1897 – 1914 | 1914 - 1947 | 1949 - 1971 | 1971 - 1989 | 1989 - 1997

1897 - 1914

Unable to find work in the Malton area of North Yorkshire, Francis Taylor came to Denaby in 1897. There he found work at the colliery. He took a house on Clifton Street and brought his wife and family to live there.

They were a Baptist family, so at the first opportunity Francis went to look for a Baptist church in the area. Coming over the crags from Denaby to Conisbrough he found a poster in Morley Street advertising a Baptist service to be held in Morley Place school on the coming Sunday.

This was the first attempt to start a Baptist cause in Conisbrough, and the Taylor family were at that first service.

The work had come about after a gift of £100, from Mr F.E.Smith of Sheffield, to start work in Conisbrough. Services were conducted by Rev. Giles Williams and a team of preachers from Sheffield. In 1902 Mr. Williams was to become secretary of the Yorkshire Baptist Association, but at this time he was minister of the Attercliffe Baptist Church.

A colporteur was engaged to spread the news of this new Church. This was a man who would distribute leaflets and call on people to tell them of the new work.

The membership of the newly formed Church included, Mr. & Mrs. Farmery, Mr. & Mrs Everett and Mr. & Mrs. Worral, as well as the Taylor family.

Before long numbers had increased and a move was made to the Co-operative Hall on West Street. This was also available for a mid-week meeting.

The preaching team from Sheffield made sacrificial journeys to Conisbrough each week. The only suitable transport in those days was the train. The preacher would catch the 7.30am train and be met at the Conisbrough station by his host at 8.30am . They would then have breakfast before preaching, morning and evening. Then it was back to the station for the 9.00pm train to Sheffield and they could hope to be home for 10.30 at night. All this for a fee of 7s / 6d. and the knowledge of having served God faithfully.

The congregation grew steadily to around fifty. By now the Church included the Marsh family, the Moores, the Curtis’s the Wells Family, the Harrisons, the Websters and the Sharp family.

R.H. Sharp and Sons was a coal merchants business and the family lived at the Poplars’ on Elm Green Lane before building ‘The Terrace’ on Castle Avenue.

It was largely thanks to the generosity of Mr. Sharp that the Baptist Church in Denaby was built in 1902 after newspaper articles speaking of the spiritual destitution of Denaby described it as ‘the most godless village in England’.
The Sharps had a horse and carriage which was greatly used for the benefit of the church.

There were two ministers in those early days. Rev. R. Martin served from 1898 until 1900 and from 1901 until 1906 Rev. W.S.Maxey pastured the fellowship.

It was during Mr. Maxey’s time that the first chapel was built in 1903. Made of corrugated iron outside it was a functional building suited to the needs of a growing fellowship. The inside was made homely with the use of tongued and grooved wooden boards, and these are still the interior in many parts.

Thanks to generous giving the building was opened without any debt and the building was soon nicknamed ‘The Tin Tabernacle’.

Many were baptized in those first days and membership grew quickly.

Pews for 240 were installed, along with gas lighting (the kind that didn’t use mantles). Modernising in later years, brought the change the electric lighting. The heating remained basically unchanged for many years.

A second hand organ was bought and installed this also gave way to electric power in later years as did the heating of water. In those early days when hot water was needed a huge copper had to be filled and a fire lit under it.

With a building a caretaker was necessary, and Mr. & Mrs. Taylor became the first of a long line or overworked and underpaid caretakers, their reward being 7s / 6d a week for the 16 years that they cleaned the chapel.

The organization of the church grew in this time. Irad Webster took on the role of Treasurer, Harold Sharp became Secretary, whilst Harold Sharp was made organist and choir master. He formed a choir which enhanced worship and became the talk of the village.

The Church was soon well filled for the Sunday services, as well as supporting active branches of ‘The Good Templars’ and ‘The Band of Hope’.

The was also a sewing circle and a ‘Pleasant Sunday Afternoon’ group. A midweek service began and the choir arranged concerts. There were also visits from groups in Doncaster and Sheffield to entertain, with both sacred and secular music.

The Sunday School also flourished under the leadership of Mr. J. Marsh its superintendent. By the time that Mr. Maxey moved on there was a strong and thriving fellowship of Baptists in Conisbrough.

It was under his influence that the Cristian Endeavour was first started. This is the only group from those days to have lasted through to 1989.

In 1912 a Mr. Watts became pastor of the Conisbrough church. He was not an accredited minister, and after twice attempting the Baptist Union examinations he decided to return to secular employment.