Article No.34

Hargrave is situated about five-and-a-half miles east by north from Higham Ferrers and three-and-a-half miles west by north of Kimbolton. The population in 1841 was 192, in 1901 240. In Bridge's History of Northamptonshire (1791) it is stated to be a village of about 40 houses. About half-a-mile from the village is the Three Shire Stone, where the counties of Northampton, Bedford, and Huntingdon join.

In the division of the Higham Ferrers Circuit in 1885 Hargrave was allocated to the Raunds Circuit.

Hargrave appears in the Bedfordshire Circuit Book in July, 1781, with a class of eight members, namely:

John Mehew	Farmer	Hargrave
Sarah Mehew	his wife	Hargrave
James Barnes	Shoemaker	Hargrave
Sus. Barnes	his wife	Hargrave
Cath. Cleark	Simster	Hargrave
John Savage	Carpenter	Dean
John Goude	Labourer	Covendon
Peter Fairey	Labourer	Covendon

It first appeared in the Higham Ferrers Book in 1828. The earliest date of the chapel is 1859.

In the account taken to Conference, July, 1792, of the names, numbers, occupations, residences, etc., of the members of Society in the Bedfordshire Circuit Hargrave appears, with 13 members as follow:

Wm. Puttrill	Carpenter
Mary Puttrill
John Mahew Senr.	Farmer
Sarah Mahew Senr.
John Mahew Junr.
Sarah Mahew Junr.
Jno. Barnes	Shoemaker
Susanah  Barnes
Jno. Tilman	Labourer
Eliz. Tilman
Wm. Moore	Carpenter
Mary Moore
Lucy Savage

It is singular that Hargrave is not mentioned in the preachers' plan of 1814. It is probable the people went to the adjacent village of Lower Dean for preaching. It appears in the plans of April 3rd to Sept. 25th, 1831, and January-April, 1832, with Sunday services at two and six o'clock and once only on Friday at 6.30.

According to the Schedule of Chapels, etc., dated 1851, the date of erection of the first chapel is 1822, and it appears in the list of chapels which are private property and are rented or hired. The accommodation was: Free sittings 30, other sittings 72. The congregation attending March 30th was 30 in the afternoon and 51 evening. This was undoubtedly the old chapel referred to above.

Mr. Joseph Coleman says: "They first worshipped at a house still standing; Mrs. Corn, a widow woman, living there. It did at that time belong to a carpenter called Fisher. It was a house which had been converted into a chapel and became a house again"—and was bought by Mr. Joseph. Baxter, of Stanwick, and, as stated above, is in the occupation of Mrs. Corn.

Mrs. York says: "The Rev. Mr. Payne conducted the service at the stone-laying. My husband's brother was the regular leading singer in the choir; he loved the singing; he was George. Mr. Payne said, 'I am pleased to see my old friend York here to help us in our singing.' My husband, John York, has been dead two years and a half; he was in his 86th year. He was a local preacher before we were married; he was a local preacher 65 years. My name is Elizabeth York. I am in my 73rd year. I have been to the old chapel many years. My husband preached in it many times.''

Mr. John York (born 1850) says: "I remember going to the old place, a little boy in pattens. I was, I should think, about five or six years old when the new chapel was built."

Mrs. Ada Green (next to the Three Shires House) says: "Cottage prayer meetings at Hargrave were formerly held at Mr. Richard M. Mitchell's, widow Mitchell's (widow of George Mitchell), Mrs. Bell's, Mrs. Dayton's, and Mrs. Parrott's in turn; held on Friday nights, also Sunday mornings at eight o'clock. It is over 50 years since my mother (Sarah Bateman) took tickets. People to-day don't live like my father did; backbiting one another now. My father wouldn't believe it. Not living now like when my father was alive."

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Article No.35

In the minds of old Methodists the name of Henry Mitchell, a worthy old local preacher, known all over the two circuits, will always be associated with Hargrave. Many stories are related of him and his broad Bedfordshire dialect. The writer is indebted to Mrs. Smith, aged 75, for the following communications relating to her father, Henry Mitchell.

