Higham on the Hill Methodist Church - History
History of Methodism in Higham-on-the-Hill
Obtainable from the author, Tel 01455212799
The following is an excerpt from the book:,
The Story of Higham-on-the-Hill,
the Centre of England
by Michael L. Cox, Published by Hinckley and District
Museum, 2002.
17th Century
Before Methodism there was dissent from the Established Church. The earliest
recorded example in Higham occurred during the religious and political
turmoil of the early 17th century in the lead up to the Civil War after
which the Puritans held sway. A certain Robert Richardson got up a petition
against the Higham incumbent Rev Thomas Sturgis. Richardson seems to have
been an abrasive character as he was accused at the time of abusing those
who would not sign and also of ‘depraving the Bishop’s authority and saying
that his Lordship had no power’. In the reign of Charles II Nonconformist
meeting places had to be licensed. In 1672 John Proctor applied for a
license for the house of Nathaniel Stephens jun. in Higham to be used as
such a place. The license was granted.
18th Century
The coming of Methodism to Higham derives from the 18th century revival led
by Rev. John Wesley (1703-1791) and his hymn writing brother Charles, both
remaining Anglicans till death. John's preaching throughout the land however
resulted in Methodist societies which, after his death, became the Methodist
Church governed by the Methodist Conference, which was composed of half
clergy and half laity
19th Century
There were several breakaway movements from the Methodist Church one of
which has significance for Higham. Hugh Bourne, a Methodist preacher, had
heard about religious ‘camp meetings’ in America in which large numbers of
people spent one or two days camped for worship and revival preaching. He
organised the first English camp meeting in 1807 at Mow Cop in
Staffordshire. The Methodist Conference disapproved, and banned camp
meetings. Not surprisingly Bourne’s movement developed into another
denomination- the Primitive Methodist Church. The Prims as they were called,
soon entered Leicestershire and held a camp meeting at Hinckley in 1818.
This meeting continued through the night lit by torches until ‘an appeal
poured forth like a tempest upon the spellbound multitude, a wave of
indescribable emotion swept over them’. This provoked religious fervour
resulting in the town and surrounding villages being evangelised. It seems
quite likely that meetings of Prims could have started in Higham at that
time but there is no record of this till much later- in 1893. The nationwide
Ecclesiastical Census of 1851 did not show any nonconformist meeting in
Higham. The financial accounts of a Methodist Society in Higham for the
period 1893 till 1910 have survived. These show money being raised for items
including, hymn books, opening chapel, camp meeting, reading room, chapel
cleaning, light and fire etc. The reference to camp meetings indicates that
this was a Primitive Methodist Society or Church. The item ‘chapel rent’
appeared each year from 1897 indicating that some sort of premises were used
as a chapel. No other evidence exists for a chapel building. It seems likely
that the ‘chapel’ was a rented room. Strangely, in his biography of
Archbishop Fisher, Carpenter refers to ‘the two Methodist chapels’ of
Fisher's childhood. There is no other evidence for two chapels so Carpenter
was probably mistaken.
20th Century
Almost certainly the Prims in Higham ceased to meet in 1910. In Great
Britain in 1932 the Prims joined with the Weslyan Methodist Church and the
United Methodist Church to form the present Methodist Church. Partly in view
of the increasing population of Higham, in the 1950s, a door to door inquiry
was made to ascertain whether a Methodist Church would be welcome. The
results of the inquiry have been lost but nevertheless Mr Arthur Callwood
gave the Hinckley (Albert Rd.) Methodist Circuit a cheque for the purchase
of ‘Jack’s House’ (described below) which was converted into a church. It
was dedicated on 28th February 1959 by Rev. Gordon Argyle and Rev. Arthur
Bland. ‘Jack's House’ is a rather odd building with a strange history, the
deeds of which go back to 1838. A man called Jack Brown built it with bricks
he had fetched in a handcart from Wilnecote, ten miles away. The iron window
frames he carried one at a time on his back all the way from Birmingham, a
42 mile journey!. He toiled for 14 years but never finished it, the roof
being added by the parish. The building had the appearance of being twin
cottages, there being two front doors, two back doors and two staircases.
However Jack Clarke when interviewed in 1955 when he was 79 years old stated
that he had never known the building to be more than one house. It is still
sometimes referred to in the village as ‘The house that Jack built’. It
acquired the name ‘Laburnum Cottage’ and is now a Grade II listed building.
There is an unverifiable tale that a seamstress lived there, attending her
clients on the ground floor, living on the first floor, while girls sewed
under the roof. The building was improved and enlarged in 1995 so that it
can now hold a congregation of about 35 people. The Parish Council meets in
this church and it is used as a polling station. An ambitious scheme of
Union between the Anglican and Methodist Churches in Great Britain failed to
materialise in 1972, though the Methodist Conference agreed to it.
Archbishop Fisher, in spite of his strong ecumenical outlook, opposed
organic union of the two churches at that time. The minutes of the Higham
Parochial Church Council of 16 June 1972 state that the Rector, Rev David
Carrett, suggested a letter to the Higham Methodists, ‘expressing our
concern at the failure of the General Synod [of the Anglican Church] to
agree to union and also the desire for the two congregations to work
together. As a preliminary step it was suggested that a joint service be
held every other month in the evening’. The response of the Methodists to
this has not been recorded but today there is considerable cooperation
between the two churches. There are monthly joint services held alternately
in St Peter’s Church and the Methodist Church.