Old Independent Chapel, Ware
Dead Lane / Church Street
S Williams
The Old Independent Chapel in Church Street was built in 1778 for a congregation of protestant dissenters and continued as a place of worship until 1918. Since then, the building had various uses and despite its Grade II listing, the exterior declined over the last 20 years. It was restored as Godwin House in 2016 and now contains flats.
The land, in what was then known as Dead Lane, was bought by Thomas Adams, maltfactor; Thomas Green, Curryer, John white of Stanstead Abbotts, Farmer John Tice, Surgeon John Stevens, Cooper William Creasey and others. The chapel had a three-decker pulpit with 450 seats and its first minister was William Godwin, a radical writer, and father of Mary Shelley.
After it ceased as a chapel, it was subsequently used as a church hall, Masonic Hall, United Services Club, auction room and printing works.
Mr Gordon Moodey, who was Vice-President of the East Herts Archaeological Society and campaigned tirelessly to save buildings in the local area, produced some detailed drawings and reports about its construction and merits. His efforts paid off and it was listed in 1974.
He thought it was a most interesting example of non-conformist architecture, with its “characteristic towering, hipped roof designed to span an immense square room with little support except for the outer walls.” The arched heads of the rear windows are filled with gothic Georgian tracery. It is thought that the windows at the front were of the same design before the façade was re-dressed in the 1850s in an emulation of the re-built church built at Leaside, behind the High Street. The date of 1778 over the door was probably added at the same time.
Adjacent to the chapel is a burial ground, though it was cleared of gravestones in 1974 and is now used for car parking spaces. There was also a large tomb by the entrance which is no longer there. According to a burial register held at Hertfordshire Archives, 63 people were buried here, the first in 1783 and the last in 1834. By 1881, it is marked as ‘disused’ on an ordnance survey map:-
Mary Gray, 22, 13 Sep 1783
Ann Lecand, 3 Mar 1785
___Coachman to David Barclay of Youngsbury, nd
Thomas Adams, 53, 8 Sep 1787
Elizabeth Archer, 22, 23 Dec 1787
Mary Mitchell, 29, 14 Jun 1789
___Hall, 7 Mar 1792
Henry William Vennor, 18, 7 Apr 1793
Martha Irswell, 53, 5 Oct 1793
Henry Irswell, 57, 30 Oct 1793
Matthew Marshall, 54, 11 Dec 1794
Ann Marshall, 63, 2 Nov 1795
Dinah Worsley, 57, 17 Jan 1796
Martha Adams (Gt Amwell) 57, 7 Feb 1798
Mary Price, 5 months, 20 Feb 1798
Millicent Blow, 23, 9 Apr 1798
Thomas Creasy, 75, 20 Apr 1798
William Creasy, 43, 26 Jun 1799
James Mitchell, 42, 11 Nov 1801
John Flack, 5, 6 Nov 1805
William Langford Creasy, 27, 16 Nov 1805
Samuel Stevens, 30, 11 Aug 1806
Mary Drew [?] 47, 31 Dec 1806
Elizabeth Wren, 26, 10 Dec 1809
Martha Webb, 22, 3 Jan 1810
Sophia North, 2, 29 Jan 1810
Elizabeth Medcalf, 40, 25 Oct 1811
Elizabeth Vennor, 75, 5 Dec 1812
John Stevens, 73, 25 Jul 1812
Francis G Stevens, 42, 2 Jan 1814
William Harradence, 24, 23 Feb 1815
Thomas Webb (Thundridge) 61, 9 Mar 1815
Mary Webb, 55, 7 Mar 1816
Joseph Medcalf, 32, 16 Apr 1815
Rev Edward Vennor, 78, 15 Jul 1819
Mary Creasy, 75, 24 Jul 1819
Mrs Harradence Senr, nd
Mr Creasy, 40, 28 Jun 1822
Mrs Leek, nd
Joseph Webb, 3 Dec 1822
James Lee, 7 Oct 1823
H Dunn Senr, 14 Jan 1824
Langford Vennor, 15 Nov 1824
Martin White Ekins, 26, Oct 1825
Mrs Marshall, nd
Thomas Harradence, 23, 16 Oct 1826
Mrs Crabb Senr, 1826
Joseph Crabb (Surgeon) 44, 5 Mar 1827
Mrs Carr, 26, 29 Apr 1827
John Josolyne Senr (Wareside) 64, 22 Feb 1828
Mrs Harradence Jnr, 36, 21 Jul 1828
Eliza Carswell, about 3 yrs, 14 Apr 1829
Mrs Whyman (St Andrew’s, Hertford) 1829
Mary Pavitt, 45, 3 Jul 1830
Edward Vennor, 5 weeks & 5 days, 15 Jul 1830
William Whyman, 17 months, 23 Oct 1830
Mrs Stevens, 23 Oct 1830
Mary Ekins, 7 Dec 1830
Samuel Giffin, 5, 11 Apr 1831
Mrs Mary Josolyne, 67, 22 Oct 1831
William Leake Blow, 3 [or 33] 17 Dec 1831
Miss Eliza Josolyne, 26 Apr 1832
John Yew, 4 Oct 1834
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In Ware Old Cemetery lies the gravestone of:
“The REV GEORGE PEARCE
43 years Minister of the Gospel.
During that period, 14 years Pastor
of the Church assembling at the Old
Independant Chapel Ware. Previously
16 years Pastor of the Independant
Church Debenham, Suffolk.
Obit January 12th 1858
Etat 65 years.”
Have been investigating the origins of my first given name and was delighted to find more about Edward Vennor’s chapel and a list of all those in the burial ground. Some of the surnames are mentioned in his Will but I wonder if any of the Marshalls are related to the Marshalls in the family of Edward’s brother Thomas Vennor who founded the Queen Street Chapel, Sheffield, in 1785?