Lydgate Unitarian Chapel
New Mill, Yorkshire
One of the oldest NonConformist chapels in West Yorkshire, the Grade II listed building was founded 1689.
The church was demolished and rebuilt in 1632, with the seating capacity increased. In 1635, the incoming curate, one John Bynns, obtained a commission from the Ecclesiastical Court to allot all the seats to the congregation, most of whom did not know their seats. The congregation, who were then required to pay ten pence per year for their seats, revolted and refused to pay. Legal proceedings were subsequently launched and lasted until 1639, when Bynns received compensation, though he remained deeply unpopular with the congregation, who tried to displace him in 1646, though appear to have been unsuccessful. Bynns died soon after this.
The church was severely damaged in a flood in 1777, and was subsequently replaced by the present church, which dates from the 1780s. The tower, containing six bells, was added at a later date.
