A Baptist Church in Eccles, Lancashire, 1831-1842

William Giles’s Later Career

As already mentioned, Giles junior’s first move was to Manchester, where he started another school in Ardwick, on the opposite side of the city from Eccles.[94] This was advertised to start in January 1839, at a house on Ardwick Green.  The locality still bears that name, recalling that it was once a spacious suburb. But by July 1841 Giles was living in Liverpool.[95] While there he was pastor of at least one Baptist church,[96] and possibly two in succession[97] and in 1843 he opened a new school at Seacombe House, on the opposite bank of the Mersey, which became his residence.[98] Finally in 1848 he moved to Chester,[99] and set up home and school at Netherfield House, on the south side of the city.[100] This was undoubtedly a success and by 1851 he had no fewer than 22 boarding pupils. While in Chester he continued with the Baptist ministry at the old-established chapel in Hamilton Place.[101]

After William Giles’s death in 1856,[102] the Netherleigh school was continued by his son, William Theophilus Giles, but he pursued a very different religious career: he took a degree at Trinity College, Dublin, and was ordained in the Church of England.[103]  The 1881 census shows his school with a much smaller number of pupils – the majority in fact being his own children.

© Roderick D. Cannon.

[94]         The school in Ardwick was advertised to start on 5th January 1839, at 38 Ardwick Green - Manchester Guardian,  5 January 1839; quoted A. Humphreys (1926, 10). I have searched the 1841 census for this house, but so far without success.  In 1843, No. 38  Ardwick Green was occupied by a cotton spinner named Plant (Pigot, directory). A. Humphreys (1926, 10) noted that “the house still (1926) standing on the South side of Ardwick Green, and now numbered 48, is believed to be the building in which Mr Giles carried on his Academy. It has been converted into a wire works, the present occupier being Mr. W. S. Byland.”  As noted above, Giles’s younger brother Samuel also lived in the area.

[95]        Letter, W. Giles to William Gadsby, dated “Liverpool, July 4th, 1841”, and reply from “Manchester, July 5th, 1841”; printed in The Gospel Standard, vol xvi, no. 655 (July 1890), pp 307-310. The letter, addressed “My highly-esteemed Father in Christ” mentions that for five weeks previously Giles had been suffering from an excruciatingly painful illness, and goes on to report an intense religious experience. It also ends with regret that Giles no longer has “the privilege of occasionally hearing you, as in times that are past”. I am grateful to Mr. B. A. Ramsbottom for this reference.

[96]        The Byrom Street chapel, Liverpool, said to have been founded in 1714, was closed in 1846, and the congregation moved to a new building in Shaw Street, in 1847. It was and still is a Strict and Particular Baptist cause (recently removed again, to Birkenhead).

[97]        The details of Giles’s pastorate(s) in Liverpool are by no means clear. Indications that he was preaching in Liverpool as early as 1840 are contained in the obituary of Elizabeth Vaughan,  Gospel Standard, vol xvi, no. 655 (July 1890), pp 317-320. The Liverpool church was never attached to the Baptist Union, but Baptist Union reports occasionally carried notes about non-affiliated churches.  Some of these mention William Giles. Thus, in February 1841 he starts as pastor at Liverpool 7th church (Baptist Union Report, 1841, p. 29). In 1843, date otherwise not specified, he moves as Pastor from “Liverpool” to “Liverpool, Byrom Street” chapel (Baptist Union Report, 1843, p. 18).   In another publication, in 1845, the pastor at Liverpool, Byrom Street is “S. Giles” – error for W. Giles ? (Baptist Manual, 1845). The Particular Baptist historian S. F. Paul states (1961, 191) that, following a schism at Byrom Street, “those who adhered to Strict communion then had two short pastorates, namely one under Mr. J. H. Thomas who commenced in 1840, and the other under Mr. Wm. Giles who succeeded in 1842 but continued only about twenty months.” A. Humphreys (1926, p. 11) says that Giles continued until 1846, but according to S. F. Paul there was a hiatus until after 1847.

According to I. Sellers (1962, 10) Giles junior was invited in December 1841 to take over a congregation in Liverpool, and he agreed, for a salary of £100 per annum. He quotes from the letter of invitation. The church in question then united with one meeting at Byrom Street, and Giles became pastor of the united church from 1st April 1842, until he resigned in September 1843. Sellers’ assessment of his career in Liverpool is entirely negative, but so is his view of the Gadsbyite connexion in general.

[98]        The school at Seacombe House was advertised to start on 1 August 1843. Liverpool Mercury, 7 July 1843, quoted Humphreys  (1926), p. 12

[99]        The last advertisement of the Seacombe House school with Giles in charge is for school to resume on 26 July 1847. In 1848 came an announcement that school had been acquired by “Mrs Poggi (late Miss Godfrey)...particulars to be had from... W. Giles”. Presumably Miss Godfrey was a relative – we saw above that a Mrs Godfrey was W. Giles’s sister. The school at Netherleigh House was advertised to open on 31 July 1848. Liverpool Mercury, 16 July 1847, 14 January 1848, 27 June 1848, all quoted by A. Humphreys  (1926), p. 15.

[100]       The 1851 census (HO 1071/2171, f. 868; Chester Record Office microfilm Mf 2/34) lists the household as William Giles, his wife, his son William Theophilus (a scholar), a niece Martha Godfrey (assistant superintendent), two assistant teachers, four servants, and 22 scholars, all named. The house still stands, though the building extensions which Giles undertook have apparently been pulled down.  Netherleigh House is in Eaton Road, Chester, the home of Dr. S. Holliday, and I am most  grateful to him for information and discussion.

[101]       A. Humphreys (1926, p 15). The chapel at Hamilton Place was erected in 1806, according to the Chester Directory of 1874.  According to W. T. Whitley (1913, p. 331) it opened in 1800, closed in 1908, and was demolished in 1913.

[102]        He died on 30th September 1856 (his will is in Chester Record Office, Wills, G 1856) and was buried in Overleigh cemetery, Chester.

[103]         A. Humphreys (1926), p 22. Crockford, 1895, summarises his career: T.C.D.; B.A. 1858, M.A. 1860. Ordained Deacon 1859, priest 1860. Curate of St. M[ary’s?]-on-the-Hill, Chester, 1859-72; [incumbent?] of Eccleston, Cheshire, 1872-74.  Appointed chaplain of Cheshire County Asylum at Upton, 1887. His residence at the time of publication was the Parsonage, Upton-by-Chester. According to A. H. Giles (1910, p. 24) he died in 1895.

He became a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In a newspaper item of 9 June 1870, quoted by A. Humphreys (1926, 23), Mr Samuel Giles, son of Samuel the younger brother of William Giles Junior, stated that Giles junior was F.R.G.S., but the R.G.S. archives have the name of the Fellow as William Theophilus Giles (information from Sarah Strong, R.G.S.). A portrait of “The Rev. William Giles, F.R.G.S.” is reproduced by A. H. Giles (1910).  In spite of the caption this is presumably William T. Giles since the text (p. 24) correctly states that it was he who held the Fellowship.  Humphreys (1926) has the same portrait but amends the caption and in his text wrongly ascribes the Fellowship to William Giles junior, having been misled by an earlier author whom he cites.