Roundwell Street Chapel

Roundwell Street Independent Chapel (or Mr Herdsman’s Chapel).  As with the Old Meeting House, there are missing registers here as well.

The original Registers 1777-1837 held by National Archives but the Somerset Heritage Centre also has a transcript made in 1837 D\N\sp.ur/3/3/1  which is noted:

“Extracts from the writings of the late Revd R Herdsman made by his successor Edw. Paltridge for the information of posterity Feb 2 1837 when the original records were transmitted to London.

Mar 1775 – Sept 1777 Several members were admitted & many children were baptised but so many things were upon my hands that I did not mention or record their names & other circumstances so as I mean to do so for the future.”

The first entry is William Hebditch son of Mr William Hebditch of South Petherton on 16 November 1777. There is a second register from 1837-1850. A few people were buried by the Chapel. The Chapel built in 1863 was the Congregational Chapel and then the United Reform Church but it closed in 1983. The building is now used as the David Hall Arts Centre.

D\N\sp.ur/4/2/1 Church book 1775-1894 Contains Minutes, pastors’ entries of church events, history of church; amounts collected and distributed to poor; rolls of members.
Burials 1868-1874.
Marriages 1864-1892

Apart from these fragments there appear to be registers missing from 1857 to well into the C20th.

History of South Petherton Congregational Church (Roundwell Street)  published in 1883 contains many local names.

The Transcripts on the following pages cover the following periods:

BAPTISMS 1777-1812 Baptisms, 1779-1834 Births & Baptisms, Start of BAPTISMS by James Bidlake, BAPTISMS by Rev Jonas Lewis, 1837-1850

BURIALS 1868-1874

MARRIAGES FROM LADYDAY 1864 – 1892 

The non-conformist records prior to 1837 are copyright of the National Archives. Copies are also held on microfilm at the Somerset Heritage Centre which also has the surviving the post 1837 registers (although the copyright is still held by the United Reform Church). The transcriptions are published online by kind permission of the Somerset Heritage Centre and the United Reform Church on condition that its use is free from profit.