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Pre-history: Baptists in Bury before 1835

The first Baptist church in Bury (Greater Manchester) was Providence Strict and Particular Baptist church which started in March 1835 (with a building from 1836). In 1845, Ebenezer Baptist church started (with a building on Knowsley Street from 1853, relocating to Tenterden Street in 1898). Later, there were Baptist churches on Rochdale Road (from 1860), and on Chesham Avenue (from 1881). 

These historic churches are now represented by Bury Baptist Church (Baptist Union) on the Manchester Road, and Radcliffe Road Baptist Church (Grace Baptist Assembly). There is also a Bury Bible Baptist Church whose origins go back to missionary work by pastors from the USA in the 1970s.

Anyway, until 1835, there were no Baptist churches in Bury. 

The origins of Baptist churches go back to the 1600s. 

In 1669, the vicar of Bury parish complained of various conventicles "constantly kept at private houses of Independents, Presbyterians, Dippers and other such like jointly, of the best rank of the yeomanry and other inferiors." "Dippers" would refer to Baptists.   

By the start of the 1800s, there were definitely individual Baptist Christians at Bury. In terms of specific individuals, we read of a certain Henry Howarth of Bury (trustee of a Baptist church in Manchester in 1772), and of a pastor Agate of Bury who was asked to lead a small church elsewhere. In Bury itself, there was a small group of Baptist Christians already meeting in 1804 - and for some time, another group, which would later become Bethel Congregational Church, met in the same premises with them. Later, it would seem that Baptist preachers William Gadsby and John Warburton would travel to Bury to preach at this meeting. On at least one occasion, William Gadsby performed baptisms at Bury: "I had been baptising some people near what is called Burybridge in Bury, Lancs; and it made no little bustle in the neighbourhood to see what they called 'dipping'". Another Baptist at Bury was called Richard Lord. He used to travel to Liverpool, Bacup or Manchester to hear preaching. When he died, his funeral in February 1821 was held at Bethel Congregational Church on Henry Street in Bury, and William Gadsby preached at Bethel congregational church on that occasion. Another Baptist at Bury was a young woman called Eleanor who was present at the services that weekend, and, having come to faith, saved up to finance the future Baptist chapel at Bury which was completed in 1836. She became one of twelve founder members of the Bury church released from membership at Hope Chapel in Rochdale in 1835. 

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