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| 1st Slack Chapel - 2024 |
I recently came across a book about the Slack Lane Chapel, Oakworth, nr. Keighley produced for it's 180th Anniversary Celebration with details of it's history and formation for as far back as 1819.
There are also details of about 13 Bancrofts buried there and at least one wedding, but more about this later.
The chapel's originates go back to about 1819 when the Pastor of the Baptist Chapel in Keighley had a disagreement with some of his congregation and they began to meet in a room of a house in nearby Oakworth for the regular services. This group of local started to try and raise funds for a local baptist chapel and by 1819 had raised £3.-3s-0p to buy a plot of land, and building work commenced. Originally known as “Shaw's Chapel, after Joseph Shaw, who the land was bought from, to later become known as “Slack Chapel”
No ones knows how the name came about, but the story is told that a gentleman passing asked a boy the name of the place. The boy replied “Slack Chapel”....The man replied “Nay , never my lad, folk cannot be very slack , who come to a place so isolated” [ It never was isolated as there were many small villages within easy reach for worshippers.] An alternative theory is that the word 'Slack' is a local word for swamp, as the area was always very boggy before it was drained.
In 1847 further land was acquired across the road for a burial ground and in 1851 land at the rear of the chapel was also acquired to build a minister's house, which was known as Zion Cottage and this remained the minister's residence until further land was found nearer the village for a new Manse to be built on Slaymaker Lane, which at that time was known as Slack Lane, in 1907.
In it's first 100 years 379 baptisms took place at the chapel and as was the custom, baptisms took place by immersion fully in water, and this had to take place outside in summer or winter just down the hill from the chapel on farm land.
Around 1867 it was decided that a second, larger chapel, should be built and money started to be raised for this, including one contribution of £500 from the local industrialist Sir Isaac Holden, who lived nearby. It however took till 1879 for this new chapel to be built at a final cost of over £3000.
In the late 1930's much work was done on the new chapel, including replacing gas lighting with modern electric one and the seating was undertaken to accommodate up to 650 people. It then remained as a working chapel until it was closed in the late 1980's and sold for conversion into residential use.
The original chapel had been used only for social events and also as a Sunday School, but was then reinstated as the main chapel for worship, and finally closed in July 2018 and was recently sold for residential use.
The graveyard contains twelve Bancroft individual from two family graves over several generations.
In Loving memory of
George Bancroft
of Hardgate Cottage, Cross Roads,
Who died Nov 24th
1915,
Aged 55 years.
"At Rest."
Also of Maria,
his Wife
Who died June 26th 1915,
Aged 56 years.
Also of
Hilda,
Their Daughter
Who died March 9th 1936
Aged 36
years.
Also of Emma May,
Their Daughter
Who died Feb 11th
1970,
Aged 78 years.
I was recently given a large cardboard box of items, which had originally been deposited at a local solicitors, on behalf of an Emma May Bancroft, who died in 1970, an unmarried lady, who was the last surviving member of her particular line...and what an interesting assortment of papers, letter and photographs it turned out to be! Emma May's father George, turns out to be a very interesting and rather “well-to-do" person of some note in the area. He, together with his three brothers, Abel, William and John Thomas, all ran tailoring business's in the area and he was, amongst other things a Grand Master of the local Masonic Lodge as well as a substantial property owner who at the time of his death in 1915 had at least eight houses and some land in and around the local area of Crossroads nr Keighley pic of George & Masons The collection, as well as having the usual collection of photos, letter and personal items also had many rent books recording the weekly rent collected from his various properties both by him and later his daughters. George was born in 1860 at Brow Top nr Haworth, the fourth of seven children of Abraham and Martha Bancroft [nee Sutcliffe] and married Maria Wood at St John's Church, Ingrow, Keighley on 18th June 1895. They went on to have two daughters, Emma May in 1896 and Hilda in 1900, neither of whom were ever married. George died on 24/11/1915 at the relatively young age of 55 years, and his estate with all the properties he owned together with his list of other assets and cash were valued at over £1500. George, his wife and two daughters are all buried here. George's story in full can be read HERE
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| George & Family 1911 census |
In Loving Memory
of
William Bancroft
of Bradford
Who died December 11th
1895,
Aged 53 years.
Also of Martha, his beloved Wife
Who
died March 13th 1908,
Aged 73 years.
Also of James William, son
of
Frederick & Melina Bancroft,
Who died December 3rd
1917,
In his 25th year.
Also of Lillian, their Daughter
Who
died August 9th 1928,
Aged 30 years.
Also of the above
named
Frederick Bancroft,
Who died Jan 31st 1930,
Aged 59
years.
Also of Melina, beloved Wife
of the above Frederick Bancroft,
Who died May 23rd 1944,
Aged 72 years.
The other Bancroft grave is of William Bancroft [1842-1895] and his descendents. William was the son of Abraham and Mary and spent his early years growing up in the Oakworth area, before marrying Martha Wadsworth and then moving to the Bradford area as a Mill Overlooker. Interestingly his father, Abraham, by 1891 was living in the Keighley Workhouse and described as an “Imbecile” as many of the other inmates there were also described, and which today would probably be diagnosed as dementia. Why he ended up in the workhouse is not clear as he had at least 5 children as well as more distant relatives where he could have gone to. Below is a copy of the Workhouse census for 1891 showing Abraham together with other unfortunate individuals with the same medical condition who must have lived in grim conditions there.
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| 1891 census - Keighley Workhouse |
William spent most of his adult life in Bradford as initially working as a butcher and later in the skin tanning trade. It is not clear why he ended up being buried at Slack Chapel, some way from his home in Bradford.....maybe he wanted to be nearer his early life and was a baptist?
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| Frederick & Family 1911 census |
To finish on a brighter note, records show a Bancroft marriage here with another William Bancroft marrying Hannah Whittaker in 1933 and here is a link to an article I wrote some time ago, click HERE
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| William & Hannah 1933 |
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