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We provide a focus for liberal religious worship and reflection and a centre of fellowship for people of religious sentiment. |
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Bury Unitarian Church |
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Layout Plan of Register of Grave Owners,
Bank St. Chapel May 1878 to Dec. 1888
Heywood Baptism, Marriage &
Funeral Services conducted by J. M. Bass The following list of church records have been assembled and made available by kind permission of Bury Archive Services from material supplied by Bury Unitarian Church and lodged with BAS. BRITTAIN HILL UNITARIAN CHURCH, HEYWOOD: records 1865-1969 Brittain Hill church was established by the efforts of Rev J Wright and Rev B Glover and the Mission Committee of Bank Street Presbyterian Church in Bury. A Sunday school met from 1857, initially at Oak Street, and was replaced by the new church in 1860. The first minister, John Fox, was appointed in 1864. A fire in 1968 and other difficulties led to the congregation deciding to amalgamate with the Bank Street and Chesham congregations in a new church on the Bank Street site in 1970, as ‘Bury Unitarian Church’. All the records listed here were deposited with Bury Archive Service by Bury Unitarian Church in 2003. Agreement has been reached in principle to their transfer to Rochdale Local Studies Service and readers are advised to check their current location before visiting. For records of Bank Street Presbyterian Church/Bury Unitarian Church, see Bury Archive Service ref. CBS. 9 items/17 cu.dm.] 1 Congregational and Committee Meeting Minute Books 1865-1969 1. 19/2/1865 – 10/1873 [encl. Church rules 1867: damaged by damp] [minutes 1874 – 1920 missing, not deposited] 2. 22/1/1921 – 10/7/1928 [encl. list of caretaker’s duties 1926] 3. 10/7/1928 – 10/10/1933 4. 24/4/1939 – 13/2/1947 5. 28/5/1964 – 5/6/1969 2 Annual Statements of Accounts & Balances Books 1878-1967 1. 1878 – 1954 2. 1954 – 1967 [encl. loose typescript balance sheets 1962-1967] 3 Cash Analysis Journal 1964-1967 1. 1964 – 1967 4 Church History Scrapbook 1882-1895 This ‘Record of the Progress of the Unitarian Church and Sunday School, Heywood’ was compiled from c.1882 to 1895. It includes a copy of the 1861 lease for the church site, a published history of the church by Charles Hardman and manuscript annual reports for church organisations including the Sunday school, clothing club and band. 1. c. 1882 – 1895 [compiled between these dates] 4/12/2003 CCU CHESHAM UNITARIAN CHURCH, BURY: records 1908 – 1969 The
church was an offshoot of the congregation at Bank Street. Services These
records were deposited with Bury Archive Service by Bury Unitarian For records of Bank Street and the new Bury Unitarian Church, see CBS. [12 items/13 cu.dm.] 1 Congregation/Church Council Minutes 1908 - 1970 These
include minutes for some church committees, notably the services 1. 13/5/1908 – 1/10/1911 (incl. notes re applications for membership; pages missing; encl. financial estimates 1905, reports & donation lists 1907) 2. 14/5/1958 – 10/10/1962 (encl. order of service for recognition service at Stand 1962; pamphlet re training for ministry n.d.; incl. congregation address list) 3. 14/11/1962 – 25/1/1970 (encl. incomplete printed accounts 1951-1970; chapel warden’s final report 1970) 2 Account Ledgers 1917 - 1969 1. 1917 – 1948 2. 1949 – 1969 3 Classified Analysis Books 1929 - 1966 1. 1929 – 1948 (encl. printed accounts and balance sheets 1944, 1947) 2. 1949 – 1960 3. 1961 – 1966 (encl. papers re Bury council mortgage investment & notes re balance sheet 1966) 4 Cash Book 1935 - 1952 1. 5/1/1935 – 17/1/1952 (approx. 31 pages 1935-1938 removed from this volume) 5 Receipts & Payments Journal 1960 - 1969 1. 3/1/1960 – 17/12/1969 6 Sunday School Minute Book 1959-1967 Covers quarterly and annual meetings of teachers and older scholars. 1. 