The Old Meeting House
Thirty years before the last Earl of Scarsdale, Nicholas Leake, built the present Sutton Scarsdale Hall as a monument to early Georgian splendour, a far simpler construction which has stood the test of time was erected in the town of Chesterfield, and unlike Sutton Scarsdale Hall, this simple `Meeting House’ which was built in 1694 is far from being a ruin – and still serves the original purpose for which it was built – the worship of God.
The Old Meeting House
The Parish church of Chesterfield is known throughout the world for its famous ‘Crooked Spire‘ and this familiar landmark must surely be known by all Derbyshire folk, and without exception by anyone born in Chesterfield. But there is another church in the town centre which is not so readily recognised – which a good percentage of the population would be hard pressed to identify or locate, – despite the fact that it has stood there for over 300 years!
Elder Yard Chapel was built in 1694, and with its tree-lined garden forecourt and stone flagged approach, stands in stone-dressed apparel, sheltering sedately behind the tall iron railings which surmount its boundary wall directly opposite the Chesterfield Cooperative store on Elder Way.
The ancient and once derelict old graveyard is nowadays transformed into a pleasant, tranquil peace garden with flowering cherry trees, flagged walkways and seats, and provides a haven for tired town centre shoppers who seek sanctuary in its sylvan surroundings. When the peace garden was opened to the public on September 20th 1987 it was described as ‘an oasis in a bustling town centre desert of commerce’. The Chapel is the oldest nonconformist Meeting House still in use in Derbyshire, and one of the oldest in England, and it has a fascinating history.
The History
Nonconformity took root with the passing of the Act of Uniformity on St.Bartholomew’s Day, August 24th 1662.
The Act required all clergy to conform to the Book of Common Prayer and almost 2000 clergymen were deprived of their livings rather than conform to its requirements. The ejected ministers constituted about one fifth of all English clergy and many of them continued to minister, holding secret meetings in private houses, or in open fields.
This became almost impossible following the passing in 1664 of the Conventicle Act which made it a criminal offence not to attend the Parish church! The vicar of the parish church in Chesterfield Rev. John Billingsley, and his curate James Ford had both been ‘ejected’ and because of the ‘Five Mile Act’ of 1665, continued to hold secret meetings in Mansfield. These meetings were frequently broken up by constables and soldiers, and the gaols were soon filled up with honest men whose only crime was a desire to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.
Some measure of the persecution can be gleaned from old records which show that in the whole of England during the reign of Charles 2nd nearly eight thousand nonconformists died in prison.
James 2nd took the throne in 1685 and attempted to restore the Papacy, but the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 resulted in James being driven from the throne and succeeded in 1689 by William of Orange and his Queen, Mary Stuart. That same year saw the passing of the ‘Toleration Act’ which allowed Dissenting Protestants to build their own places of worship, and in effect, Nonconformity became no longer a criminal offence.
Chesterfield was a stronghold for Dissenters, and it is perhaps significant that the plot for the ‘Glorious Revolution’ was hatched in the now famous ‘Revolution House’ at Old Whittington.
In 1692 Cornelius Clarke, who had been High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1670, and who was the son of the first Mayor of Chesterfield, set about providing the Dissenters of the town with a permanent meeting house.
Ford’s ‘History of Chesterfield’ tells us that:-
‘Cornelius Clarke purchased from John Smith, a hatter; on 26th of October 1692, a parcel of land in or near to a place called Eller Yard, being part of a croft there formerly belonging to Humphrey Petty, deceased, and in size 40 yards by 23 yards. This said parcel of land the same Cornelius Clarke did so purchase with intent to erect a new building thereupon to be a place of meeting for Dissenting Protestants for religious worship. Upon this land accordingly Cornelius Clarke caused Elder Yard Chapel to be built’.The total cost of the land and erection of the building was £229 lOs 6d!
The original building was of a plain rectangular shape about 50 feet long and 25 feet wide, with walls some 2ft 6ins thick and was completed in 1694. It was duly certified as a Dissenting Place of Worship at Derby Quarter Sessions on 17th April in that year.The earliest congregation was a mixture of Congregationalists and Presbyterians and a Minister for each was employed at the Chapel until 1721 when the Congregationalist Minister left. The few Congregationalist members who were left finally withdrew in 1772 upon the appointment of Rev.Thomas Astley, whose theological imperatives were decidedly Arian.
But the first reference to the building as ‘The Unitarian Chapel’ comes from a tradesman’s bill dated 1818. It must be remembered that Unitarianism, which denies the Doctrine of The Trinity, was illegal in England until 1813!
