| Hibbitt & Barnes Family History | ||||||
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It seems it was because of John DANDO that a group of Calvinistic Methodists moved from Stancombe to Dursley and established a Tabernacle (a type of Non-Conformist church), which was completed in about 1760. The remains of it now stand on the road opposite the current Tabernacle which was built in 1808/09, the original one having been replaced due to disrepair. John and Susanna's daughter, also Susannah, and son, Stephen's, baptisms were both recorded as having taken place in the Non-Conformist tradition at Dursley in 1754 and 1760 respectively. Susannah also underwent a baptism in the Anglican church a few weeks later. Stephen was baptized by George Whitefield, one of the pioneers of Methodism and a contemporary of the Wesley brothers, possibly when the new Tabernacle had recently been completed. Stephen's obituary, which was published in the Evangelical Magazine in 1835, stated... "...His parents were eminent for piety ; they had the honour and the happiness of introducing the Gospel into Dursley ; and, under God, of establishing an interest which has been continued to the present day..." And again, their eldest son, John's, obituary printed in the same publication in 1810... "...MR. JOHN DANDO was the eldest son of the late Mr. John Dando, of Dursley, in Gloucestershire, who was the principal instrument in introducing the gospel into that town..." ********************************* It appears that John and his wife were well acquainted with George Whitefiled as the following newspaper article states (source unknown)... "MRS DANDO, [referring to daughter, Mary, Mrs. being an honorific title] was born in Dursley, Gloucestershire, in 1752. Her father's house was the home of MR. WHITEFIELD, when he visited that part of the country in his ministerial work..." Mary's obituary stated... "...Her parents, from whom she received a pious education, were members of the society of Whitfieldian Methodists. Her father's house was a home for the ministers of that denomination..." And son, Stephen's, obituary said of his parents... "...Their house was ever open to the ministers of Christ ; and might with propriety be called the preacher's home. Amongst others whom they had the pleasure to entertain, we have to mention the names of the Rev. George Whitfield, the Rev. Cornelius Winter, the Rev. Messrs. Pentycross, Glasscott, Grove, Adams, Joss, Wilks, Rowland Hill, and Sir Richard Hill, whose praise is in all the churches..." ********************************* John DANDO wrote to Selina, The Countess of Huntingdon in 1771. The original letter is kept at The Countess of Huntingdon's Archives, The Cheshunt Foundation, Westminster College, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0AA. F1 Series No. 141. The letter reads as follows... For Dursley Nover 17th 1771 Most Excellent Lady I am also Desired by all our christain Frends in the late Dr Mr Whitfilds Connecttions in these partts to send you our kindest thanks for this visit which you was pleased to suffer Mr Hawkesworth to make us praying all your Ladyships undertakeings for the Gospel may meet with many Blessings from our Lord + If your Ladyship have any Orders please to Direct to John Dando Hattmaker In Dursley Gloucstershire. (John DANDO'S hat shop was halfway down Parsonage Street, close to the site of the old Bell and Castle.) Pictures of John Dando's letter can be seen on the blog. ********************************* Rev'd Rowland Hill was one of the itinerant preachers with whom John was well acquainted. Around the same time as the above letter was written, Rev'd Hill wrote a letter of recommendation to the Countess with reference to a 'hatter', presumably John Dando. This is also kept at The Countess of Huntingdon's Archives, CB3 0AA. F/1200. To Dear and Much Honourd Madam, Near Dursley Novr 19 The very great kindness
receiv’d from your Ladysp in giving me the happiness of dear Mr.
