Though the chapel at Thorn was formerly opened on May 5th 1872 that date was not it's real commencement. Strictly speaking it was a transfer from premises in Union Street, were both chapel and school services had been held for over twenty years. Those premises were officially known as Union Street School, Chapel for the destitute or the Bacup ragged school. Following a committee meeting of members of Mount Pleasant in 1851 it was agreed to look for premises in the area of Irwell Street for the purpose of setting up a school for the destitute children of Bacup.  Three persons on the committee present were James Heyworth, John Dawson and Joshua Hoyle all of which were cotton manufacturers and the respective heads of the three firms known as Dawson and Haworth, Waterside Mill.  Joshua Hoyle and Sons, Plantation Mill and James Haworth and Bros, Forest Mill. 

 

On November 14th 1851, Lawrence Lupton was appointed Superintendent of the Union street school and that Benjamin Thomas become a teacher in the same school. Benjamin Thomas was better known as " Benny Mark" and was Bacup's oldest postman.

 

On the day of opening in 1872 sixty  three scholars from the Union Street  school made their way to the chapel in a procession. Three of those were Mary Ann Coppin nee Abbott,  Martha Hartley nee Harper and Betsy Ann Hacking nee Nuttall.

 

              

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rev. William Perkins was the first minister, and in later years he became President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference. Greatness per­sonified ! The following list gives the ministers' names in their order.
Rev. William Perkins 1874- 1876

Rev. Sampson Weaver 1877 - 1879

Rev. John Denholm Brash 1880 -1882

Rev. David Solomon  1883 - 1885

Rev. Thomas Hargreaves  1886 - 1888

Rev. John Naylor  1889 - 1891

Rev. Joseph Whitehead 1892 - 1894

Rev. Walter F. Mayer 1895 - 1897

Rev. G. W. Kettleborough  1898 - 1900

Rev. E. H. Maggs  1901 - 1903

Rev. Sidney R. Rees 1904 - 1905

Rev. E. A. Prince 1906 - 1908

Rev. J. G. Penman 1909 - 1911

Rev. Benjamin Barker 1912 - 1914

Rev. W. T. Kilbride  1915 - 1918

Rev. Robert Mettam 1919.

 

 


During the Great War 12  boys of Thorn Chapel lost their lives and were remembered on a marble tablet that was in the entrance ot the church. The names of the fallen were.

Harry Ashworth, Harold Bacon, Enoch Butterworth, William Crane, Fred Harrison

Thomas Howorth, Bertie Hutchinson, Harry Snowden, Adolphus Stranger, Fred Thomas

Herbert Thomas, Fred Walmersley.