Progress was rapid in the 19th century. In 1821 the chancel was added to the original building, and in 1828 a piece of land to the east of the Chapel and fronting Saltergate was acquired upon which new schoolrooms were built 3 years later. Gas lighting was installed in 1836 and in 1845 a second storey was added to the schoolrooms as the congregation expanded rapidly along with the religious revival of the Victorian age.
The 20th century brought many changes; electricity was installed in 1922, and six years later the whole aspect of the Chapel was altered. The original ‘Elder Yard’ had been a narrow passage that linked Saltergate and Knifesmithgate and access to the Chapel was from either of these directions, but in 1928 the building of Elder Way was commenced to the west of the Chapel, and new access was sought.
The land which now forms the current frontage onto Elder Way was given as a gift by Mrs.Henry Wragg in memory of her husband. The work on the new frontage which provided access from Elder Way was completed and the forecourt officially opened by Miss Violet Markham JP. on 10th November 1934.
Many noteable Chesterfield families have long and valuable associations with the Chapel, among them are familiar names such as Broomhead, Malkin, Markham, Swanwick and Pearson.
Of the well known pottery family both Theophilus Pearson and AId. Johnson Pearson JP served as Chapel Wardens, as did both George and William North Broomhead. Miss Mary Swanwick was a member of the congregation, and both Eric Drayton Swanwick and former Chesterfield Coroner; the late Michael Swanwick JP also served as Chapel Wardens in their time.
The 20th century has witnessed a drastic and continual decline in churchgoing with the result that over 85% of nonconformist places of worship have been forced into closure. Elder Yard Chapel has not escaped the vagaries of decline, which in turn has accounted for it’s scout troop, boy’s brigade, choir, and forced the sale of it’s schoolrooms and land adjoining Saltergate.
The last full time Minister left a quarter of a century ago and by 1985 the Chapel was on the verge of closure.
The old graveyard lay rank and derelict, strewn with the accumulated debris of 25 years of town centre re-developement, and the ageing congregation had dwindled to a handful of faithful members. But an 11th hour appeal went out from the Chapel Secretary, Alan Ravey, and a remarkable transformation began. Within two years the congregation had quadrupled in number and many new fund-raising initiatives began to bear fruit. Plans were made for a new Peace Garden; lorry loads of rubbish were removed and the derelict old graveyard was slowly transformed; long forgotten buried pathways were uncovered and restored; ornamental trees and shrubs were planted and seats were added; the Chapel was redecorated, and the vestry re-roofed.
The Peace Garden was officially opened to the public on September 20th 1987 by Rev. Derek Smith, President of the General Assembly of Unitarian & Free Christian Churches of Great Britain & Northern Ireland
These days Elder Yard has a part-time minister, and has developed an excellent reputation as a venue for weddings, and a number of religious and social events take place on a regular basis. The old schoolrooms, once the premises of Harry Fish the Furrier, have been converted in modern times into a popular town-centre bar, initially named the `Douglas Robson Bar’ after former Unitarian minister, Douglas Robson, whose remains are buried at the foot of the tree in the centre of the rear courtyard. However, at the time of writing it has changed it’s name to the `Evolution’, which I suppose is appropriate enough, having successively `evolved’ from a Unitarian Schoolroom into a Furrier’s, and eventually into what it is today, although somehow, I don’t think Rev. Robson would have entirely approved – he was also once the President of the local Temperence Society! However, despite the loss of the schoolrooms and the Saltergate entrance, Elder Yard Chapel remains proudly defiant of orthodoxy and still displays it’s proud heritage today to the world at large.
The legacy left behind by those who have gone before has ensured the future of this historic old Meeting House and it continues to flourish and provide a peaceful haven for the people of the town, and a place of worship for the Nonconformist Dissenters of Chesterfield.
The author, a former Unitarian minister, became Lay Pastor of Elder Yard Chapel in 1987 and wrote the following elegy to mark the occasion.
The Olde Meeting House
It has stood with its back to the north wind since sixteen ninety four
Being built in the reign of William of Orange and Mary.
Its ancient portal faces the mild, smiling south,
Giving entry on the leeward side, and a more serence welcome
To visitors down the centuries.
The glittering jewels of its two richly coloured eyes
Face the morning; east to the rising sun.
Down the decades the dust motes have twinkled and glittered
Motionless in the refracted glory of the richly hued rainbows
Pouring shafted sunlight through the stained glass windows
On a myriad summer days.
