DORCHESTER CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Documents and papers relating to; Church Meetings

Ministers

Deacons and Elders

Management Committee

Membership

Trustees

Treasurer

Charities

Schools

Societies

Miscellaneous

<p>For the records of the United Church of Dorchester see NM2/S/12</p>

The church was founded in 1662 by the Revd William Benn, the Anglican minister at Holy Trinity, Dorchester, who had been ejected from his benefice. The church adopted Presbyterian doctrines. It met at The Priory, the home of Denzil Holles, and continued to do so after his death in 1680. In 1719 a meeting house was built in Pease Lane [Colliton Street]. In 1776 a group split away from the Presbyterian church to form a Huntingdon Connexion Methodist church, in Durngate Street, under the leadership of Thomas Molland. In 1783 he was replaced by Philipp Miles. The third minister, the Revd Gibbons, was a Congregationalist and the church adopted this doctrine. In 1822 a group left the church to form a Huntingdon Connexion church which met at a room in the Grey Hound Yard, South Street and in 1825 at Fordington. There are 66 names on the membership roll. In 1826, following the appointment of a new minister at the Durngate Street chapel, they re-joined the Congregational church. In 1857 a new church was built in South Street.

In 1910 the Church established a branch church in Charminster and records relating to the church can be found throughout this catalogue. These include a register of christenings, membership, administrative and financial records. This church and congregation had formerly been the Charminster United Methodist Free Church. It was closed in 1948. During the 1970s the church became a United Reformed church. In 1979 it amalgamated with the Dorchester Methodist church to become the United Church of Dorchester.