BUSHEY 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

NR2/1 Church Books

NR2/2 Church Meeting

NR2/3 Deacons

NR2/4 Registers

NR2/5 Church Committee and Organizations

NR2/6 Church Finance

NR2/7 Church Buildings

NR2/8 Sunday School

NR2/9 Choir

NR2/10 Membership

NR2/11 Charities

NR2/12 Church Magazines

NR2/13 Miscellaneous

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>

Records concerning Bushey United Reformed Church deposited in the Record Office on 15 January 1976 by the Church Secretary.

Accession 1491

Introduction

In August 1809 Mr Keen gave an outhouse on his land at Clay Hill, Bushey to be fitted out as a Chapel for Independents. This proved so popular that by 1812 the Chapel had to be enlarged to seat 200. Mr Capper offered land in Herkomer Road which was gratefully accepted but the parish vestry vetoed the plan. In the end Mr Capper erected the Chapel and the manse on his own freehold estate. The building and the land cost £400. The Chapel opened for worship on 1 December 1814. In 1815 a Sunday School was established and a library set up. Mr Capper put the Chapel, manse and its land in the hands of a trusteeship named "Village Itinerancy" or "Evangelical Associations" for the propagation of the Gospel.

On 5 October 1815, the Revd Thomas Gilbart was ordained the first minister. (For a list of succeeding ministers please see appendix). In 1840 the Chapel met a financial crisis finding that they were unable to find the money to pay the minister's stipend. Most of the income came from pew rents which were charged at £2 per annum.

A new chapel was opened for worship on the same site on 11 September 1850, but the building suffered subsidence in 1857 and buttresses had to be built to make the building safe. In 1865 a new organ was installed and in 1871 gas was installed in the church, for both lighting and heating. At the turn of the century the church had to be taken down and was sold for £70. Plans for a new church by Morley Horder were put in hand. The church opened for worship, again on the same site, on 9 November 1904 and had cost £5000. A new manse was also built at that time.

The Sunday School Hall was used during the day in the 1880s as an Elementary School classroom. The Sunday School Library was enlarged and became the church lending library. In 1902 a Fund was raised for the pastor and his wife both of whom were suffering from tuberculosis. The sum of £420 was raised for them (see NR2/13/1).

A Literary Society was formed in 1912 (see NR2/5/1) and in 1927 a Young People's Fellowship. The Falconer Hall was erected in 1918 as a memorial to peace, although a statue had already been erected on Clay Hill, and it was used for many of the church events.

The church celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 1959 with a variety of activities.

In 1971, the Church affiliated to the United Reformed Church.

CHURCH OFFICERS

Ministers

1809-15 Preachers from Hoxton Academy

1815-18 Rev. Thomas Gilbart

1818-28 Rev. Wm Snell

1828-29 Rev. R Cope

1829-34 Rev. John Vine

1834-36 Rev. Wm Warden, M.A.

1836-44 Rev. John Fernie

1845-59 Rev. John Vine

1860 Rev. John Moses

1860-63 Rev. A H New

1864-80 Rev. J Basley

1880-84 Rev. W H Edwards

1884-03 Rev. A J Wood

1904-13 Rev. J Tatton

1913-14 Rev. W Lower-Carter

1914-16 Rev. O L Whitmee

1916-36 Rev. T H Cooper, M.A.

1936-46 Rev. C H Gay

1948-56 Rev. T Greenaway

1957- Rev. F G Ewen