4/1/1959 – 1/10/1967 7 Calendars (newsletters) 1945 - 1961 In addition to including calendars of church events, these also act as church newsletters, containing printed reports of church events, contact details etc. They were produced monthly (11 per annum), but only a small proportion have survived. For calendars pre 1941, see the records of Bank St Presbyterian Church (CBS). 1. 1945 – 1961 (bn./14 pamphlets) [none 1951-1959] KJM 11/12/2003 CBS BANK STREET PRESBYTERIAN (BURY UNITARIAN1970) CHURCH, BURY: records 1835-1971 The Presbyterian church at Bank Street, Bury was founded in 1719.ThomasBraddock was the first Minister, and served until 1770. Although known as a ‘Presbyterian’ Church, it was, in effect, independent or congregational in terms of church government, and by the 1770’s was broadly Unitarian in terms of doctrine. The Chapel Trustees controlled a number of estates including Holebottom off Rochdale Old Road (partly used as a cemetery from 1855, when the existing churchyard was closed), at Dundee/Holcombe, and at St Mary’s Place. The first chapel was replaced by a new building on an adjacent site in 1837,but this proved to have serious defects in construction, and was replaced in turn by a third chapel built in the gothic style, which opened in 1852, and was registered for marriages. The
activities of the Mission Committee, established in 1856, led to the establishment
of a number of daughter churches and Sunday schools, A
sunday school was established in 1805 at a house in Silver Street: later this
met at the church, until a purpose-built sunday and day school was Originally,
church administration was undertaken by the trustees, the congregational
meeting and the chapel clerk (and later the Chapel Keeper). There were a large number of other organisations associated with the church, records of some of which are included here. The Dorcas Society was established in 1885, initially to distribute clothing among poor children attending the school, but later extended to other charitable activities. The Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society was formed from two separate societies 1947, and met jointly with the corresponding society at Ainsworth Unitarian Church from 1967. The Bank Street branch of the British League of Unitarian Women was formed in 1912 to promote the religious life of members, and maintain contacts on moving between churches. It also became involved in various charitable and social matters, as well as fund-raising events. A girls’ club was in existence from 1887, but was reconstituted in 1907 as the Sunday School Guild Girls’ Social Club (later Ladies’ Club). Despite its name, membership was for women over 16 years of age among the congregation as well as the Sunday school, although most members seem to have been younger adults. The club had its own room at the school, stocked with magazines, and ran various social and fund-raising events, plus regular whist or bridge evenings. For records of the former Chesham Unitarian Church, see CCU. For records of the former Brittain Hill Unitarian Church, Heywood, contact the Archivist. Additional logbooks for the former day school 1866-1909 have been deposited by the Education Department: see SBS. The
choir register, burial register, and miscellaneous school papers (items ,
, [ 70 items/173 cu.dm./11 boxes] Contents: Chapel Trust and Congregation Records 1
Trustees’ Minute
Books
1850-1970 2
Trustees’ General (impersonal)
Ledgers
1928-1976 1 Trustees’ Minute Books 1850-1970 These
include minutes of the annual congregational meetings and of the 1. 17/6/1850 – 18/7/1853 (incl. minutes of building, finance, school & choir committees) 2. 22/12/1870 – 30/12/1884 (encl. Correspondence re D Walmsley accepting ministry 1874; resignation of Mr Wright 1873; sanitary problems 1872 3. 13/8/1890 – 20/12/1895 (encl. papers re reception of Rev J C Odgers 1894-1895) 4. 20/1/1896 – 7/7/1902 (encl. Calendar 1898, programe for congregational meeting 7/3/1900) 5. 14/7/1902 - 9/3/1908 6. 16/3/1908 – 17/11/1918 7. 24/2/1919 – 29/10/1945 (encl. notice re upkeep of graves at Holebottom; annotated copy of Defence Act 1939; calendar 12/1942; annual report 28/2/1945; notes re army requisitioning of building etc 1943) 8. 11/2/1946 – 11/3/1970 (encl. correspondence & reports re redevelopment of the church site & property at 102 Manchester Road 1967-1969; flooding at Holebottom 1961 etc) 2 Trustees’ General (impersonal) Ledgers 1928-1976 Indexed by account or fund. 1. 1928 – 1960 (encl. Valuation of property in chapel 1888; Bury Presbyterian benevolent Society printed rules 1827; photocopy statement of building fund accounts 1969-1974) 2. 1956 – 1976 3 Trustees’ Cash Books 1956-1976 1. 1956 – 1976 4 Trustees’ Annual Balance Sheets Book 1947-1976 1. 1947 – 1976 5 Annual Congregational Meeting Minute Book 1943-1969 These
