Hi List I am looking for a Joseph NICHOLLS who married a lady called Sithe and I know they had 3 children baptised at Underbank Unitarian Chapel at Stannington between 1808 and 1813. There is an indenture at Bradfield for an apprentice called Joseph NICHOLLS who was aged 15 in 1820 but I have been unable to find a baptism in about 1805. His father, according to the indenture, was also called Joseph NICHOLLS and I am thinking that Joseph senior may be the same chap as the one who married Sithe. I have also been unable to find the marriage of Joseph and Sithe and, seeing as the address in the indenture was Bradfield, I started wondering if there was a chapel in Bradfield. I now understand from Malcolm Nunn that there was once a Methodist chapel in what are now the council offices but he didn’t know whether they would have been licensed for marriages during the 19th century. Malcolm has also told me the records of the Chapel seem to be missing. The new Chapel was opened across the road in 1898 and closed about 1993 and all the records were taken by Carver Street Methodist Circuit in Sheffield, that in turn closed about 5 years ago. Allegedly the records were handed in to Sheffield Archives but they claim to never have seen them! I was wondering if anyone could suggest where I may look for a baptism in about 1805 and a marriage some time round about that date for a couple who were obviously non conformists. Thanks Karen Lightowler Doncaster, South YorkshireResearching the Sheffield Flood

Hi Karen, I take it that you did look at the Church records as well? Although a lot of my family were nonconformists they all married at Church, St. Peters. As a rule their children were baptized at Chapel. What I find peculiar is that my 3Xs great uncle Francis Dixon was the Dissenting Minister at Leecroft Chapel, but is buried at St. Peters... We had a mixture of Dissenters, Methodists and Wesleyans in our lot. The problem with marrying at Chapel was that Marriages were not recognized by the State up to a certain date if not performed in the established Church, this caused no end of problems... can't remember the time frame at the moment for that ruling. I'm sure someone else will though. I don't know if this helps or not. By the way if you find the lost Carver Street Records I'd appreciate knowing, I have been searching for them for some time. Regards, Josephine, Ontario. ----- Original Message ----- From: <KARENL823@aol.com> To: <ENG-SHEFFIELD-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 2:34 PM Subject: [SHEFF] Joseph NICHOLLS [Non Conformist Records] > Hi List > I am looking for a Joseph NICHOLLS who married a lady called Sithe and I > know they had 3 children baptised at Underbank Unitarian Chapel at Stannington > between 1808 and 1813. > There is an indenture at Bradfield for an apprentice called Joseph NICHOLLS > who was aged 15 in 1820 but I have been unable to find a baptism in about > 1805. His father, according to the indenture, was also called Joseph NICHOLLS > and I am thinking that Joseph senior may be the same chap as the one who > married Sithe. > I have also been unable to find the marriage of Joseph and Sithe and, seeing > as the address in the indenture was Bradfield, I started wondering if there > was a chapel in Bradfield. I now understand from Malcolm Nunn that there was > once a Methodist chapel in what are now the council offices but he didn’t > know whether they would have been licensed for marriages during the 19th > century. > Malcolm has also told me the records of the Chapel seem to be missing. The > new Chapel was opened across the road in 1898 and closed about 1993 and all > the records were taken by Carver Street Methodist Circuit in Sheffield, that in > turn closed about 5 years ago. Allegedly the records were handed in to > Sheffield Archives but they claim to never have seen them! > I was wondering if anyone could suggest where I may look for a baptism in > about 1805 and a marriage some time round about that date for a couple who were > obviously non conformists. > Thanks > Karen Lightowler > Doncaster, South YorkshireResearching the Sheffield Flood > > > > ==== ENG-SHEFFIELD Mailing List ==== > DO NOT post VIRUS or OFF TOPIC messages to Eng-Sheffield. Off topic content messages should be sent to the list admin instead. For Virus help access http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/announce.html#virus > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx > >

Hi Karen Unfortunately, I cant help with your query but I cant stop myself from asking if the lady's father was called Nathen. Nathen Sithe sounds like a good old Sheffield name to me <lol>. Gordon List Admin (in Sheffield) Sheffield Genealogy Website : http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~engsheffield ----- Original Message ----- Joseph NICHOLLS who married a lady called Sithe -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.7.3 - Release Date: 15/03/2005

