Audlem History Society report

Report of the meeting on Thursday 17th January 2019

The meeting opened with a tribute to Derek Mckelvey, a founder member and the first chairman of the Society who sadly died recently.

Then Alan Paterson, a member of the Society, gave his talk with the enigmatic title 'Baptists and Buttons.

A regular worshipper at Audlem Baptist Chapel, Alan was intrigued by a memorial tablet on the chapel wall. Why had two parents and their three young children all died within a few years of each other?

Alan's enquiries led him to the Thursfield family from Buerton. Joseph and Esther Thursfield married in February 1763. Their son Peter was one of the founding members of the Baptist Church in Audlem. His brother James, later their Pastor, let them use his house for worship. Alan has identified the site. Parts of the building near Mount Pleasant are still extant, forming part of the current house. In tracing the first chapel Alan found that the road to Buerton from the ford was called Sandy Lane. He wondered if Salford is a contraction of Sandy Lane Ford?

Alan talked about the increase of nonconformist worship in the nineteenth century. Whilst Methodism tended to appeal to the working class, Baptism was often the choice of entrepreneurs.

In about 1832 the Kirkham family began attending the chapel. Their daughter Jane married James' son Robert in 1837 – the first wedding in Nantwich Register Office. One of the witnesses was Samuel Fleet. Another line of enquiry opened. He was a member of Audlem Baptist Chapel with an Audlem draper's business in partnership with Robert Thursfield. Alan has identified contemporary businesses in Audlem and has created a location map. Jane's younger brother John Kirkham was an apprentice with Samuel.

John went on to establish his own draper's business, but when he became terminally ill with a wife and young children to support, arrangements were made with a Baptist in Tarporley, Ely Williams, to come and run the business and eventually take it over. Many of the Williams family can be seen in the photograph behind the counter in the shop today and of course Judy Evans in the present generation of 'Williams of Audlem'.

And what of the people who died? Mumps, TB and heart disease. Nothing of particular interest, unlike the discoveries made along the way.

If you missed Alan's excellent talk you can buy his book, all profits going to good causes. It will probably soon be found in Williams'!

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