NONCONFORMITY.

Early nonconformity in the parish was based on meeting-houses at Nailsworth. (fn. 60) Tradition maintains that there was a Baptist chapel at Avening which closed c. 1720 but no record of it has survived. (fn. 61) A Baptist chapel was built in Avening village in 1805 (fn. 62) for former members of the Shortwood Baptist meeting and occasional preaching was done there until 1818 when it was necessary to enlarge the chapel. On completion of the alterations regular services were held (fn. 63) and in 1851 the average congregation was 120. (fn. 64) In 1972 the chapel, which no longer had a settled minister, had 10 members. (fn. 65)

Several houses, some of which may have been in the Nailsworth area, were licensed for worship by dissenting groups. The house of Joshua Griffin was licensed by Anabaptists in 1699 and that of Abraham Hicks by Presbyterians in 1702. (fn. 66) Houses were used by protestant dissenters in 1731, 1743, and 1772, and in 1821 two houses and a piece of ground for openair meetings were licensed by unidentified groups. A house at Nag's Head was licensed in 1835 and further houses in the parish were used for worship in 1844 and 1845. (fn. 67)

Footnotes