More detail from the History of
Low Row United Reformed Church

Lord Wharton owned land and property extensively in Swaledale, including Smarber Hall which had been used as a shooting lodge. From 1653 Smarber Hall was leased to a local farmer, James Fryer of Paradise, also shown on the map.

In 1692 Philip Lord Wharton leased Smarber Hall to Ralph and Cornelius Fryer, brothers.
Part of the conditions of the lease were that Lord Wharton, his executors and administrators, during the lease may:

use or make use of the meeting house lately built and licenced according to law for a dissenting minister to preach in and of all easements and appurtanances to the same belonging according to the will and pleasure of the said Philip Lord Wharton . . . with free ingresse, egresse and regresse for all and every person and persons whatsoever into and out of the said meeting house to worship God there and to make use of all ways whatsoever leading to and from the same . . .

erect build and finish in and upon the said demised premises any structure or building structures or buildings to adjoin to the said meeting house not exceeding as many foot square in the foundation as the foundation of the said meeting house there contains and to inclose take in and lay to the said building a court or yard containing not above ten yards square not more than so much in the whole, and for that end to lead and carry stones timber and all other materials needful and necessary for the erecting and building any such structure and building and making the walls for such court

have whole use occupy enjoy and make use of such structures buildings and court so to be walled in . . . at the free will and pleasure of the said Lord Wharton . . . with free ingresse, egresse and regresse for all and every person and persons whatsoever into and out of the same and to make use of any way or ways whatsoever that shall or may lead to or from the same."

This lease was signed on 26th May 1692, and endorsed by Thomas Lord Wharton on 11 Sept

The deputation consisted of Alderman Law of Bradford, Rev J H Morgan, Rev M Howard of Heckmondwike and Councillor George Scotson of Leeds. June 23rd After visiting a beautiful dell and waterfall in the neighbourhood of Askrigg, where the Deputation passed the night, they separated to proceed to their Sunday appointments. Two walked down Wensleydale to West Burton, passing Aysgarth Force in their journey, and two wended their way over the mountain to Low Row, over a bit of the worst road in England. June 24th This being Sunday, Missionary services were held at West Burton, Bainbridge, Hawes, Low Row and Reeth, and in some of the places excellent congregations, and very fair collections were obtained. June 25th All the members of the Deputation met again at Low Row. In the early part of the day the site of Smarber Hall Chapel, which is situated nearly at the top of a high and steep mountain, and at a distance of little more than five miles from Grinton Church (the church of the parish), was visited. This chapel was founded and well endowed, by Philip, Fourth Lord Wharton - the generous-hearted patron of the Nonconformists of 1662 - who had a shooting box in the neighbourhood. The old foundation is now represented by the chapel at Low Row, which was built in 1809. In the afternoon there was a procession of the Sunday School, with musical accompaniments, through the village. Here the concourse of people was so great, many having come the distance of several miles, that the service or tea had to commence at two o'clock p.m. It was conducted in the Old Quakers' Meeting-House, which is now used as a Sunday School by the Congregationalists. This service was conducted without any interruption until seven o'clock, when a missionary meeting was held in the chapel. The building was, on this occasion, as well as on the previous Sunday, well filled, and a very enthusiastic feeling was manifested by the people. June 26th The Deputation was conveyed in a covered spring waggon, first to Reeth, afterwards to Richmond.

THE LATE REV. JOHN BOYD.

Just beyond Reeth, at a spot named "Low Row", - and so named for no earthly reason we could make out, except, perhaps, that there was no "Row", and that the situation is rather elevated - we noticed by the roadside a simple, substantial-looking little stone chapel, with a bell, and a much more ecclesiastical and comfortable aspect than is usual in such out of the way regions, A modest house close by proclaimed itself the parsonage, and on the garden step stood an elderly man, whose aspect not less certainly proclaimed him the pastor. Using the privilege of wayfarers, we introduced ourselves, and at once received a most patriarchal welcome. We found that our friend was a Congregationalist, and that he had spent between thirty and forty years of his life in labouring as minister of the little chapel hard by. It has recently been nearly re-built and re-pewed, and now it is a model of simplicity and neatness, and we hear is well attended every Sunday. We noticed with pleasure that the pulpit Bible has been presented to the pastor by the Vicar of the parish. With infinite labour, the pastor has toiled to get the £300 required for this good work of building. This money has been got, and now the only thing that he desires for the completion of the premises is an iron railing, which will cost about £20. He told us with kindling eye that he was a fellow townsman of Robert Moffat; and as we saw his fresh enthusiasm, unchilled by seventy-five winters, we could not but feel that the great good-hearted missionary. whom we all reverence, would have rejoiced to greet him as a fellow-labourer. His dear old wife, too, whose delicate looking face seemed to have caught some of the light that comes to the good "at eventide", was as kind as her husband, and she was a child at school with Dr Harris. Long shall we remember that pleasant wayside greeting, and the kind people quietly doing their work in that far-away spot.

The Christian World   August 27th 1875

BOYD, John,
was born on the 10th day of February 1799 at Inverkeithing, Scotland. His father was a flax farmer, and a member of the Presbyterian church. Nothing is known of Mr Boyd's early life. When old enough to prepare for some calling in life, his parents wished him to enter the medical profession, and with this view he studied for some time at Edinburgh; but turning his attention to the ministry, he commenced to attend the classes of the theological course in the college, and subsequently became assistant-minister to the Rev James Turnbull of the Relief Church, Edinburgh. There he laboured for some time, and was much respected by his colleague.

During an illness of Mr Turnbull, Mr Boyd and he spent some considerable time in Jersey in the hope that renewed health might be enjoyed by the former. Here Mr Boyd met with Mrs Boyd, and they were married during his stay.

After his return to Scotland, meeting with a deputation from the London Home Missionary Society, he engaged to go to one of the small Cumberland churches, where he laboured for a year. He then removed, in 1838, to Appleton Wiske, Yorkshire. where, however, his stay was not a long one. The same year, hearing that Low-row, Swaledale, Yorkshire was vacant, through the death of Rev W Allison, he offered himself as a candidate for the vacant pulpit, and was invited to become the pastor.

Here he continued to labour almost up to the day of his death. The principal features of his work here were the erection of a new chapel, and securing for Congregational purposes the endowment left to the church by Philip, Lord Wharton, of lands in Westmoreland. Mr Boyd's medical training was of great use to him in his work as pastor, and many speak of his work in this way with gratitude.

In the month of February 1881, his wife, after a long and severe affliction, passed away. In February of this year he was stricken down by disease, for which there appeared for some time no hope of recovery. In the end his strong physical nature conquered, and he was able to resume preaching. In June, however, he caught fresh cold, which brought on another attack of bronchitis, and this sickness was unto death. On Sunday, July 16th, his spirit passed away. His age was eighty-three years, and forty-four of those years he spent as minister of Low-row Chapel. His funeral was largely attended, the service inside the chapel being conducted by the Rev J Bennett of Reeth, and at the grave by the Rev Mr Taylor, vicar of Melbecks.

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