include reports and accounts from the various sections within 1. 22/2/1943 – 3/12/1969 (encl.printed annual reports & centenary souvenir; some pages for Feb 1946 have been removed) 6 Transcripts of older Church Records [1735-1895] c.1900 These transcripts are undated, but may have been made about 1900. The original documents from which they were taken have not been deposited, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. 1. Deeds for trust properties and bequests [1735-1895] [vol.] c.1900 2. Minutes and accounts [1775 – 1831] [vol.] c.1900 7 General Management Committee & Church Council Minutes 1946-1970 The committee was formed in 1904, and consisted of representatives of the trustees, the Sunday school and the congregation. 1. 30/9/1946 – 22/1/1951 (vol.) (incl. Finance Committee minutes 1949 encl. ‘plan for reorganisation of the GMC’ n.d.; printed cemetery fees & regulations 1946; printed Sunday school rules 1962 NB some pages have been removed from this volume) 2. 5/3/1951 – 21/11/1966 (vol.) (incl. partial index & list of representatives 1949-1970; encl. various letters & reports.) 3. 20/2/1967 – 11/2/1970 (file)(incl. minutes of Nine Churches Grouping 14/3/1967; encl. Sunday School rules 1962; proposals for establishment of church Council 1968; papers re role of chairman n.d.; schedule of chapel-keeper’s duties n.d.) 8 General Management Committee Ledgers 1960-1971 1. 1960 – 1971 9 General Management Committee Cash Books 1944-1971 1. 1944 – 1971 10 Ladies’ Committee Minute Books 1957-1970 1. 9/12/1957 – 20/8/1970 11 Choir Attendance Registers 1936-1952 Includes names of members, note of whether soprano, alto etc, and attendance details. 1. 1936 – 1952 12 Burial Registers 1839-1893 Information given generally includes name, date of death, date of burial, age at death, place of residence (eg ‘Heap’, ‘Pimhole’), and person performing the ceremony (usually the minister). From c.1857 to 1873,notes of grave numbers are also given. At least some post-1855 burials are listed as being in the chapel graveyard, but it is not clear whether the remainder were in the new Holebottom cemetery. 1. 1839 – 1893 13 Membership Lists Covers
officers and members of the church, school and allied institutions, 1. 1936 (vol.) 14 Church Calendars, Newsletters and Annual Reports 1889-1989 In
addition to listing the times of services and meetings, these include There
were generally 11 issues per year (June-July being a single issue) 1. 1889 – 1895 (vol.) 2. 1896 – 1900 (vol.) 3. 1901 – 1903 (vol.) 4. 1904 – 1906 (vol.) 5. 1907 – 1909 (vol.) 6. 1910 – 1913 (vol.) 7. 1914 – 1917 (vol.) 8. 1918 – 1921 (vol.) 9. 1922 – 1925 (vol.) 10. 1926 – 1929 (vol.) 11. 1930 – 1933 (vol.) 12. 1934 – 1937 (vol.) 13. 1938 – 1941 (vol.) 14. 1942 – 1944 (bn.) 15. 1945 – 1949 (bn.) 16. 1950 – 1954 (bn.) 17. 1955 – 1959 (bn.) 18. 1960 – 1963 (bn.) [calendars 1964 missing, not deposited] 19. 1965 – 1971 (bn.) [all except Jan, Nov missing for 1965] [newsletters 1972 – 1985 missing, not deposited] 20. 1986 – 1989 (bn.) 15 Miscellaneous papers 1835 –1932 1. Box of miscellaneous documents including: tradesmens’ accounts & financial notes 1835-1932 letter re use of day school 1872 letters re induction service 1874 complaint of William Lightbown re dismissal from choir 1892 application & references of Jane Thompson for post of day school teacher 1895 sunday school financial estimates 1910 2. Church seating plan c.1870 16 Miscellaneous Records re Church History 1873-1969 1. newscuttings book (mostly cuttings re general history of Bury) 1873 – 1901 2.
