The ministers of
Low Row United Reformed Church

 

	John Holland (1690 -1694) John Holland was a pupil of Richard Frankland's Academy when it was situated at Rathmell, near Settle in Yorkshire. He began his studies there on October 15th 1688, When he arrived in Swaledale he was reported to be 'young, unmarried' and to have been given a 'very good caracter' by Richard Frankland. The Yorkshire Quarter Sessions Records state that on October 6th 1691 at "Thirske" John Holland a Nonconforming Minister, preaching in Swaledale at the new house or chappel adjoining to Smarber Hall belonging to the Lord Wharton, did, at these Sessions, take the oaths mentioned in the Act for removing all questions concerning the assembling of this present Parliament, and did also make and subscribe the Declaration mentioned in the Act to prevent Papists from sitting in either House of Parliament, and likewise declare his approbation of and subscribe the Articles of Religion except the 34th, 35th, and 36th, and these words of the 20th Article, viz - (the Church hath power to decree rites and ceremonies and authority in controversies of faith. etc)	Richard Frankland

John Holland was ordained at Rathmell on June 7th 1693. He left Low Row in 1694. Was he the John Holland who went to Norton near Sheffield and died there in 1701? Or was he the John Holland who was minister in Alfreton, Derbyshire, from 1722-32 and died there on 19 November 1732?     John Taylor (1694 - 1712) John Taylor (of Fournace Fells) was a pupil of Richard Frankland's Academy. He began his studies on April 11th 1690 and was supported by a grant of £10 per year from the Presbyterian Fund, beginning 26 Jan 1690/91. The Yorkshire Quarter Sessions Records state that on August 21st 1694 at "Beedall" John Taylor a Nonconforming Minister, preaching in Swaledale at the new house or chappell adjoining to Smarber Hall . . . [continues in similar terms as for John Holland] John Taylor was ordained on May 26th 1698, by Richard Frankland and others. He married Elizabeth Ellet in 1704 and was then described as minister in the Dales. John Allason records that "the Marquis of Wharton gave him a house which he afterwards sold." The Parish Registers of St Andrew's Church, Grinton, state that: Mr Taylor of Law raw was buried on 15th September 1713 In the south aisle of the church itself there is set into the floor half a large tomb-stone. The inscription is still just decipherable: Body of the Reverend and Pious Mr John Taylor late of Law raw who departed this . . . He was 42 years old when he died.     James Burgess (1712 - 1725) Born near Oldham, Lancashire. In the Archdeacon of Richmond's correction books of 1713 and 1719 James Burgess is recorded as a Presbyterian minister. In 1719 he was reported to be preaching in the open fields at Muker, and baptising children in private houses as well as preaching at the meeting house at Smarber. John Allason records that "he had £10 allowed him by the trustees of the Wharton family for teaching the poor miners' children, which was paid out of the mines by order of Philip Lord Wharton." He had left Swaledale before May 1725 in order to go to the Lower Chapel, Darwen, Lancashire. Then in 1733 he moved to Greenacres Chapel, Oldham. He was possibly at Stainton in Westmorland in 1746.     Timothy Gardner (1725 - 1765) Timothy Gardner was born circa 1692 in Wyerdale, near Garstang, Lancashire. He was a nephew of the Rev John Atkinson, Independent minister in Cockermouth, by whom he was brought up. John Atkinson was a pupil of Richard Frankland's Rathmell Academy. Timothy Gardner was a pupil of the Rev Dr Thomas Dixon in Whitehaven. Thomas Dixon was a native of Ravenstonedale, and had himself been a pupil of John Chorlton, another of Frankland's students. Timothy Gardiner took the prescribed oaths at Cockermouth on January 17 1711/12 and was ordained at St Helen's in 1722. He ministered at Park Lane Chapel, Wigan, from 1722 (and possibly earlier) but there was some dispute with the congregation and he was advised to leave. Timothy Gardner moved to Low Row in 1725, and married Francelina, daughter of James Taylor of Ellenthorp, on May 10th 1726 at Aldborough, near Boroughbridge, Yorkshire. He died in 1765 aged 73 years, having been minister at Smarber chapel for forty years. It was said that he had been a public preacher for 46 years and was never hindered from preaching a single Sabbath by ill-health. His widow, Francelina Gardiner, was buried on November 17th 1786 at Smarber. Their daughter Jane married James Benn.     James Benn (1766 - 1782) James Benn was born in Whitehaven in 1725 the son of James Benn, master and owner of a Whitehaven vessel. His mother was the grand-daughter of an ejected minister from Ireland. His grandfather, Richard Harrison paid for his education. James Benn studied at the Kendal Academy of the Rev Dr Caleb Rotheram, where he was admitted at Christmas 1743. Caleb Rotheram was another pupil of Thomas Dixon's in Whitehaven. James Benn also studied in Glasgow. He was ordained at Walton in 1751 as minister at Forton-in-the-Fylde 1757 - 1766 he was minister in Blackley In 1758 he married Timothy Gardner's daughter, Jane. It was said of him that he was a warm friend to civil and religious liberty James Benn died in Swaledale on May 2nd 1782. His widow, Mrs Jane Benn, stayed on in Low Row and was influencial in the affairs of the church when the authority of the young William Turner was under attack. Their daughter Francelina married Thomas Hodgson of Coverham in Grinton Parish church by licence on 23rd May 1786, and then on October 22nd 1791 re-married, again at Grinton - her second husband being William Stewart. Francelina is credited with preserving the Lord Wharton endowment for future Low Row ministers by transfering it to Lady Hewley's trustees.     William Turner (1782) William Turner began his theological education at Warrington Academy and then moved on to Glasgow University. (English Universities were closed to Dissenters at this time.) He had just returned home to Wakefield from Glasgow when he was called upon by the Trustees to travel to Low Row in order to fill in during a vacancy. He arrived on May 25th 1782 and stayed for three weeks. Three men (not members of the church) tried to cause an upset while he was there, but young William Turner had the backing of Mrs Benn, James Benn's widow, and stood his ground. During his short time in Swaledale William Turner baptised eight children. He went on to a long and successful career as minister of the Unitarian Church in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.     Astley Meanley (1782 - 1786) Astley Meanley was the son of the Rev Richard Meanley of Platt, near Manchester. He was educated at the Warrington and Daventry Academies and arrived at Low Row on Friday June 14th 1782, to take over from his friend William Turner.     David Simpson (1787 - 1808) David Simpson was born at Orwell, near Kinross in Scotland and was educated at both St Andrew's & Edinburgh Universities before working as a domestic tutor in a nobleman's family. He came to England in 1780 and ministered at Eastwood near Halifax and Holcomb near Bury before coming to Swaledale on November 25th 1787. He married Lydia Phillips who was the daughter of the Rev Daniel Phillips of Hopton, Norfolk. The Rev Dr Nathaniel Phillips, presbyterian minister in Sheffield, was Lydia's brother. He ministered at Low Row for 20 years and died there on March 22nd 1808 aged about 69 years. He was buried at Smarber chapel on March 25th 1808. On his death he left £50 to pay a schoolmaster in Low Row.