The atmosphere hangs heavy with the reverence of age,
And a timeless essence of spiritual piety emanates from the
Dark and derelict sober rows of oaken pews.
Generations of gentry and peasant; scholar and scoundrel;
Both the beneficent and bereft have passed this way, and each
Mark of their passing carries a common heritage of faith onward
To its own appointed Kingdom Come.
A history of headstones, like the pages of Time,
Tells of personalities passed into stonemasons’ rhyme –
And a memory of a memory makes a glorious shrine!
If the memory is of freedom, and the freedom, of love,
And if this liberty of spirit lifts us soaring above
Our human emotions, to God’s divine grace –
Then memories in abundance fill this old meeting place.
The ghosts of a thousand congregations haunt the hallowed hall
With galleries of choirs sending a silent echo
Through the archives of Eternity.
A proclamation of `Forever’ stamps a bold statement of defiance
Upon its weather – worn walls; stone-dressed
In seventeenth century apparel and twentieth century neglect.
Days of decline and desolation do not daunt the heart which beats within; The beast lies cold, yet fire still burns in its belly!
There’s a singing in the silence of the shadows as they fall
And softly fold around the burial ground beside this ancient hall,
And the Commonwealth Tree stands in testimony whilst
Empires around it fall; as fall they must, and from dust turn to dust
"˜Til no more their anthems shall raise, across a divide
Two thousand years wide, the true spirit of God to His praise.
Carrying visions of glory they have passed from yesterday
Into tomorrow, leaving traces of hope for today.
It feeds the fire in the belly of the beast;
It resurrects the heretic corpse, and rises triumphantly
Forlorn in the poets breast proclaiming Life and Liberality
To the deaf mutes of humanity who, at a loss
Only understand the sign language of the cross.
Tom Bates, April 1987
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Derbyshire is a county rich in historical and architectural gems, from churches and chapels to stately homes, and therefore it comes as no surprise to find that the county was also home to England’s first architects – who hailed from Bolsover!
The Smythsons of Bolsover
Derbyshire is justly famed for the quality of its natural stone which has been used in the construction of some of the nation’s best known historic buildings, like Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Nelson’s Column and Windsor Castle, but the county has another claim to architectural fame.
England’s First Architects
Indeed, the county is blessed with a rich heritage of splendid historical architecture as evidenced by the abundance of stately homes, medieval halls, manor houses and churches constructed from local minerals. So perhaps therefore, it is not surprising to discover that a local family of stone-masons were some of England’s first and finest architects whose work had a profound effect on the development of architecture in Tudor and Stuart times and heralded a Renaissance during the `Golden Age’ of Elizabethan England.
Anyone who has gazed in awe at the elegant frontage of Hardwick Hall or looked in wonder at the soaring ramparts of Bolsover Castle must have marvelled at the inspirational mind of the architect whose hand lay behind their creation. Few will realise that these fine buildings, together with many others in the East Midlands area are all linked to three generations of an amazingly gifted family who have been described as `an architectural dynasty’ – the Smythsons of Bolsover.
Since the Norman Conquest the nobility had built fortified dwellings with the emphasis on defence, thus the whole architectural focus was inward looking, with a strong perimeter wall surrounding living accommodation and a courtyard. One of the best examples in England of this late-medieval style is to be found at Haddon Hall, just off the A6 between Matlock and Bakewell, built during the 14th and 15th centuries.
A Late – Elizabethan Dynasty
The Elizabethan period which followed was a golden age for art and literature and a time of peace and prosperity when the gentry sought to display their wealth by building mansions which were bold and inventive in their design. It is against this background that the concept of the architect, as we know it today, began to emerge.
The time was ripe for the `Smythson Dynasty’.
The founding father of the dynasty was Robert Smythson (1535 – 1614) whose earliest recorded work as a master stone-mason was in 1568 at Longleat House, Wiltshire where he was thought to have had a major hand in the design, as well as the construction of the building. Following his success at Longleat, Robert Smythson moved to the East Midlands in 1580 at the invitation of Sir Francis Willoughby who sought his talents in the design and construction of Wollaton Hall, Nottingham, and it is here that Robert’s son, John, learned his trade as a stonemason working alongside his father.
The Smythsons brought freshness and originality to their designs and their mansions of symmetry and light reflected a new age of prosperity and enterprise – attracting a wealth of rich and famous patrons. At Wollaton Hall, which many regard as his `masterpiece’, Robert Smythson built a mock medieval castle in the Flemish Mannerist style.