newscuttings book (re current church events and history, incl.annotations 3. typescript ‘History of Bank Street Chapel’ (bn.) c.1915 4. Church 250th Anniversary Souvenirs etc (incl. Order of Service, dinner menus, historical souvenir pamphlet, anniversary programme, MS accounts and reports, newscuttings) (bn./6 items) 1967 – 1969 17 Sunday School Teacher’s Meeting Minute Books 1844-1854 1. 10/11/1844 – 13/8/1854 18 Sunday School Council Minute Books 1962-1967 The council replaced the old structure of committee and teachers’ meetings in 1962. 1. 5/2/1962 – 17/1/1966 (incl. Reports, accounts, and correspondence) 2. 7/3/1966 - 6/2/1967 (encl. Chesham Scholars’ festival rules 1949; Arts & Crafts Festival rules & results 1967-8; order of service, Sunday school sermons 1967; copy statistical return to National Sunday School Union 1966) 19 Sunday School Admission Books 1874-1931 include information on: scholar’s name, parent’s name (& sometimes occupation), address, age, time at any previous school and reason for leaving, and signatures. 1. 1/4/1874 – 31/1/1899 [application forms: surname index, c.1300 entries] 2. 1889 – 1/1931 [class details: includes teachers: in surname order by date: covers girls only] 20 Day School Committee Minute Books 1886-1894 Include staffing matters, building, head-teacher’s reports and exam results, Inspector’s reports, finance 1. 28/7/1886 – 18/6/1894 21 Day School Log Book 1897-1909 Head teacher’s notes re school closures due to holidays and sickness; attendance levels; appointments of teachers, alterations in lessons taught; HM Inspector’s reports; disciplinary matters etc. Note that other log books for the school covering the period 1866-1909 have been transferred to Bury Archive Service by the LEA: see ref SBS. 1. 1/11/1897 – 29/7/1909 [mixed department only] 22 Dorcas Society Accounts 1957-1979 1. cash book and accounts 1957 – 1979 (env.) 23 Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society Minute Books 1947-1968 1. 27/5/1947 – 19/11/1968 24 British League of Unitarian Women (Bank St branch) Minute Books 1912-1958 The minutes include annual reports, news cuttings and lists of officers. 1. 3/4/1912 – 3/12/1919 2. 28/1/1920 – 15/11/1933 3. 15/1/1934 – 15/1/1958 25 Sunday School Guild Girls’ Social Club (later Ladies’ Club) Minute Books 1908-1977 General
meeting minutes include annual reports, and all minutes 1. 1/1908 – 8/1/1921 (committee) 2. 27/2/1921 - 3/2/1930 (committee) 3. 3/2/1930 – 13/11/1946 (committee) 4. 7/3/1947 – 19/1/1971 (committee) 5. 16/2/1913 – 9/1/1921 (general meetings) 6. 20/2/1921 – 23/9/1934 (general meetings) 7. 29/1/1935 – 30/1/1968 (general meetings) 8. 28/1/1969 – 11/1/1977 (general meetings) K J Mulley 17/12/2003 |
INTRODUCTORY BOOKLET: |
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Bury Unitarian Church
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