Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerk Project

This Chapel came into existence under unfortunate circumstances. Differences with the minister of the old Congregational Chapel, Mr. Whiteley, led to the secession of a number of prominent families in 1803, amongst them the Cockers, Richardsons, Brindles, Smiths, and Nightingales, who built themselves the Bethesda. This breakaway group joined the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, and had only three ministers during its short lifetime, the last one dying in March 1815.

Built very much along the lines of the Old Chapel which the dissenters had left, the entrance was on the east side, over which was inserted a stone with the inscription “"BETHESDA CHAPEL 1803". There were sittings for about 300 people. The date services were discontinued here is not certain, but it is known that shortly after Mr. Whiteley moved from Tockholes in 1819, most people returned to the Old Chapel.

In 1851 the Old Chapel authorities purchased the Bethesda and used the building as the non-conformist day school and Sunday School. Services were also held in the Bethesda again on Sunday evenings and at the old Chapel in the morning and afternoon.

Bethesda Mortuary Chapel c.1980

In 1899 it was found necessary to build a new Sunday School due to the Bethesda being in a state of decay and the grounds unsightly. The site was considered undesirable as it was most inconvenient to get to and a new site was chosen on the main highway. The new Sunday School was erected using the stone from the Bethesda. In 1900 a small mortuary chapel was built on the site of the old Bethesda and the grounds were restored. This new building was also named Bethesda. It was very small and had a fire-place where the altar would normally have been. This building was demolished in the 1980’s due to lack of funds for its maintenance.

There are no Registers remaining for the Bethesda Chapel, but burial and baptism entries were copied in 1944 into a joint Register with that of the Independent Chapel. The graveyard still exists.