He nearly fell out of the pulpit at a certain chapel. It was like a big cupboard, where they used to keep brushes. Referring to this incident, Mr. Robert P. Payne, of Irthlingborough, says he exclaimed: "Bless me I'm nearly out of the pulpit." The catch had given way. Mr Payne was present.

Mrs. Smith says her father was a very even-tempered man. He was a local preacher 63 years. He used to travel with tea. He died suddenly on Jan. 28th, 21 or 22 years next January, at Hargrave. "Live right, and you'll die right. To me," he said, "it’s like walking from one room to another."

"Let's have 'Arabia,' friends"; "Give us 'Arabia,' friends" (a tune he was very fond of), "We often had that ready," says Mr. Payne.

He and Brother T. Mapish were having tea at Miss Wadsworth's, Riseley. She said, "Master Mitchell, do you take sugar?" "Well, ma'am, 'cording to whether you give me any; if you don't give me any, I shall." Mr. Payne, of Irthlingborough, has also related the circumstance to the writer.

About a week before Brother Mitchell's death he called at Brother Mapish's and had a little talk with Mrs. Mapish, the good man of the house being from home. "Ah," he said, "the old Devil! I tried to knock 'em down, but he come up agen me; he do so worrit me."

Speaking of present-day Methodists, Mr. Mapish says: "I believe they have lost their spiritual life; there is not near the fervour and enthusiasm there used to be. I am dead against the 'New Theology,' and preach against it everywhere, preaching from the words 'Be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel.'"

The following circumstance is told of the old chapel at Hargrave: The back wall was in such a bad state that pigs in an adjoining piggery kept poking their snouts through a hole. Old Mr. Law discouraged their too offensively intrusive attentions with a big stick, remarking, "If there's nobody else coming to chapel, the hogs are!"

(Note.—In John Wesley's Journal, Nov. 23rd, 1759, he notes: "With much difficulty we reached Bedford. We had a pretty large congregation; but the stench from the swine under the room was scarce supportable. Was ever a preaching place over a hog-sty before? Surely they love the Gospel who come to hear it in such a place.")

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Conveyance, 21 March, 1859.

Conveyance of piece of ground in Har¬grave for the purposes of a Methodist Chapel.

George York, Poulterer Hargrave to Thomas Flintham and others.

George York aforesaid first part

Thomas Flintham	Hargrave	Farmer
Henry Mitchell	Hargrave	Labourer
Joseph York	Hargrave	Labourer
John York	Hargrave	Labourer
Henry Knighton, the Younger	Raunds	Farmer
Andrew Walker	Raunds	Saddler
Henry Rooksby	Raunds	Clicker
Henry Nichols	Raunds	Clicker
William Brown	Stanwick	Farmer
Thomas Sanders	Higham Ferrers	Currier
John Dearlove	Bencroft Grange	Farmer

2nd part

Rev. Joseph Payne
3rd part

I have not seen the conveyance of Oct. 9th, 1843, and Jan. 8th, 1853.

Hargrave Trustees, Feb. 25th, 1892.

Thomas Flintham	Farmer	Covington
Joseph York	Labourer	Hargrave
John York	Coal Merchant	Hargrave
John Horrell	Shoe Manufacturer	Raunds
Charles Groome	Shoe Machinist	Raunds
John Hills Clark	Shoe Manufacturer	Raunds
Thomas Mapish	Shoe Finisher	Hargrave
Jonathan Wiggins	Plate Layer	Hargrave
George Wiggins	Labourer	Hargrave
John York Junr.	Boot Maker	Hargrave
James Nicholson	Farm Labourer	Hargrave
E. H. B. Lyne	Draper, etc.	Raunds

In the Statistical Summary of Trust Property reported at the trustees' annual meeting, March, 31st, 1873, 1860 is given as the date of the chapel, the cost £176.