The classic Smythson symmetry can be seen in the shape of the building with a high central hall surrounded by four towers, many large windows, and a Prospect Room providing splendid panoramic views over the countryside. Smythson’s plans for Wollaton, including elevations and drawings of the hall screen, all survive to provide a fascinating insight into the talents of England’s first noteable architect. Earliest references describe Robert as a `freemason’, but after his death in 1614 his tombstone was inscribed with the words, "Architector and survayor unto the most worthy house of Wollaton and diverse others of great account"?.
Bess of Hardwick
Those `diverse others of great account’ included the Earl of Shrewsbury and the indomitable Bess of Hardwick, reputedly the richest woman in Elizabethan England, who provided the wealth for the Smythsons to design and construct Hardwick Hall in 1597.
Hardwick is regarded as one of the finest and most complete examples of Elizabethan architecture and represents the supreme culmination of Smythson’s architectural themes. One’s first impression probably echoes the old saying `Hardwick Hall more glass than wall’, because it is impossible not to marvel at the huge expanse of glass rising skyward as one approaches. Neither can one ignore the initials `E.S.’, Elizabeth Countess of Shrewsbury emblazoned on the frontage. Undoubtedly, it was built to reflect Bess’s great wealth and status, with six imposing towers and the vast array of windows. Glass at this time was an extremely expensive material and it’s use on this scale was a display of sheer extravagance, but the effect is quite spectacular and bears testimony both to Bess’s wealth and to the innovative spirit and architectural ingenuity of Robert Smythson.
Other noteable buildings attributed to Robert Smythson include Barlborough Hall (1583-4), Chatsworth Hunting Tower (1580), Worksop Manor Lodge (1590’s), Doddington Hall (1592-3) and Burton Agnes Hall (1603-5). He also designed the monument to Bess of Hardwick in the crypt of the Cavendish Chapel at Derby Cathedral – and Bess ensured that everything was to her satisfaction in death, as in life – by having the monument completed six years before her demise in 1607!
Robert Smythson died at Wollaton in 1614 and was buried in the church where his monument can still be seen. John Smythson followed in his father’s footsteps and under the patronage of Bess of Hardwick’s third son, Sir Charles Cavendish and grandson, Sir William Cavendish, his architectural career flourished.
Bolsover Castle is the crowning glory of his work, which began with the construction of the Keep, or Little Castle in 1612 and was finished soon after Charles Cavendish’s death in 1617, by his son Sir William.
John Smythson moved into a house and farm at Hill Top, Bolsover and became Bailiff to the Cavendish Estates. In 1618 Sir William Cavendish sent him to London to learn about the latest architectural fashions. Upon his return he added the external balconies and was responsible for the design of the Terrace Range and Cavendish Apartments which stand dramatically along the ridge overlooking the river valley to the west. John’s other great architectural achievements are at Welbeck where he designed a riding school in 1622 and new stables in 1625. He also designed the tomb of the first Countess of Devonshire in the parish Church of St.John the Baptist, Ault Hucknall.
King Charles visited Bolsover Castle in 1634 and John Smythson died the same year. In his will which still survives he too is described as `Architecter’.
The third generation of Smythson architects was Huntingdon Smythson, the eldest of John Smythson’s two sons. He is credited with the design of the Riding School at Bolsover Castle, which under William Cavendish, known as the `Horsemanship’ Duke of Newcastle, grew into one of Europes leading equestrian centres. Huntingdon inherited his fathers job as Bailiff to the Cavendish Estates, and married Isobel, daughter of Thomas Hall of Barlow Lees. The family lived at Bolsover where Huntingdon Smythson, the last of the great dynasty of architects died in 1648 and was buried in the parish church of St. Mary & St. Lawrence.
Within the church is the Cavendish Chapel, built in 1618 to house the elaborate tomb of Sir Charles Cavendish and his wife Katherine.Close by is a far more simple, but nonetheless admirable plaque which marks the last resting place of Huntingdon Smythson with the inscription:
Reader beneath this plaine stone buried ly Smithsons remainders of mortality
Whose skill in architecture did deserve a fairer tombe his mem’ry to preserve
But since his nobler gifts of piety To God to men of justice and charity
Are gone to heaven a building to prepare Not made with hands, his friends contented are
He here shall rest in hope till th’world shall burn And intermingle ashes with his urne.Huntingdon Smithson Gent
Obit 1X bris 27 1648.
This article has been brought to you by our resident peak district writerTom Bates