by Arthur Penn

Lord John Russell’s government decided to include a religious census in connection with the census of 1851. After debate in Parliament it was decided that it would be voluntary and as a result the responses are incomplete. Horace Mann was in charge and he produced a remarkable report about 35 different religious bodies and his final figures for attendance on the chosen day – 31 March 1851 were as follows:

Church of England 5,292,551
Roman Catholic 383,630
Protestant Dissenters 4,536,264

After complicated calculations about young children, the infirm, those on essential duties and those who attended more than once he arrived at a very approximate figure of about 54% of the population attending church that day, a figure much lower than had been anticipated.

Let us look at what the census tells us about the parish of Warton and its various villages. The census records ten places of worship in the ancient parish, four of the established church, one Quaker, one Roman Catholic and four Wesleyan Methodist.

Carnforth
At that date there was no parish church in Carnforth. The Vicar of Warton maintained a Sunday School there in a room licensed for worship in 1850. The return for it was made by the vicar, Thomas Dean. He stated that it had been built by public subscription at a cost of £222 and that it offered 100 free sittings. There was no endowment. No figure for attendance on the named Sunday was given but the average was stated as 80 over three months. A Wesleyan Methodist chapel had been established in 1849. It had sittings for 120, 84 of which were free. The attendances on 31 March 1851 were: morning 40 and 14 Sunday scholars and afternoon 72. This compared with an average of 80 and 25 Sunday scholars.

Silverdale
The ancient Church of England chapel of Silverdale had been rebuilt and consecrated on 20 August 1829. £94 was recorded as income, £56 of which was recorded as permanent endowment. There were 320 sittings, 140 of them free. The return was made by Alfred Hadfield, of Silverdale Parsonage, who described himself as ‘Perpetual Curate’. The attendances on 31 March 1851 were morning 103 plus 30 Sunday scholars, and afternoon 91 plus 26 Sunday scholars. This compared with an average morning 110 and 30 Sunday scholars, and afternoon 95 and 25 Sunday scholars.

Yealand
The two villages now had four places of worship, St. John’s church, a Catholic chapel, the Quaker meeting house and a Methodist group meeting in a dwelling house at Yealand Redmayne. St. John’s church in Yealand Conyers was, it says, established as a District Church under the Private (?Patronage) Act and had been consecrated on 18 June 1838 as a district church for Yealand Conyers and Yealand Redmayne. It had been erected by private benefaction at a total cost of £412. It had a permanent endowment of £1,000 bringing in £31.11.0 interest. Pew rents brought in £33.5.0 and ecclesiastical fees £3. There were 224 sittings of which 90 were free. The attendance on 31 March 1851 which was described as about average was morning 59 and 48 Sunday scholars, afternoon 42 and 36 Sunday scholars. These were totalled as 97 and 78, in the first case John Reeve Freeman’s arithmetic was faulty. He describes himself as ‘incumbent minister’. The Catholic chapel in Yealand Conyers was erected before 1800 and had as priest William Henderson, who made the return. This showed 140 sittings, of which 120 were free. Attendance on 31 March 1851 was morning 150 and afternoon 60. The average over 12 months was 170 and 70 respectively. One assumes that this figure included people from Warton and Carnforth as this was the only Catholic chapel in the area. The Society of Friends seems to have been at a low ebb. The return was made by William Waithman of Yealand Conyers and also signed by John Johnson of Holme Mills. The meeting house is recorded as being built ‘before 1800’ the correct census form, and was used exclusively for worship ‘except that it has occasionally been used for meetings of a philanthropic character’. Its floor area is given as 770 (presumably square feet) and the gallery a further 330, and it was estimated to provide 250-300 sittings. Attendance on 31 March 1851 was morning 27 and afternoon seven, with a note that several families live at a considerable distance and are not able to return in the afternoon. A return was also made for Yealand Redmayne Weslian (sic) Methodist congregation, meeting in a dwelling house occupied by Thomas Borrow Bush, who made the return. They met in the afternoon and on 31 March 1851 the attendance was 21. This compared with an average of 20 and 12 Sunday scholars.

Borwick and Priest Hutton
The only place of worship in this area was Tewitfield Wesleyan Methodist chapel. It was erected in 1823 and offered 122 sittings, 54 of which were free. The return was made by John Bowden Eden (?), the steward who lived at Priest Hutton and showed attendance on 31 March 1851 of morning 23 and 24 Sunday scholars. This compared with a twelve month average of morning 23 and 32 Sunday scholars, afternoon 83 and evening 106 with 22 Sunday scholars. A note states that two Wesleyan travelling preachers belonging to this circuit preach occasionally and local preachers at other times.

Warton
The ancient parish of Warton dedicated it says to the Holy Trinity existed (of course) before 1800. The return was made by the vicar, Thomas Dean. He must have been among those who objected to the census but he completed some details. Surprisingly, he gave the sittings as 1200. Financial entries are given of £32, £15, and £6 and permanent endowment of £150. No pew rents or Easter offering are given and fees and dues £5 each. When it comes to attendance the result is disappointing, merely quoting 1 Chronicles 21 and 2 Samuel 24. Dean signs the return as true ‘except as to the number of persons attending divine service which cannot be taken without profaning God’s holy Sabbath’. The passages quoted both record how David ‘numbered the people’ and found 800,000 in Israel and 500,000 in Judah valiant men. God was displeased and offered David a choice of three punishments – famine, defeat in war or pestilence. He chose the last and 70,000 of Israel died. I wonder what Dean thought would happen as a result of the census. However, in the case of the Carnforth licensed room he was prepared to give an average attendance (see above). The Wesleyan Methodist chapel erected in 1838 had 120 sittings, half of which were free. The return was made by Thomas Moss, Wesleyan minister and states that on 31 March 1851 at the morning service the attendance was 12 and there were no other services. The average was given as 12 and 8 Sunday scholars.

Published in Mourholme Local History Magazine Issue 36 1999