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The Baptist Church
in Creech St Michael was begun when Mr James Blatch Cox of Silver Street
Baptist Church was directed to conduct an ‘occasional’ ministry at Creech. A
Sabbath school was formed in 1816 and in 1824 the congregation decided that
they needed a more permanent base and the first Chapel was built on land
bought by Mr Cox from Francis Gale. Mr Cox moved to Bridgwater and was
succeeded at Creech by Mr Gabriel of Stogumber who had been invited by North
Curry Baptists to take up the ministry there. He came to live in Creech and
naturally looked after both villages. By 1830 the Rev George Medway had
become the pastor. The preaching was shared with the Rev Medway taking the
Sunday morning services Mr Gabriel the Sunday evening services. After a
disagreement of some kind Mr Gabriel’s ministry was terminated. This led to
the formation of a Church when on Tuesday 15th November 1831 eleven members
were ‘dismissed’ from North Curry Baptist Church and were formed into the
Baptist Church in the Zion Chapel at Creech St Michael by Méssieurs Cox of
Hatch and Chapman of Stogumber. The original members were: William Fry,
Moses Mayled, Charles Hatherly, Sarah Elizabeth Hatherly, E Coombey, Mary
Shallis, Ann Fry, Susan Coles, Elizabeth Williams, Sarah Hopkins, Eliza
Drew. (The names of Joseph Medway and G Medway are also shown as being
present on the occasion, the latter George Medway being the pastor.) George
Medway remained the pastor at Creech until September 1857. In December of
that year James Young became the pastor. 1859 a new vestry was built on to
the rear of the chapel and a new gallery added along with other
improvements. The church was registered as a place of worship on December
10th 1860 - this had never been done and on December 24th the same year it
was registered at Taunton for the celebration of marriages. The cost of
registration was £3 2s 6d. The first marriage at the Zion was solemnised on
March 7th 1861. The church by this time had a small graveyard although it is
not known when this was licensed. In 1862 the church purchased a house for
the use of the minister. In August 1868 the Rev Young intimated that the
singing in the church was so poor and introduced a harmonium hoping this
would help. The Rev Young resigned in January 1870 due to ill health and was
succeeded by the Rev Joseph Wilshire. Rev Wilshire only stayed at Creech for
a short period and Rev J Tetley took over and became pastor of the United
Churches Silver Street Taunton & Creech St Michael in January 1874.
Church members in 1874 were:
Mrs Cozens snr, W Couzens jnr, W Couzens jnr, Mrs F Ralls, Jean Godfrey,
Edward Perris, Anna Perris, W Wills Thos, Mrs Wills Sarah, Miss Street Jane,
Miss Leach, Thomas Bradbeer, Mrs Bradbeer, Mrs Dinah Hurley, Miss Tyler, Mrs
Hunt, Thomas Durk, Mrs Poole, Mr J H Nicholls, Mary Ralls, W Thomas, Mrs
Thomas, Mr J Dykes, Miss Derrick, W F Lock, W Perryman, Mrs Perryman,
William Gully, Mr Sommerville, Mrs Sommerville, Mr Mathewson, Mrs Mathewson,
Mr Pendry, Mrs Pendry, Mrs Thos Brass, Miss Smith, Mrs Hunt, Mr Weaver, Mr
Vickery, Miss M Leach, Mrs Dykes Miss Philpott, Mr Bale, Mrs Bale, Mrs
Lovell, Miss Emma Coppin, Miss Mary Totterdell, Miss Effie Totterdell, Mrs
Selina Stevens, Mr William Perham, Miss Clara Wide, Mr Hepper, Miss Amelia
Brass, Elizabeth Gully, Elizabeth Totterdell, Ellen Thomas, Sarah Jane
Thomas, Alma Gardner,Alexander Mathewson, James Mathewson, Mary Ann Perry,
Robert Whitehead, George Spiller, Mrs Vickery, Mrs Bradbeer Jnr,Thomas
Sidwick, Elizabeth Sidwick, Robert Doddon, Walter Cozens, William Dyer, Mrs
John Coleman, Annie Stevens (Mrs King), Bessie Philpott, Mr Salter, Mrs
Salter, Mr Phillips, Mrs Phillips, James Harvey
In 1875 the church purchased the house and land adjoining the chapel from a
John Hitchcock having been leant the money by one of its members, Edward
Perris. These were exciting times and in 1876 much work was carried out to
re-plan the chapel. The pulpit was removed, a platform erected in its place
and the baptistry was moved in front of the platform. The ends of the old
pews were used to wainscot the chapel, the stairs of the north gallery were
moved to form an entrance to the gallery from the newly erected school room,
the building was painted inside and out, a wooden porch was erected, and a
new lobby built. To raise the funds for all this work the cottage and land
purchased earlier was sold.
By 1882 the Church has 51 members, and 12 teachers with 140 scholars
attending the Sunday School. These numbers changed little over the next five
years - in 1887 there were 52 members, 10 teachers and 130 scholars at
Sunday School. The Church could had sittings for 160 people.
In February 1884 the old schoolroom was pulled down and arrangements were
made to raise the money via collecting cards and loans to build a new one.
The building committee comprised Messrs Perris, Cozens, Sommerville,
Mathewson, Pendry, Hepper, Dykes.
Sarah Leakey Nicholls a widow of Creech Saint Michael died in 1888 stated in
her last will and testament of October 1886 and proved in July 1889, "I
appoint my friend Hugh Pengilly Oliver sole executor of this my will. I
bequest to the Minister of the Baptist Chapel Creech Saint Michael the sum
of three hundred pounds free of legacy duty to be applied by them in such a
manner as they may think fit for the benefit of the Chapel, or the Baptist
cause and such legacy and duty are to be paid out of my pure personal estate
in priority to all other legacies..." This certainly assisted the Church
with renovating Chapel and School Room & Class Rooms and was used to pay off
the outstanding loan taken out to build the new School Room that had been
opened by Reginald Sommerville in 1884 brother of the Paper Mill Owner.
The Chapel was used for cookery lessons by children from the Village School
and the hall continued to be used as a schoolroom until 1973.
In 1983 the old Chapel was demolished and The Baptist Chapel as we know it
today was built.
By way of explanation: Instead of giving Saints names to their buildings
like Catholic and Anglican Churches, many Nonconformist Churches used place
names mentioned in the Bible as 'nicknames' for their Chapels. Hence the
prevalence of 'Bethel', Ebenezer' and 'Zion' Chapels across Britain,
especially in Wales.
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