Church books of Retford Congregational Church, Retford, Nottinghamshire, 1842-1908

The collection comprises three church books containing minutes of church meetings, roles of church members, correspondence, accounts, newspaper cuttings and advertising bills. The volumes cover the period 1841-1859 and 1868-1908. A record of baptism and burial services that took place in the church is included in the volumes covering the period 1868-1908.

In 1808, the Congregationalists of Retford bought a chapel in Union Street that had been erected by the Countess of Huntingdon's sect in 1798. The Congregationalists opened a schoolroom on the site in 1809.

The Congregationalists opened a new church in Carolgate on 18 April 1851 following the sale of the Union Street Chapel to the Wesleyan Reformers. The church adopted a Romanesque style and was built in brick and stone. The new church could seat 350 and featured a schoolroom and library. In 1877, an infants' schoolroom was added and the church and organ were enlarged.

In 1972, the Congregational Church in England and Wales joined with the Presbyterian Church of England to form the United Reformed Church. Retford Congregational Church is mentioned in a 1970 trade directory for the town. There was no United Reformed Church in Retford in 2001.

The church books are in chronological order. Some items were found loose in the volumes and the numbering reflects which volume they are from.

ACCESS: Accessible to all registered readers.

REPROGRAPHIC: Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

This description is the only finding aid available for the collection. Copyright on this description belongs to The University of Nottingham.

COPYRIGHT: Permission to make published use of any material from this collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). The Department will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but this can be difficult and the responsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the person wishing to publish.

LANGUAGE: English

The books were acquired by the University's Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections in November 1996.