Rossendale, Yorkshire, Baptists 

Rossendale, Yorkshire, Baptists. The following account is taken from See W. E. Blomfield, “Yorkshire Baptist Churches in the 17th and 18th Centuries,” in C. E. Shipley, ed., The Baptists of Yorkshire: Being the Centenary Memorial Volume of the Yorkshire Baptist Association (Bradford and London: [n.d.], 1912), 53-118.

Churches that emerged from the congregation at Rossendate: John Oulton, M.A., originally from Liverpool, after receiving his education at Bristol Academy, came to  Rawdon in 1754 and remained until 1804 (93).  From the Rawdon church came the congregation at Westgate Bradford, where William Crabtree became the first pastor and labored there from 1753-1803 (94); the Bethel Church Shipley, where Joseph Gawkrodger of Rawdon became the first pastor from 1758-67.  He was later succeeded by John Bowser, who remained for 30 years.  The churches at Halifax, Farsley,  and Leeds were all started by Crabtree.  Halifax began in 1755 with Charles Bamford of Bacup as pastor, followed b y Joshua Wood from 1760-72, who erected the first meeting house in Pellon Lane.  Wood was followed by William Hartley, John Hindle, William Cherry, and Joshua Wade. Farsley began in 1780 with William Roe as pastor.  Leeds began with a group of Independents turned Baptists, who formed a church in 1779, calling Thomas Langdon as pastor. They would later build a chapel at South Parade (94).  The church at Sutton-in-Craven came from Rossendale too, with John Beatson ministering there from 1768-70, succeeded by William Roe, who was succeeded in 1780 by John Walton, who remained for many years (95).  Another congregation was that of Cowling Hill, which became a separate church in 1756, calling Stephen Wilkinson (1756-60), Colbeck Sugden (1761-1826), Brian Cowgill (1780-86), and James Shuttleworth (1788-1826) as ministers (96).