Page:The histories of Launceston and Dunheved, in the county of Cornwall.djvu/375

 THE BIBLE CHRISTIAN CHAPEL. 339 that portion of the town. The chapel contains a nave, chancel, side aisles, and transept, and will accommodate 700 persons. In order to free the property from its inci- dents of copyhold tenure, the trustees, on the 5th September, 1870, with the sanction of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, wisely bought from the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, the ancient " town rents " with which it was previously charged. The trustees named in the deed which releases these rents are Messrs. Thomas Melhuish Truscott, Edward Pethybridge, William Hender, Thomas Hender, William Browning, Edmund Pearse Nicolls, and John Dingley. 33tble Christian CljapeL Mr. Bryan separated from the Wesleyans in the year 181 5, and founded a society which adopted his name, calling themselves Bryanites. In 18 19 Mr. Bryan con- vened his first conference in this district at Badash, near Dunheved Cross. The Bryanites next became Thornites, in honour of their distinguished leader, Mr. Thorn. About thirty-five years ago they assumed the title Bible Christians, which they still retain. The Bible Christians are now a numerous body, and possess many good meeting- houses or chapels, especially in the West of England. The chapel of the Bible Christians at Launceston is situated in Tower Street, opposite the old Wesleyan meet- ing-house, in which, as we have seen (page 336), Wesley preached. The Bible Christian Chapel is a neat building, with minister's house and schoolroom attached. These stand on land which in 1775 was described as "a piece of waste, bounded on its east by the town wall." The site was, on the 13th January, 185 1, conveyed by Mr. William Pearse, surgeon, to Messrs. Henry Bullen, John Ellis, z 2