PROTESTANT NONCONFORMITY.
A tradition of nonconformity at Painswick can be traced
back to the late 16th century when unlicensed
readers were permitted in the church, (fn. 52) but the purchase of the advowson and subsequent appointment
of a Puritan vicar probably contained the early
Puritan tradition within the established church. (fn. 53)
The earliest organised nonconformist group in the
parish were the Quakers who grew in numbers after
the preaching of one of the early ministers, Humphrey Smith, in 1655. (fn. 54) From 1658 the meeting had
its own burial ground at Dell Farm, east of the town, (fn. 55)
and a meeting-house was licensed in 1690. (fn. 56) In 1695
a Quaker school was moved from Nailsworth to
Painswick (fn. 57) although it is not clear how long the
school remained in the parish. In 1706 a new meeting-house, with a burial ground attached, was built
in Vicarage Street (fn. 58) and in 1750 four families of
Quakers were recorded. (fn. 59) The numbers of the
meeting were never very high and it was mainly
supported by the clothier family of Loveday and
others involved in the industry. It developed its
own social benefits, apprenticing sons of members
and giving loans to members in time of need. (fn. 60) From
the early 19th century the meeting was disturbed by
some members who were disciples of Joanna
Southcott (fn. 61) and it declined until in 1851 the congregation numbered three. (fn. 62) The meeting ceased to
exist in the late 19th century (fn. 63) but reappeared in the
mid 20th and began to use the old early-18thcentury meeting-house again in 1953. (fn. 64) In 1972
there were 42 members. (fn. 65)
The Congregationalists were recorded at Painswick in 1672 when Francis Harris, the former
minister at Deerhurst, (fn. 66) licensed his house for worship. (fn. 67) It was presumably the same group which
licensed the town hall for worship in 1689, (fn. 68) and a
settled minister was appointed in 1690 at a salary of
£20. (fn. 69) A chapel was built in 1705, when the group
was described as Presbyterian, (fn. 70) and in 1727 the
ministry was put on a secure financial base by a
bequest from John Warner. (fn. 71) The congregation
numbered 150 in 1735 when it was called Independent. (fn. 72) In 1788 Cornelius Winter, a disciple of
George Whitefield, who had himself preached at
Painswick, was appointed minister and during his
stay he rebuilt the chapel in 1803 and established a
Sunday school. In 1808 he bequeathed two cottages
to the congregation, later used as the site of a
school. (fn. 73) The congregation numbered c. 300 in
1851, (fn. 74) and c. 1868 a manse was acquired in
Gloucester Street for the minister whose salary was
augmented by a number of small bequests during
the 19th century. (fn. 75) The chapel was restored in 1893
when the interior was refitted and reoriented and a
porch added. A window by Morris & Co., after a
design by E. Burne-Jones, was inserted soon afterwards. (fn. 76) In 1894 Edwin Gyde bequeathed £1,000 to
the chapel for repairs and towards the ministers'
salary. (fn. 77) The congregation numbered 60 in 1900, (fn. 78)
and in 1972 there were c. 30 members of the church,
which no longer had a settled minister. (fn. 79) A further
bequest for the maintenance of the chapel was made
in 1960 by Mr. E. A. Skinner, and the poor members
of the congregation received small charities founded
by Robert Hobbs in 1872 and Thomas Cooke in
1926. In 1972 the annual income of the church, from
all sources, totalled £517. (fn. 80)
A house belonging to James Davis was registered
by Anabaptists in 1705, (fn. 81) and in 1726 Thomas
Hutson registered his house for Baptists. (fn. 82) There
were 20 people described as Anabaptists in 1735
when a meeting-house was recorded in the parish. (fn. 83)
In 1750 15 Anabaptists, but no meeting-house, were
recorded; (fn. 84) during the following decade the congregation registered three private houses. (fn. 85) There was
said to be a community with a church at Painswick
in 1773. (fn. 86) The congregation was placed on a secure
basis, or possibly re-formed, in 1831 when the
Baptists took over the chapel in New Street previously occupied by the Wesleyan Methodists. The
congregation was said to number 29 in 1846. (fn. 87) The
chapel was restored in 1870 (fn. 88) and from that time the
congregation continued without the services of a
settled minister. In 1972 the average congregation
was 50. (fn. 89)
John Wesley preached at Painswick on a number
of occasions to large congregations. (fn. 90) The group of
9 men, including some of the Baylis family, which
registered a meeting-house in 1809 probably represented the Wesleyan Methodists, (fn. 91) who were recorded in 1825 (fn. 92) but handed their chapel over to the
Baptists in 1831. (fn. 93) The Primitive Methodists were
said to be established in Painswick in 1829 and they
met in a room in Vicarage Street (fn. 94) until 1849 when
their chapel was built. The congregation numbered
c. 40 in 1851 (fn. 95) and c. 25 in 1894 when it was served
by local preachers among whom members of the
Spring family were prominent. (fn. 96) The chapel continued in use until 1964 when the building, at the
east end of Bisley Street, was sold. (fn. 97)
A meeting of Plymouth Brethren was recorded at
Painswick from 1894 when it was conducted in a
room in Vicarage Street. (fn. 98) The Brethren later met in
the Quaker meeting-house where they were recorded
in 1928 when their congregation numbered c. 50
persons. (fn. 99) In 1957 the Brethren met in the former
police station in St. Mary's Street. (fn. 1) The Painswick
Spiritualist Church was founded in 1968 when services were held in the former Methodist chapel. In
1972 the average attendance at services was c. 60
persons. (fn. 2) Some houses were licensed in the town
between 1730 and 1830 for unidentified protestant
groups. (fn. 3)
In 1741 a house was registered at Sheepscombe for
protestant dissenters by Robert Clissold but no
further record of the meeting has been found. (fn. 4) In
1851 the church of the Latter Day Saints built a
meeting-room in the village; the congregation, which
numbered 40, was ministered to by a pastor from
Cowley. (fn. 5) The Primitive Methodists built a chapel at
Jack's Green before 1889, (fn. 6) and it continued as a
Methodist chapel in 1972.
A Methodist Sunday school was held at Slad in
1815 (fn. 7) but no further evidence of the sect there has
been found. The Congregationalists opened a chapel
at Slad in 1867. (fn. 8) A Sunday school was built for the
Congregationalists in 1911 (fn. 9) but was closed by 1972
when the average church attendance was eight. (fn. 10)
The house of Priscilla King at Edge was licensed
for worship by Independents in 1804 and other
houses there were registered by protestant dissenters
in 1820 and 1824. (fn. 11) An Independent congregation of
20 people was recorded there in 1851, (fn. 12) and in 1856
the Congregationalists built a chapel (fn. 13) which incorporated the pulpit, formerly at St. Mary de Crypt,
Gloucester, from which George Whitefield was said
to have preached his first sermon. (fn. 14) The congregation numbered 11 in 1900 (fn. 15) and the chapel was
closed in 1970 when the congregation numbered 3.
The pulpit was returned to St. Mary de Crypt and
the building was sold. (fn. 16) Independents registered
houses for worship at Buddings in 1804 and at
Small's Mill in 1827, and the house of William
Hamlett at the Bull, Wick Street, was registered by
protestant dissenters in 1844. (fn. 17)