Article No.20
Yelden (otherwise Yielden) is a small parish in a valley twelve miles from Bedford, six-and-a-half from Kimbolton, and three from Higham Ferrers. Population: 1801, 209 (41 houses and 45 families,); 1831, 270; 1841, 320; 1861, 286; 1881, 243; 1901, 197.

Yelden is one of the preaching places in the Wellingborough plan of 1814, with Sunday services at two and six o'clock, in the Higham Ferrers plan January-April, 1832, there are the same Sunday services, and in that of February-April, 1850, with fortnightly services on Thursday at seven.

The Schedule of Chapels, etc., 1851, gives 1839 as the date of erection of the first chapel. The accommodation in 1851 was 50 free sittings and 45 other sittings. The attendance at the afternoon and evening services on March 30th was 40 and 85 respectively, and Sunday scholars 19, 18, and 12 in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Yelden had a membership of six at Midsummer, 1838.

Yelden is one of the 17 places in 1828 constituting the Higham Ferrers Circuit.

Miss Annie M. Wyldes says: "I remember my father (Jabez Wyldes) saying they used to have occasional evening Sunday preaching services in his parlour; this was before my time. For morning preaching they went to Higham Park. They could not always get a preacher for the evening. My grandfather, William Wyldes, gave the land for the chapel. He made the bricks, and my brothers helped him. Old Mr. Rootham did the carpentry, and he made the pulpit so small that the preacher could not get into it, and they were obliged to get another made by someone at Raunds. The old chapel was crumbling and had to be pulled down."

Mr. James Hodgson says: "They got the clay up the hill above the village on the way to Knotting. A course of clay was laid on the foundation, which must have been brick or stone. When dry another course was laid on. They made a mould with boards 6 or 8 inches deep and about 18 inches long, and thus produced a rough sort of brick. I remember when a boy seeing carts fetching bricks from the claypit." Mrs. Hodgson remarked that the clay was taken from the old mill which was burnt down some years ago. After this chapel was built they started making bricks for cottages.

Mr. Reuben Clark, aged 70 years, says: "I remember when they used to hold the meetings in Mr. William Wyldes's kitchen, and I remember the building of the first chapel. It were all clay walls, loose clay, not clay bricks. Old William Wyldes and his two sons reared it up, course at a time, waiting a few days between each. They reared it side wall high free of expense. Then it fell on the Society to complete it. This little chapel had two windows on each side and one in front, and a gallery holding about 30. It was roofed with pantiles; the roof sank owing, no doubt, to shrinkage in the walls. There was a very cramped stairs. The lighting was supplied by tallow dips. The chapel was pulled down in the year 1884. I remember the names of Parker and Marlow."

Miss Wyldes says: "Mr. Clark, a member, married and went to Australia, where he made a fortune and left by will £100 for renovating the old clay chapel or towards building a new one. Of course, the old chapel could not be renovated. We had the money ten years at interest. The present chapel cost about £160, leaving us £60 to raise. It was built in 1884. The foundation stones were laid by Mr. H. J. Mills, of Wellingborough, and Mr. J. Wyldes, of Yelden, Aug. 11th, 1884."

Article No.21

1907. The members were: 1829, seven; 1841 (written Yielden), 13; 1848, 19; 1874, eight; 1891, eight; 1895, four.

There is a note in the Circuit Schedule Book, 1840, as follows: “The deed of Yielden Chapel is not yet finished, but in a forward state.”

Mr William Wyldes to Mr Thos Marlow & others 28th July 1840. Lease for a Year.

Mr William Wyldes to Mr Thos Marlow & others. 29th July 1840. Release of a piece of ground at Yielden in the County of Bedford for the purposes of the people called Methodists.

Between William Wyldes of Yielden in the County of Bedford, Shopkeeper, of the 1st Part.

Thomas Marlow	Higham Ferrers	farmer
Thomas Burgess yngr	Higham Ferrers	saddler
Willm. Blott elder	Higham Ferrers	farmer
Edwd. Hollis	Higham Ferrers	draper
John Horrell	Higham Ferrers	shoemaker
Willm. Horrell	Higham Ferrers	shoemaker
Willm. Cooke	Higham Ferrers	shoemaker
Willm. Blott yngr	Higham Ferrers	farmer
Jabvez Wyldes	Yielden	grocer
Thompson Wyldes	Yielden	farmer
Joseph Dearlove elder	Higham Park	farmer
Joseph Dearlove yngr	Higham Park	farmer
		2nd part
The Revd. Isaac Aldon		3rd Part

All that piece or parcel of ground situate in Yielden aforesaid being part of a piece of garden ground belonging to with certain messuages or tenements in Yielden the property of the said Wm. Wyldes . . . and also all that Chapel or place of religious worship lately erected and built on the said piece of ground.

Jazbez Wyldes to Henry Sanders & others – 15th April 1885. Conveyance in fee of a plot of freehold ground situate in Yelden.

Between

Jabez Wyldes	grocer	1st Part
Rev Silas E Symons		2nd Part
Henry Sanders	shoe manufacturer	Higham Ferrers
John Hy. Sanders	shoe manufacturer	Higham Ferrers
John Anderson	draper	Higham Ferrers
Thos. Patenall	shoe manufacturer	Higham Ferrers
Andrew Walker	Saddler	Raunds
George Walker	Saddler	Raunds
Georg Bass	draper	Raunds
Joseph Grant	chemist	Raunds
John Spencer	shoe manufacturer	Irthlingborough
George Groome	butcher	Irthlingborough
John Parker	carpenter	Yelden
Jacob White	carpenter	Yelden
		3rd Part

This was for a considerable addition of land adjoining the site of the old chapel.

Consideration £2 10s.