name “Fisherman’s Chapel” to Zion Methodist.
Earlier in the book, when discussing the origins of Old Park Lane Independent Methodist Chapel (founded 1869) he states that:
“The earlier names for the movement included The Singing Quakers, the Free Gospel or Christian Lay Church.”
However he is mistaken in his statement that “the Independent Methodist title only arose in 1898” as I have the copy of a marriage certificate for my great grandfather’s sister dated 16th March 1872 which clearly states that the marriage was “...solemnized at The Fisherman’s Chapel, Hawkshead Street, Southport” and that she was “Married in the Fisherman’s Chapel according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Independent Methodists”.
It would seem clear that the plaque was originally sited in the Hawkshead Street Chapel and that it went with the congregation when they joined with the Zion Methodists, probably taken by members of his family. When that building was sold in 1984 it seems logical that someone connected with the family removed the plaque for safe-keeping and that they lived in Arbour Street at that time. If the person or persons were elderly and subsequently died without telling other family members about the plaque, it is easy to see how it would have become overlooked when the house was sold.
_________________ Middle-aged and seeking the middle-ages!
Yesterday Jane and I found a new 'old' Southport newspaper : The Southport Independent! It goes back a long way and I found, today, the first mention of "The Gospel" - Temperance Hall; the newspaper was dated Tuesday, May 14th, 1863. I looked two years back but this was the first mention of it. Not sure what to make of the Visiter article yesterday, I think I'll sit down and re-read it before I post anything on here
_________________ I may be a shrimp but I'm BIG on family history
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