HITCHIN UNITED REFORMED CHURCH

The United Reformed Church was founded in October 1972 by union of the Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England. However not all the churches belonging to these two denominations agreed to accept the 1972 Scheme of Union. The records of those Hertfordshire churches which remained separate are catalogued under the reference NC.

CLASSIFICATION SCHEME

NR8/1 Church Books

NR8/2 Church Meeting

NR8/3 Deacons

NR8/4 Registers

NR8/5 Committees and Church Organizations

NR8/6 Church Finance

NR8/7 Church Property

NR8/8 Sunday School

NR8/9 Choir

NR8/10 Membership

NR8/11 Charities

NR8/12 Church Magazines

NR8/13 Miscellaneous

MINISTERS OF THE HITCHIN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

1694-1699 William Terry

1700-1709 Thomas Scott

1709-1713 Thomas Wright

1714-1716 Isaac Hoskins

1716-1729 Robert Brown

1729-1738 Joseph Pitts

1738-1758 Joseph Webb

1758-1771 Edward Hickman

1772-1795 John Griffiths

1795-1813 William Williams

1813-1825 Charles Sloper

1826-1846 John W Wayne

1846-1851 Frederick W Heathcote

1851-1868 William Griffith

1869-1878 Samuel B Driver

1878-1881 Robert Nobbs

1882-1886 Alexander McIntosh

1887-1896 Henry Andrews

1896-1911 Clement F Bryer

1911-1915 George W Berry

1916-1926 Stanley M Hayward

1927-1948 Frederick Brockis

1949-1956 James Badcock

1957-1968 W Arthur Grant

1968- Jeffrey R Plowman

UNITED REFORMED CHURCH RECORDS

NR1 Barnet, Wood Street United Reformed Church

NR2 Bushey United Reformed Church

NR3 Barley United Reformed Church

NR4 St Albans, Trinity United Reformed Church

NR5 Letchworth Free Church

NR6 Ware United Reformed Church

NR7 Royston United Reformed Church

NR8 Hitchin United Reformed Church

NR9 Radlett United Reformed Church

NR10 Wheathampstead United Reformed Church

NR11 Hemel Hempstead, Adeyfield Free Church (affiliated to the United Reformed Church

NR12 Bishops Stortford United Reformed Church

NR13 Harpenden United Reformed Church

NR14 Hertford United Reformed Church

NR15 New Barnet United Reformed Church

NR16 Knebworth United Reformed Church

<p>For Walkern United Reformed Church see D/EX838</p>

• <corpname>Hitchin United Reformed Church, Hitchin, Hertfordshire</corpname>
• <corpname>Walsworth Trust, Hertfordshire</corpname>

The records were deposited in the Record Office on 20 October 1978

Accessions 1650, 2357

Introduction

The Independent Chapel in Hitchin was established after a small group broke away from the Baptist Meeting which met in Tilehouse Street. Under the Toleration Act of 1690 the house of John Simpson in Dead Street (also known as Back Street and now Queen Street) was registered for worship in July 1693. Until 1694 the Independent Meeting had close links with the Church at Hertford, but they split on the issue of baptism. The rift was healed in 1715.

A meeting house had been erected by 1703 but by 1853 this building became very difficult to maintain and keep in repair although major repair work had been undertaken in both 1812 and 1844 and therefore over a five year period the old chapel was converted into a schoolroom and a new chapel was built further down the road (see NR8/7/1,3,8-11). The new building was opened in 1856 at a cost of £2,700, all of which had been paid for by the congregation.

The old meeting house was demolished in 1869 to make room for new school rooms (see NR8/7/18-19). The Sunday School itself had been opened in 1803 (see section NR8/8). In 1883, Linden House in Queen Street was bought to be the Manse at a cost of £900 (see NR8/7/16). It was sold in 1961 and another building purchased in Priory Way (see NR8/7/17).

In 1966 the church officially affiliated itself to the Congregational Church in England and Wales. However, by this time the church was once again having difficulties in maintaining their buildings and began negotiations with Brand Street Methodist Church, who were having similar difficulties, as to the feasibility of a united church in different premises. In June 1967 the church meeting formally agreed to this (NR8/2/4). Land was purchased in Elmside, Hitchin and building began in September 1968. The new church, Christchurch, was opened on 21 June 1969. More information relating to the building can be found in NM4C.