My ancestor was a Black Country Methodist pioneer

ALL my father’s ancestors are from the Black Country and I like to write up biographies for various greatgrandparents. William Newton, my 3rd greatgrandfather, was born on the 9 November, 1794, in Halesowen. He was the eldest child of 12 children born to Samuel Newton and Elizabeth Taylor.

On 19 March, 1770, William Newton, born 1694, William’s great-grandfather and William Newton, born 1734, William’s grandfather, heard John Wesley speak at Cradley. John Wesley had a profound effect upon these men and they became Primitive Methodists.

John Wesley wrote in his diary, Monday, 19 March, 1770: “I rode to Cradley (from Wednesbury). Here also the multitude obliged me to stand abroad, although the north wind whistled about my head. About one I took the field to Stourbridge. Many of the hearers were as wild as colts untamed; but the bridle was in their mouths. At six I began in Dudley. The air was as cold as I had almost ever felt, but I trust God warmed many hearts.”

The stone that he stood on, still exists. The historic site from which Wesley preached is the terrace to the far left going down from the churchyard steps towards

Colley Lane. The location was the site of a former jail and was called Dungeon Head. On the land was a large flat upping stone used by riders to mount their horses. As the site and stone were slightly raised, it was used regularly for public proclamations and announcements. According to tradition it was from this stone that Wesley preached.

When the former High Street was improved some years later the upping stone was first removed to Windmill Hill before being inscribed with a memorial to John Wesley and presented to High Town Ragged School.

According to a newspaper article written by Tom Price in 1898, a life-long Methodist attendee himself, he states: “To begin with, people of like mind met in cottages in Cradley.”

In 1839 the original Methodist Church was built on land between Moor Street and Norwood Street, in Brierley Hill. It grew as an offshoot from the Round Oak Methodist Church. The first prayer meetings were held at William Price’s home prior to 1839. It was known as Moor Street Chapel.

In those days of the 1830s the Moor Lane Chapel had a famous string and instrumental band and choir. The leading figures were

Edwin Newton, (clarinet); C. Palmer and J. Bowden, (violins); I. Beddard, (flute). When this band and choir played and sang a hymn, it felt as if they would lift the roof off. William Newton was in the choir.

It was William Newton (my 3rd great-grandfather), with Joseph Norwood, James and Henry Watts, and William Price, who made the decision to be part of this new enterprise to build a Methodist chapel for the people of Brierley Hill.

The Methodist Chapel is the rectangular building at the bottom of Foster Street on the right. It also fronts Moor Street, which appears to have been known as Moor Lane as well.

None of them were abundantly blessed with wealth, so to erect the building, the men themselves dug out the trenches for the foundations. They carried bricks and mortar. As bricks were donated, they would build. This is faith in operation. They had a vision and put it into action.

When the first church was erected, there were no more than 20 parishioners. Over the decades it was extended six times.