Horsforth Baptist Church History

HORSFORTH:
Horsforth Baptist Church History up to 1912.

The Horsforth Church carries us back to the dawn of the 19th century, for, in 1801, Mr. Ashworth, the pastor at Farsley, having seceded from that Church with a number of its members, opened a room in Broadgate Lane, Horsforth, for Baptist worship.* The place was quickly crowded, but in the following year their pastor was removed by death. Under this painful discouragement they were supported by the counsel and pecuniary help of Messrs. Joseph Sharp and James Aspin, of Leeds, so that they were able to open their chapel in June, 1803. Mr. Mabbutt was its first pastor, but was succeeded in 1804 by Rev. Joseph Shaw, who retained the office until 1813.

The Church now passed through a period of considerable vicissitude and did not elect a pastor until 1827. Mr. Yeadon, of Horton College, was then ordained, remaining at Horsforth for ten years, during which time the chapel and graveyard were enlarged. A series of brief minis-tries followed, until, in 1864, Rev. John Harper accepted the call of the Church and remained until 1876. Following him came Revs. W. H. Rolls, R. Smith, and C. S. Douglas. In 1898, additional class-rooms were provided for the accommodation of the school. In 1905, Rev. H. Townsend, M.A., became minister, and was succeeded in 1911 by the present pastor-Rev. W. H. Potter.

NOTES:
* Horsforth was one of the early preaching places of John Moore, for in the Session Rolls at Wakefield we find :-" House of John Moore, Horsforth, Dissenting Meeting-house recorded. Leeds, July, 1699."