	John Allason (1807 - 1835) John Allason was born at Cotherstone, near Barnard Castle, and was educated at Homerton Academy. He became minister of a dissenting church in Uppingham, Rutland, in January 1802, and there met and married his wife Susannah in about 1804 (she was aged about 16 years at the time). He left Uppingham, and came to Swaledale in 1807, as assistant to David Simpson. After David Simpson's death he continued as minister. He started the day school in a room near the Punchbowl Inn. By 1833 there were 20 boys and 6 girls in this school but most of the £50 left by David Simpson to pay a schoolmaster, had had to be spent on debts on the building. John and Sussanah Allason had eight children but tragically only three survived to mature adult life. Susannah herself died in 1834 aged 43 years and John Allason died in 1836 aged 62 years. There is a monument to the Allason family on the wall of the present church. A number of John Allason's letters have survived showing him to have had a keen interest in. and knowledge of, local dissenting church history, to have often been in poor health because of 'consumption' and lumbago, and to have often been seeking to improve his low income with applications for various grants and charities. At the same time he generously sent gifts of grouse or cheese to his benefactors.	Allason monument

 

	Daniel Davies (1836 - 1837) Rotherham College

 

	John Boyd (1838 - 1882) John Boyd was born and baptised in Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland, and educated at Edinburgh University, where he began to study medicine, but later gave this up in favour of theology. He became assistant minister to the Rev James Turnbull of the Relief Church, Edinburgh. James Turnbull bacame ill and went to Jersey to recuperate. John Boyd went with him, and while there met Grace Tucker from Ugborough in Devon. They married in Jersey and then returned to Edinburgh, where they started a family.	John Boyd
	In 1837 John Boyd bacame minister of a small church in Cumberland, and then in 1838 moved to Appleton Wiske near Yarm in North Yorkshire. Hearing that the pastorate at Low Row was vacant he applied and was accepted the same year. So began a long and distinguished ministry. A sign of John Boyd's care is that in the Church Register for each infant baptism he meticulously recorded the date of birth as well as baptism, the occupation of the father and the maiden name of the mother. Among John Boyd's achievements was that of establishing a new Trust for Low Row Congregational Church thus safe-guarding the endowment from Philip Lord Wharton when the church was first founded. The new trust deed was finally obtained in 1867 after protracted negotiations with the Charity Commissioners. It firmly established the church as congregational and required all trustees to be members of Congregational churches. The responsibility for calling ministers was to be shared between trustees, members and seat-holders. In 1866 the church received a missionary deputation visit from the Yorkshire Congregational Union. John Boyd also worked hard to improve the church property. The chapel itself was substantially re-built, the churchyard enlarged and walled and new railings provided on the roadside. Towards the end of his life he featured in an article in the newspaper, The Christian World. Grace died at the beginning of February 1881 and John Boyd died 16 July 1882. There is an obituary notice in the Congregational Yearbook for 1882. His funeral service was conducted by the Rev J Bennett of Reeth and by the Rev Mr Taylor, vicar of Melbecks. He had ministered in Low Row for 44 years. Some of his descendants are still a part of Low Row URC, and recent baptisms have included four of his great great great great grand-children.