Hawksworths company into Glocesteshire. I now gladly acknowledge with my
many thanks for so great a favour. blessed be our God that his journey
has not been in in vain. he tells me himself that his heart has been
very much enlarg’d and all that have heard him bless God for the visit
that he has made into these parts. P.S. All here send many thanks to yr Ladysp for the favour of Mr Hawksworths labours. – If any letters are sent to me at the Coll I shd be thankful to have them forwarded to Bristol (The Tabernacle referred to in the letter was at Wotton under Edge). ********************************* There is a monument commemorating John and Susanna DANDO on the wall to the left of the pulpit inside the current Tabernacle at Dursley. The memorial inscriptions reads... IN Susanna his Relict, after the
closest Imitation of his A video clip of the current Tabernacle, including the monument, can be viewed in the videos section of the gallery and photos of the Tabernacle can also be viewed on this site. ********************************* The obituary for John's son, also called John, stated in 1810 that John Dando the elder "was the principal instrument in introducing the gospel into that town (Dursley); and who, after many years living an ornament to his Christian profession, died somewhat more than 30 years ago, in the full assurance of faith." ********************************* The following background information has been obtained from the Dursley Glos Web site... The Tabernacle in Dursley dates from the non-conformist era of George Whitefield, a time when dissention in Gloucestershire was widespread and unhappy groups continued to break away from the Established Church. George Whitefield was born in 1714, studied at Oxford and went on to become a companion of George and John Wesley whose beliefs he shared. He was ordained a priest in 1739 and went on to preach throughout the country although his enthusiastic style brought him much opposition. He was able to speak equally to all, nobleman or maid, and gained a tremendous following for his energy and ability to captivate an audience. In 1743, Whitefield came to Dursley and preached to thousands. One of his friends, Thomas Adams, had started a religious society at Stancombe, near Stinchcombe, and this grew to be strong and influential. This society became allied with the English Calvinistic Methodist Association and Adams and a fellow preacher, John Dando, were instrumental in moving the Stancombe group to Dursley and establishing the Tabernacle. The first Tabernacle, a name often used for meeting houses erected by George Whitefield's societies, was built on a site opposite the current one in Kingshill Road, probably around 1760. A further visit to Dursley by George Whitefield occurred in 1769, although by this time he was not a well man, but it is likely that he would have preached in this first building. The old Tabernacle survived until 1810 or so when it was pulled down, having been in a poor state of repair for some time. Some time prior to that, the land next to the site of the present Tabernacle was leased for use as a burial ground. Two years before the first Tabernacle did finally meet its end, work began on construction of a great new building, the current Tabernacle, and this was finally opened on August 22nd 1809. The inspiration behind this was the Rev. William Bennett who came to the town in 1804 and set himself the task of revitalising the society. In the subsequent years, Dursley has seen many changes in its fortunes and the Tabernacle has seen its fair share of these. In the 1820's some of the congregation began changing its following from Calvinistic Methodist to Independent or Congregational, and perhaps as a consequence of this, some of its most influential members decided to leave. They drifted off to hold meetings at the Hill Road Chapel and then their own chapel built in Boulton Lane. The Tabernacle was weakened by this and it wasn't until Rev. George Neeton came on the scene that the downturn was checked. This was followed in 1840 by a reunion with the Boulton Lane group amid great celebrations. In 1861, a new hall, the Jubilee School Room, was added to the Tabernacle at a cost of £282. This was used to accomodate the Sunday School and by the end of 1862 there were 56 boys and 73 girls in attendance. Around the same time the burial ground was extended to relieve the cramped conditions that prevailed. This was further enlarged in 1890. By the late 1870's, complete renovation of the chapel was begun which saw the replacement of the galleries, ceiling, pews, flooring and pulpit together with the installation of a new heating system. In 1889, further classrooms were added behind the Jubilee School Room. Church life at the Tabernacle continued to flourish into the 20th century and not just on Sundays. Many different groups aligned themselves with the chapel or made use of the facilities, including a Boy Scout troop in 1908, one of the earliest in the country. Also during this period of its history, the Tabernacle had some very ardent and influential supporters in the town, including the brothers George and Ebeneezer Montgomery who ran an outfitters in Bristol House, Silver Street and Sir Robert Ashton Lister, founder of the famous engineering works, who is buried in the churchyard. During 1944, the Tabernacle played host to troops of the American Evacuation Hospital Unit who were in town for several months prior to D-Day. In more recent times, in 1972, the union of the Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England resulted in the formation of the United Reformed Church and it is under this guise that the Tabernacle still thrives today in 2003. ********************************* The Dursley Tabernacle web site has published the following information on its history page... BACKGROUND In religious terms the Eighteenth Century began in slumbering fashion. The passionate, sometimes violently held views of religion that had convulsed much of national life in the previous century, subsided as people's minds turned away to new ideas in science, the arts, fashion, world exploration and the like. Into this scene burst George Whitefield and John Wesley, preaching with great fervour the Good News of the Gospels and quickening the spiritual lives of their hearers in a remarkable way. George Whitefield's ancestry was based in the Thornbury area of Gloucestershire and it was in Gloucester that he grew up and discovered his amazing gift of oratory. The English Evangelical Revival