Nonconformists are protestant christians who rejected the authority of the established Anglican Church of England. The movement grew following the restoration of Charles the Second in 1660 and the Act of Uniformity in 1662, and included Presbyterians, Quakers, Methodists and Baptists. The movement was particularly strong in Wales and eventually led to the disestablishment of the Anglican Church in 1920 and the formation of the Church in Wales. History RAT Penny Gregson charts the history of nonconformism on the Wentlooge Level.
Wesleyan Methodist chapel, Castleton (Penny Gregson)
The religious turbulence of the seventeenth century meant that those engaged in nonconformist religion had to meet in secret. In 1639, the first independent church in Wales was established in Monmouthshire when the rector of Llanvaches (or Llanfaches), William Wroth held a service of recognition within his parish church. That led to his expulsion from the Church of England, but the nonconformist members continued to meet out of sight of the authorities for the next fifty years.
Through various Parliamentary acts, notably the 1689 Act of Toleration, civil restraints on dissenters were gradually relaxed. After this date, nonconformist places of worship required registration and bespoke buildings could be erected. The Llanvaches Independents built their chapel in the neighbouring hamlet of Carrow Hill. Religious groups such as Baptists, Calvinists, Congregationalists and Quakers were allowed to worship openly, later joined by others such as Methodists. In 1851, the Census of Religious Worship found that in England and Wales, nonconformists comprised about half the number of people attending Sunday worship, although the percentage was generally much greater in manufacturing areas.
Baptist chapel, Castleton (Penny Gregson)
Baptists were in Castleton (within the parish of Marshfield) in 1716. A Baptist chapel (possibly known as the Salem Baptist Chapel) was built at Castleton in 1807. Its congregation soon outgrew this building, the site of which became a burial ground when a larger chapel was constructed. The religious census of 1851 recorded 350 adults and 90 children at the morning service and 640 adults and 56 scholars in the evening. The large turnouts could have been in response to the census, since the population of Marshfield was less than 550, although nonconformists often travelled some distance to worship. In 1853, the chapel was said to have 700 seats. The Baptists boasted a very active Sunday School where, in one year, the children were collectively expected to learn 100 chapters of the bible, 115 psalms and verses totalling 4238 in all.
Calvinist Methodism was introduced to Castleton by blacksmith Edward Cosslett (1750-1828). He converted to Calvinism when 19, having worshipped with Independents on a farm in Coedkernew. He became a lay preacher and moved to Castleton in 1776 where he started a society in his own dwellinghouse. However, the neighbours complained to his landlord and he was told to stop the meetings or go. He left for St Mellons where he built a meeting house in 1825.
Former Calvinistic Methodist chapel (Cath Davis)
In 1836, the Sion Calvinistic Methodist chapel was built in Castleton, the steward being another Edward Cosslett, blacksmith, almost certainly a descendent of his namesake. The 1851 religious census recorded 18 adults and 15 children in the morning and 50 adults and 12 children in the evening. In 1901, the seating capacity was said to have been 150. This chapel closed in the 1930s and is now a private house.
The Wesleyan Methodists were meeting in a loft near Castleton Mill when the religious census was conducted in 1851. A congregation of 10 was recorded in the morning and 50 in the evening. Their chapel was built at a cost £2000 in 1853-54 and appears to have had 150–200 seats. Unusually, its services were conducted in English while the traditional language of the chapels was Welsh. However, after 1884, many nonconformist chapels changed to English for their Sunday evening services.
During the second half of the nineteenth century, the chapels prospered. Religion played a major part in the lives of the residents of Castleton and Marshfield where the chapels provided for approximately two and a half seats per person. Even allowing for visitors from neighbouring parishes this seems generous. The nonconformists certainly outdid the established church in Marshfield which, while having 300 seats, only attained an average attendance of 35.
The Sunday School Centenary, recognising the 100th anniversary of Robert Raikes introducing the Sunday School system of learning, was widely celebrated in August 1880. The 195 children of Castleton's Baptist Sunday School marched along with those from Castleton's Calvinistic (60) and Wesleyan (60) chapels to join those from Peterstone's Baptist (75) and St Mellon's Calvinistic (152), Independent (15) and Baptist (125) chapels, and others, at the Lodge Field on St Mellon's Hill. In all, 1250 people attended. The band of the 16th Glamorgan Rifle Volunteers headed the procession with numerous flags and banners. A field tea of cake and milk was followed by speeches on the origins of Sunday Schools. These were not the only nonconformist chapels associated with the Wentlooge Level. There were also Baptist and Independent chapels at St Brides, and Methodist and Baptist chapels at Rumney.