On May 20th (1954) the Congregational Church at Great Chishill celebrates the 260th Anniversary of its formation, and the Diamond Jubilee of the present building.

The Fellowship at Great Chishill, though not the building, goes back to the very early days of Independency, and owes much to a certain Nathaniel Ball, who was appointed to the living of Barley in 1652 and, like many others, was ejected from his living for non-conformity ten years later. Though ejected, Mr Ball did not cease to preach, among his hearers being one, John Nicholls, who afterwards became the church’s first minister.

The erection of a place of worship was made possible by the Toleration Act of 1689 when, as one historian puts it, “Non-conformist religion ceased to be a hole-and-corner affair, and new meeting-houses sprang up like mushrooms.” But long before this John Nicholls was ministering to the Fellowship, and that in a very curious place.

A little below the windmill at Great Chishill the Royston road crosses a ditch (the Herts-Cambs boundary) which used to be the boundary between the counties of Essex, in which Chishill was then included, and Hertfordshire. Towards the village of Little Chishill this ditch widens, being known locally, I am told, as Comberton Bottom, and it was here that John Nicholls and his congregation used to assemble. A sharp look-out was kept, and upon the approach of Authority from either side the meeting would quietly decamp into the next county! Apparently it never occurred to the two Authorities to co-operate so far as to both appear on their respective boundaries at the same time, and the non-conformists seem to have held their gatherings more or less in peace.

When the first building was erected in 1694 John Nicholls naturally became its first pastor, officiating on alternate Sundays at Melbourn, where a Congregational Church has also been formed. This association with Melbourn continued until about 1746 when the two churches separated during the pastorate of Dr. John (or James?) Watson, John Nicholls’ successor.

Dr. Watson continued as a minister of Great Chishill until his removal to London in 1760, after which date the fortunes of the church greatly declined, so that for many years it was impossible to obtain another minister. Thanks, however, to a number of devoted laymen the cause continued, if not to flourish, at least to be maintained, and by 1795 conditions had so far improved as to make possible the induction to the pastorate of the Rev. James Dobson.

Under his ministry the church revived so remarkably as to necessitate alterations to the building, but while these were in progress it caught fire and was destroyed, together with the greater part of the village. This was in February, 1798. New premises were erected, part of which still remain in what is known as ‘the old school-room’, so called because under the leadership of the Rev. James Mirams a British School was established there. The school itself has, of course, long ceased to exist, but one of our younger Deacons well remembers helping to move out the old desks, their ink-wells still in place, only a few years ago.

After some time it became evident that a new building would have to be erected, the former one having become unsafe, and a fund was opened for this purpose during the ministry of the Rev. J. S. Butcher. An interesting detail in connection with this fund is that over £100 was raised for it by the personal effort of Miss E. Smith (later Mrs Frank Brand), a sister of the late Mr Charles Smith of Royston.

The old chapel was closed on Sunday, Sept. 23rd, 1894, and on Nov. 8th following the memorial stone of the present building was laid by Mr A.R. Goddard. Before Christmas the roof was on, (evidently ‘working to rule’ had not been thought of!), and on Friday, May 3rd, 1895, the new chapel was opened, the preacher being Dr. R. F. Horton, of Hampstead.

1694-1954 – two hundred and sixty years, during which the evangelical tradition has been steadfastly maintained, whether in prosperity or adversity, in this village of some three hundred souls. What of the future? Present membership (59) is less than we should like to see, but those 59 show the same spirit of giving as their forefathers. Every year something over £30 goes out from the church to further the spread of the Gospel overseas, and, in addition, last year the whole building was repaired and re-decorated, the bulk of the cost being met by the efforts and gifts of the members themselves. If we continue to give spiritually as devotedly as we have done financially we need have no fears for the future, but can look forward with confidence to our Tri-Centenary in 1994.

E.G. Oyston. (Church Secretary, 1954)