Hi Karen, Just a little snippet of information for you which mentions your Joseph NICHOLS and members of my OATES & BRADWELL families. This info is taken from my copy of "The History of Underbank Chapel, Stannington" by F.T. Wood (1944). This excerpt is from the chapter "The Socinian Controversy" and this part deals with the dispute at Underbank between the majority of the congregation who professed to holding Trinitarian beliefs and the minority that held Unitarian beliefs. The chapel supposedly had been founded by Thomas Marriot "for the propagation of that form of orthodox dissent usually known by the term Independent or Calvinistic" but even that was in dispute as in the trust deeds there is no mention of either Calvinists or Independents. The minister John HALL professed on his appointment in 1761 to be a Trinitarian, but later became a Unitarian, yet he continued to hold office for several years after that. The minister Edward GIBSON (minister from 1785 - 1794) was a Unitarian and was appointed against the wishes of the greater part of the congregation and ever since his time the chapel has been held by the Unitarians. To cut a long story short (as we know today) the Unitarian beliefs continued to be followed (as is still the case at Underbank today), see excerpt below, The majority of the inhabitants of Stannington were of the orthodox persuasion, yet were precluded from worshipping in a chapel founded expressly for their accommodation, without outrage to their consciences. (This might have been true enough, but as an argument it has little force and is, to some extent, discounted by the next point made by the petitioners.) A previous Lord Chancellor had ruled that it was illegal for trustees or the congregation of a place of worship to apply doctrines to those intended by the founder of the trust. The petitioners therefore asked Samuel SHORE, as the person mainly responsible, to remove the present minister and appoint a Trinitarian in his place. (the ruling referred to is that of Lord Eldon in the case "Attorney General v. Pearson (1817)"; but the validity of this argument rests, of course, upon the assumption that the funds originally left by Richard SPOONE were for the maintenance of an Episcopalian or at least a Trinitarian minister, and that therefore they had been thus misapplied, points which had by no means been proved.) The petition was followed by 358 signatures divided into two categories, Trinitarian and Unitarian, a note at the head of them explaining that "The persons whose names are inserted under the title 'Unitarians' are understood as expressing their wish for the continuance of the present minister and as objecting to the petition." There were 27 of them, viz., Paul HATFIELD, William SHAW, Matthew OATES, George SANDERSON, Jonathan OXLEY, Luke OATES, Christopher REVITT, John TATTERSALL, John LUDD, Joseph NICHOLS, George NICHOLS, Samuel NICHOLS, Samuel INMAN, William BRADLEY, George WILSON, Frederick THORPE, Matthew SHAW, George LOY, Am. HALLAM, John OATES, James OATES, Edward BARNES, Jonathan REVITT, John BUSHBY, John SIDDONS, William BRADWELL, John REVITT. A letter which accompanied the document explained that "no undue influence, threat, persuasion or intimidation has been resorted to for the purpose of procuring names. 340 people signed in favour of the petition and only the 27 names above signed against it, having said that the Unitarians still won the day. Hope that this is some use to you Karen. Best Wishes Jeremy Crawshaw Crookes SHEFFIELD ---------------------------------------------------- Outgoing Mail protected by: NORTON Internet Security 2004 Updated: 18th March 2005 ---------------------------------------------------- ----- Original Message ----- From: <KARENL823@aol.com> To: <ENG-SHEFFIELD-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 7:34 PM Subject: [SHEFF] Joseph NICHOLLS [Non Conformist Records] Hi List I am looking for a Joseph NICHOLLS who married a lady called Sithe and I know they had 3 children baptised at Underbank Unitarian Chapel at Stannington between 1808 and 1813. There is an indenture at Bradfield for an apprentice called Joseph NICHOLLS who was aged 15 in 1820 but I have been unable to find a baptism in about 1805. His father, according to the indenture, was also called Joseph NICHOLLS and I am thinking that Joseph senior may be the same chap as the one who married Sithe.