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1822
Statistical View of Dissenters: €”Cumberland.
387
of all written documents respecting this place, nothing but traditionary reports can be obtained: these may not be perfectly correct and ought to be read with caution. Yet this is the only kind of evidence to be had respecting Oulton. In this village, a small chapel was built in early part of last century for the convenience of a few Baptists, residing in that part of the country. These good people, it is said, before the building of the meeting-house, attended at Broughton, about twenty miles distant: to remedy this inconvenience, they erected the present little chapel, which has since undergone very considerable repairs. It is not certain, whether there was ever a church formed here or not; nor is it known who first preached to the people after the building of the meeting-house: but some time after, the Rev. ISAAC GARDINER, who afterwards removed to Hamsterly, Durham, and died there, was their minister. When he left, the Rev. THOMAS PALMER, minister at Broughton, supplied them occasionally; till the Rev. MICHAEL WHARTON came amongst them, and continued with them till he died, about the year 1790. Then Mr. HUTTON, from Broughton, began to supply them once in six weeks, during the summer season. In June 1795, I began preaching to them, and still continue. There is an endowment belonging to the place, consisting of a messuage and tenement, and some parcels of land, situate at Stanger, near Cockermouth; left about the middle of the last century by the will of the late Wm. Tiffin, of Thornby, in this county."
PARKHEAD, near Kirkoswald. €”The Register of this church commences with the beginning of the 18th century; and contains occasional notices till 1796. "By a MS. presented to me, (so says Mr. Threlkeld) by Mrs. Rebecca Nicholson, relict of GEORGE NICHOLSON, late pastor of the church at Huddlesceugh, in the parish of Kirkoswald, and county of Cumberland, it is plain that the church was first gathered at Mellerby in the year 1653, Sept. 7th; and that the design of these pious Christians upon which they associated together at first may be known, here you have the
"CHURCH COVENANT.
"Being ashamed of our former pollutions in the worship of our God, and our abominations from his Gospel ways, do here this day desire to lament the same before the Lord; looking to and depending only upon the free grace of God in Christ for pardon and healing power, and being sensible also of our want of sundry Gospel ordinances, and this of church fellowship in particular, which our souls do long after, as one of his precious enjoyments, and most sweet privileges given to and purchased for us by his precious blood.
And having this day supplicated the Lord for a blessing upon our poor endeavours, in order hereunto do now all of us sett ourselves, as in the presence of God, and freely, and with our consent, (yet not without fear and tremblin,) enter into a solemn agreement, and promise to walk together as one body in all the holy ways, and pure ordinances of Christ our dear Husband and Head; and to perform all service of brotherly love and holy watchfulness to each other, as the Lord requireth, and also to submit ourselves one to another, according to the order of the Gospel, and all this we do, not presuming upon our onw strength, which is nothing but weakness. No, nor by any power of grace received, (which without continual supply from the fountain, is able to act nothing,) but meerly and wholly relying upon the gracious and fresh influence from our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our life, our hope, our all in all, who we believe will with a tender eye look upon our day of small things, perfect our beginnings, and carry us as lambs in his bosom through all our temptations, and difficulties, and infirmities, (according as he hath undertaken by commission from his Father,) and bring us into his eternal rest, after he hath wiped all tears from our eyes."
Finis. €”"Exscripsi die 5to Junii, 1708."
"The number of persons in laying the foundation of the church , were these following: €”William Hopkins, minister, of Mellerby; Simon Atkinson, minister, of Lazonby; M. Singleton; John Maughan, of Mellerby; ; John Harrison, of Parkhead; Thomas Harrison; George Green, of Mellerby," €”(The catalogue is continued to the number of 191, in which the names Lothian, Jameson, Brown, and Threlkeld frequently occur, and whose lineal descendants in this and other parts of the country, continue to be the friends of Christ, and of Nonconformity.) The following extracts are from the register of the church of Cockermouth.
"The same day, (Nov. 19, 1653,) at our meeting, the church appointed Brother Benson, Brother Blethwaite, and Brother Bolton, as chosen men to go to the church gathered in and about Kirkoswald, at the ordination of their pastour.
"The 26th of the 1st month, (1658,) two messengers were appointed, (viz. Brother Benson and Brother Eaglesfield,) to go to the church about Kirkoswald, we having been desired by that church to send some chosen persons, they having set a day apart for the ordaining of one of their members (Mr. John €”), a teaching elder among them.
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