 

James Clarke (1882 - 1894) James Clarke was a native of Swaledale being born at Thwaite in 1840. He started his education at Muker School before beginning to learn land-surveying, but he changed course and entered Lancashire Independent College in 1864 to train as a minister. His fellow students admired his "goodness, equable temper and genial disposition." On leaving college he ministered in Lancashire, but following a period of ill-health he was living in Manchester without pastoral charge when in 1882 he was invited to become minister at Low Row. Here he stayed for the rest of his life, and was elected chairman of the Parish Council. He died on December 26th 1894, and is buried in the churchyard.     Joseph Booth (1895 - 1897) Born in Clitheroe where his father was Congregational minister, Joseph Booth trained at Airedale College prior to thirty six years of ministry in Yorkshire churches. He was at Low Row for but two of these. He was said to have "a radient Christian character, a gentlemanly disposition and an unwearied devotion to his high calling as pastor and preacher." He died in 1939 at the age of 91 years.

 

	Ralph Cantrill Scurrah (1897 - 1899) Born at Bradford in 1854 he moved with his family to Askrigg at the age of four years. He often accompanied his father on his Sunday engagements as a Primitive Methodist local preacher, and soon took an increasing part in the services himself, being known as 'the boy preacher'. He trained for ministry with the Primitive Methodists but in 1884 transferred to the Congregational Churches. He held a series of short pastorates, including Low Row, and became widely known as a popular preacher and teacher. He liked to be known as Dr Scurrah but the Congregational Yearbooks of his time make no mention of any university degrees. In later life he returned to Askrigg, but not to retire for he continued preaching until three weeks before his death on January 17th 1932, aged 76 years. His eldest daughter, Letitia, became a teacher at Gunnerside School and subsequently married Shields Gill.	Ralph Scurrah

 

	Harry Golding (1899 - 1902)

 

	Thomas Clarke (1902 - 1922) Born in Wiltshire in 1850, Thomas Clarke won a scholarship to Rotherham College, which he entered in 1872. On leaving college in 1877 he entered the Congregational ministry in Bradford, In 1879 he married Henrietta Carr from Doncaster, He remained minister in Bradford until 1901 when he resigned and spent some months teaching latin and other languages at evening classes, before moving to Low Row in late 1902. He was always interested in education and was one of the founders of the Institute at Low Row. He was also a founding member of the Yorkshire Dialect Society and served for 10 years as its secretary. "As a minister his ready sympathy and ernestness caused him to be widely esteemed." In 1922 he 'retired' to Thornton Rust, but still served a small day school and chapel there. He died at his son's home in Evesham in 1927.	Thomas Clarke

 

	Shields Gill (1923 - 1928 and 1940 - 1945) Born in Swaledale in 1875, the eighth of ten children of Agnes and Shields Gill, butcher and farmer in Grinton. Agnes and Shields (senior) have been described as 'pillars' of Reeth Congregational Church. After studying at Paton College, Nottingham, Shields Gill was ordained in 1908, and the same year married Letitia Belle Scurrah, a school teacher from Gunnerside School, and eldest daughter of Dr R C Scurrah. He ministered at Stebbing, Bucklow Hill and Lymm, and they had two chiidren, Ralph Shields Gill born in 1914, and Blanche Agnes Lavinia Gill, born in 1917, before coming to Low Row in 1923. In 1924 a new end was built onto the Manse at a cost of £300 and a new pipe organ was installed in the church costing £270.	Shields Gill
	Shields Gill left for Lancashire in 1928, but returned in 1940 to minister in Swaledale during the war years. He retired to Askrigg in 1945 and died there in 1951. Shields Gill is described in his official obituary as "modest, able, upright, loyal to his Lord and faithful to his church".

 

	Joseph H Austerfield (1929 - 1932) Paton College	Joseph Austerfield

George W Stanton (1933 - 1939)

George Hemming (1946 - 1952)