Welford, Northamptonshire, Independent Church

Welford, Northamptonshire, Independent Church. The following account taken from Bernard S. Godfrey, The Congregational Church at Welford, Northamptonshire (Northampton:  Billingham and sons, 1950).

After the ministry of Samuel King (1742-82), father-in-law to John Horsey, pastor at Castle Hill Independent Church, Northampton, three short ministries followed:  William Severn, who came to Welford from the church at Weedon, Northampt., and was ordained in May 1782. He was a traveling companion of John Wesley for two years prior to this, and was very talented and well-liked by the congregation at Welford.  He resigned, however, in less than two years and removed to the Hinckley Great Meeting, where he remained for 13 years.  During this time he began to move toward Unitarianism, and he moved to Kidderminster New Meeting and later Bowl Alley, Hull, where he died a fully committed Unitarian minister (11).  William Northend from “Bridlington” followed Severn from 1786-87, but he was not unanimously chosen   and hence left.  In 1788 Evan Johns came from Weedon and was ordained at Welford, but as he got into “animal magnetism,” he lost much of the favour of the people.  He resigned in 1790 and removed to Bury, St. Edmonds, and then for America (11).