Edmonton Weld Chapel, Middlesex Genealogy

Return to the Middlesex Parishes C-F pages, or, return to the Middlesex Church Records page.

"In the early years of the 17th century, Southgate was a hamlet with a population of about 200 living in, roughly, the area that is now The Green. There was also a large estate with a house called "Arnolds" which, in 1610, Sir John and Lady Weld bought. Southgate was one of the four wards in the parish of All Saints, Edmonton, without a church of its own, so the people had to attend the 13th-century church in Edmonton at Easter, certainly, and for marriages, baptisms and funerals. This necessitated walking three miles there and back by woodland paths. Sir John and Lady Weld felt that, while such a walk might be acceptable in summer, it certainly was not in bad weather.

Sir John, therefore, sought a faculty from the bishop to build a chapel at his expense and in his grounds. This was originally intended for the use of Sir John, his family and servants but it became the place of worship for the people of Southgate. It was a Chapel of Ease to All Saints and, since attendance at All Saints for the Easter Eucharist was compulsory, the connection was maintained.

In 1615 the building of the Weld Chapel began. It was a wooden structure, enlarged and altered several times to accommodate the growing population of Southgate and it lasted until 1862 by which time there were several imposing houses and estates in the area owned by wealthy merchants: the Walkers, the Taylors, and the earlier Sir John Weld were all brewers. It was felt that a larger more imposing church would be more suitable for such a population. So, in February 1860. a faculty was obtained from the Bishop of London to build a new church just eastward of the Weld Chapel." This church was later called Christ Church (which see under Edmonton).

Church registers exist for this chapel, commencing from 1695 to 1850.

[Adapted from: The Weld Chapel website.]