began in Kingswood Forest near Bristol when, in February 1739, Whitefield took the then unusual step of preaching in the open air. This was to a group of coal miners. Though in the years that followed he toured widely in this country and America, he often returned to his native county to preach in church, chapel and hedgerow, including Dursley in 1743 and 1769. Those in who he awakened increased spiritual fervour often began to meet in 'societies' to share experiences and study the Bible. As with Wesley, Whitefield had no intention of creating a religious order separate from his beloved Anglican Church but sometimes the 'enthusiasm' of these societies was not acceptable to existing churches or chapels and they built their own meeting houses. DURSLEY TABERNACLE In Gloucestershire, Thomas Adams, a gentleman of Minchinhamton and a Whitefield convert, gathered a group of evangelists about him in the early 1740s and these roamed the county and well beyond, preaching to Whitefield's societies and, when there was none, to the public at large. One preaching place was in Stancombe on the far side of Stinchcombe Hill to Dursley and a society came into being there by 1742. Among it's members was John Dando, a hat maker of Parsonage Street, and it is almost certain that it was because of him that this group of Calvinistic Methodists (who differed in theology to Wesley's Methodists) moved to Dursley. In 1760 they built a meeting house (or Tabernacle as it was not meant to be permanent) holding some 400 people. It's site is on the opposite side of Kingshill Road to the present church. To begin with, the society was served by itinerant preachers, Anglican in allegiance, but soon after Whitefield's death in 1770 the society gave up all pretence that it was part of the Anglican Church and became Independent or Congregational. It continued to be served by visiting preachers until in 1795 it called it's first settled minister. This was the Revd David Ralph who had trained at the college at Trefecca, South Wales, started by the Countess of Huntingdon, friend and patron of Whitefield. By this time the society had a Sunday school. This had been gathered in about 1778 by one William King, a wool card maker in Woodmancote, who became very concerned at the ignorance of the children of his employees. King was a friend of Robert Raikes and seems to have played a significant role in motivating Raikes to begin the campaign in his Gloucester Journal newspaper to promote Sunday School on a national scale. By 1820 the Tabernacle school had some 400 scholars, drawn from miles around, and it gave them instruction in reading, writing as well as religious knowledge. Later sick clubs were begun for children and their teachers and a lending library was created. The school's superintendent at this time was John Glanville who later entered the ministry himself and served with great effect at Kingswood and Wotton under Edge Tabernacles. While in Dursley he led a breakaway group from the Tabernacle which met in a chapel in Boulton Lane. Later it was led by the Revd Jerome Clapp, father of J.K.Jerome, who preached in the Tabernacle after ending the schism. Burials of early members of the society would have been in the parish graveyard but towards the end of the 1700s interments began in the meeting house itself. This was found to be impracticable by 1792 and land for a burial ground was acquired from Robert Harris of Oaklands, later Rednock, for a pepercorn rent. This burial ground was converted to a Garden of Rest in 1986. The Harris family were prosperous clothiers in the local woollen cloth trade and staunchly Anglican. However on one occasion one of the family fell ill and it was to the saintly Adrian Newth of the Tabernacle that they turned for help. It seems likely that it was this respect for Newth that led them to be so generous to the meeting house that was a rival to the parish church. THE PRESENT CHURCH The Tabernacle's second minister was the Revd William Bennett. It was he who got more land from the Harris family on which to build a manse in 1807, next the burial ground. Curiously for the home of a Congregational minister it was called 'The Parsonage'. More land from the Harris family allowed work to begin in 1808, next to The Parsonage, on a new Tabernacle, the old meeting house having become too small and as well as unsafe. It was opened with great rejoicing in 1809 with the famous Revd Rowland Hill preaching. The main differences a present day visitor, transported back to then, would notice would be a much higher pulpit, box pews and the main door in the long wall facing the road. William Bennett is buried in front of the pulpit of his new chapel. Most of the nineteenth century members and adherents of the Tabernacle were of fairly modest background - workers in agriculture and the wool cloth trade, shop keepers and so on - and when the cloth trade, the main industry of the area, collapsed in the 1830s they were hit hard. In the town as a whole some families dropped to starvation level and the population decreased by about 25% as families moved away, some to Australia and other colonies. As a consequence the Tabernacle buildings deteriorated. It was then, in 1873, a great act of faith to begin major restoration work. The town's population had continued to decline after the 'hungry forties' and the remarkable growth of the engineering firm of R.A. Lister & Co. was still in the future and had not begun to reverse this trend. However work was begun and the building today is much as it was when the work was completed in 1881 - all pitch pine and mahogany. In 1892, John Harding, ironmonger, who lived next to the burial ground in a house which now belongs to Dursley Cricket Club, gave the present organ, made by Sweetlands of Bath, to the church. His ashes rest under the church vestibule. The building is, as was the first Dursley Tabernacle, fundamentally a 'preaching house'; a meeting house designed so that every seat has a view of the pulpit from which the Word of God is proclaimed. Although a sacred place it is not consecrated, for it is not the stones from Stinchcombe Hill of which it is built that are holy but the people who are the church proper. Today, as Dursley Tabernacle United Reformed Church, it is possibly the strongest of the churches that owe their origin directly to the preaching of George Whitefield and, as at it's beginning in about 1742, it occupies a vital place in the community it seeks to serve.
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