| 1554 |
William Hunter was discovered reading an
English Bible and was burnt at the stake in Brentwood in
1555. |
| 1662 |
With the Act of Uniformity a number of
"Dissenting" ministers in the area around
Brentwood were ejected form their parishes, but in 1672
a Declaration of Indulgence enable Mr. John Willis and
Mr. Thomas Gilson to apply for a license to preach in
Brentwood. |
| 1707 |
Gabriel Barber was ministering to the
"Old Meeting" in Weald Road. (The site is know
but there is now no trace of the building). |
| 1755 |
A secession from "The Old
Meeting" moved to the "New Meeting" in
Warley Lane (now Kings Road). The Churchyard can still
be seen in front of the new buildings in Kings Road. |
| 1780 |
From this date the congregation dwindled
and for a short time the Church was closed although the
Sunday School continued. |
| 1799 |
Five members remained. Possibly with
the help of Congregational Pastors from surrounding
areas Rev. David Smith became Minister and the fortune
of the "The New Meeting" began to
revive. Rev. Smith served for nearly 46 years. |
| 1847 |
The Kings Road Chapel was pulled down and
the present Church was built. In the 1851 Census
the average morning congregation was 500. |
| 1854-1859 |
There was a temporary schism when some of
the congregation moved to a different building, possibly
in Crown Street. |
Brentwood United Reformed Church - where God loves you