PROTESTANT NONCONFORMITY
Ralph Jackson, a 'serving man' of Chipping Ongar,
was burnt at the stake at
Stratford in June 1556. (fn. 3)
John Larkin, or Lorkin,
who became minister of
Chipping Ongar in 1659 or 1660, was ejected for refusal to conform in 1662. (fn. 4) No nonconformist conventicle was registered under the second Declaration of
Indulgence (1672) as being held in this parish, but in
1690-2 there was a congregation at Chipping Ongar
that was said to consist of 200 hearers, 'but poor'. (fn. 5)
Their minister was a Mr. Tyro, 'a worthy man, but
poor', who was supported by subscriptions of £20 a
year.
In 1706 application was made to Quarter Sessions
to license the house of Walter Buchanan in Chipping
Ongar for worship by Presbyterians. (fn. 6) In 1707 a
similar application was made in respect of the house of
Samuel Clarke. (fn. 7) The minister at that time was
Nathaniel Lacy. (fn. 8) In 1716 the congregation was said
to number 200 persons, of whom 8 had votes for the
county and 4 were described as 'gentlemen'. (fn. 9) Before
1718 John Nettleton, brother-in-law of Philip Doddridge, had moved from Epping to Ongar as minister. (fn. 10)
The first Independent church was built about 1720
on the site behind High Street where the present church
stands. (fn. 11) The first trust deed dates from 1722, when
Simeon Weaver was pastor. (fn. 12) The property was held
of the manor of Chipping Ongar by copy of court
roll. (fn. 13) In addition to the church it included several
cottages fronting on the High Street. Access to the
church was provided by removing the ground floor
of one of the houses, thus forming an archway.
In 1784 the church needed considerable repairs and
the cottages south of the gateway were sold to a Mr.
Bingham to raise money for this purpose. (fn. 14) They were
subsequently repurchased. (fn. 15) In 1841 the church
trustees held three cottages and a garden in addition to
the church itself. (fn. 16)
In 1811 Isaac Taylor (1759-1829) came to Ongar
from Colchester as minister. He remained there until
his death. From Ongar he and other members of his
family issued many books for the young. For this
reason, and in order to distinguish them from the
contemporary literary family, the Taylors of Norwich,
Isaac Taylor's family became known as the Taylors of
Ongar. (fn. 17) According to Burls 'during the last years of
his ministry at Ongar Mr. Taylor saw, not merely a
gradual increase of his congregation but a manifest
decline of that strong immemorial prejudice in the
town which had seemed quite to preclude the hope of
winning souls to the gospel'. (fn. 18) John Fordham (1774-
1835) was a zealous deacon at the church during the
later years of Taylor's ministry. (fn. 19)
In 1833 the original meeting-house was demolished
and the present church built in its place. (fn. 20) A drawing
of the meeting-house was executed very shortly before
its demolition. (fn. 21) It shows a small building with a
classical facade of three bays, having attached pilasters
and a pediment. The foundation stone of the new
church was laid on 24 April 1833, and the church was
opened on 24 September. (fn. 22) The total cost was about
£900. (fn. 23) Before 24 April £500 had been raised and a
further £73 was contributed in the collections on the
opening day. (fn. 24) The church is in classical style with
pilastered windows and a string-course at eaves level
which accentuates the effect of the pediment. It is
much bigger than its predecessor, and the graves of
Isaac Taylor and his wife and their daughter Jane,
previously in the churchyard, are now inside the church.
The minister at the time of the rebuilding was Isaac
Tozer. (fn. 25) John Fordham was active in helping to raise
money for the new church. (fn. 26)
Richard Cecil was pastor from about 1838 to 1847.
While at Ongar he directed a small training school for
intending missionaries. Among his students, in 1838-9,
was David Livingstone (1813-73), the missionary and
explorer. (fn. 27)
In 1865 the Sunday school was built behind the
church by Noble of Ongar to the design of J. C. Gilbert
of Nottingham. (fn. 28) The building was of grey brick with
red brick bands and dressings. There was a belfry on
the entrance porch on the south side. The Sunday
school was damaged by fire during the First World War
and partially rebuilt in 1920. (fn. 29)
During the 19th century the church at Ongar had
sent out two offshoots: to Stanford Rivers (q.v.) in
1819 and Moreton (q.v.) in 1862. In 1906 the total
membership of the three churches was 112, and there
were also 139 Sunday school pupils and 4 lay preachers. (fn. 30)
In 1926 there were 135 members, 155 Sunday school
pupils, 5 lay preachers, and an evangelist who assisted
the minister. (fn. 31) In 1951 the church at Ongar alone had
99 members and 105 Sunday school pupils, and the
pastor was the Revd. W. H. Walker. (fn. 32)
The oldest church book starts in 1796. The church
book for 1811-67 contains some materials for the early
history of the church. (fn. 33)