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Stow Baptist Church,
between Sheep Street & Back Walls,
Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire.

Cemeteries

This Church has (or had) a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in 1655, and we understand it is still open.

A place of worship for Baptists existed in Stow by 1655, originating as part of that at Moreton in Marsh - "meeting near Moreton and Stow". The first known meeting-house is recorded as 'lately erected' in a lease dated 18th April 1700. The lease also mentions a burial ground on the south side of the chapel, 51ft by 25ft with access from Back Street (now Sheep Street). This burial ground (together with the chapel) is marked on Old Maps, for example OS 1921 1:2,500.

At the time of the Religious Census of 1851 (HO 129/342/2/6/12) the building was said to have free seating for 150, and 50 "other" sittings, with a Vestry in which "abt. 20 may hear". The estimated number of worshippers on 30 March was 128 to morning service, none in the afternoon and 117 in the evening, together with 74 Sunday Scholars in the morning and 73 in the afternoon. The return was completed by Joseph Acock, its Minister, whose address was "Maugersbury, Stow on the Wold, Glos."

The present building was erected in 1852, on the site of the first chapel, and stands behind houses on the south side of Sheep Street. It is approached through an arched passage built at the same time, which appears to have a stone plaque above it advertising its presence. There is however a modern sign on the left of the archway which is easier to read.

The Baptist Chapel is now a Grade II Listed Building - see the British Listed Buildings website for details. [Other Source: Non-Conformist Chapels and Meeting Houses, Gloucestershire (1986)]

Denomination

Now or formerly Baptist.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Church is located at OS grid reference SP1917025603. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• Stow Baptist Church, Stow on the Wold shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Stow on the Wold shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Stow on the Wold, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• Learn more about Buildings of special or historical interest on the British Listed Buildings (null) (verified 2018-09-19)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.