Sharnbrook - Bethelehem Chapel

[rkraeuatzd]

Hello all,

I was hoping someone might know where the Bethlehem Chapel is/was in Sharnbrook, please.

My 4x great grandfather (Thomas Grindon) founded the Chapel. His father Richard Grindon used to be the pastor at the Old Baptist Chapel which is also in Sharnbrook (on the High Street and in private hands now I believe).

Thanks,

Richard

[maddys52]

I'm not an expert on Baptist Chapels, however I see that Richard GRINDON was a "Particular Baptist". Does this imply that the Baptist Chapel (General) is the Bethlehem Chapel - in this 1882 map?
https://maps.nls.uk/view/101567627#zoom=5.6&lat=2751&lon=5671&layers=BT

[rkraeuatzd]

Hi Maddys52,

Thanks for the link, that's already extremely helpful.

The baptist chapel marked 'General' is the Old Baptist Chapel, which was already there in the 18th century and so would have been where Richard Grindon was pastor before he moved to Ringstead (which was a Particular Chapel).

Which of course necessarily implies that the chapel marked 'Particular' must be the Bethlehem chapel founded by Thomas the son in the 1830s.

For the record, If I recall rightly, the two congregations joined in the 1930s.

[maddys52]

They reunited in 1904 -
https://mail.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/bq/14-8_356.pdf
(page 356 & 357) 

There are a few documents that have Richard GRINDON as a "Particular Baptist" at Sharnbrook eg :
"The Baptist annual register, for 1794, 1795, 1796 - 1797, including sketches of the state of religion among different denominations of good men at home and abroad. By John Rippon, D.D. " 

https://archive.org/details/baptistannualreg00ripp/page/2/mode/2up?q=%22richard+grindon%22

[hanes teulu]

Pipped again - was about to post your link re the Baptist Churches Bedford area and the availability of the church minutes
https://discovery-cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/N13947920

[rkraeuatzd]

Thank you both!

Happily, I've already seen the minutes for the chapel, which provide for some interesting insights, even if they don't quite prove some family relationships that I was hoping they would!

richard