St John the Evangelist's Church, Saltersford (Jenkin Chapel)
The Jenkin Chapel is situated by the side of one of the old packhorse ‘saltways’. The Church appears to have an upstairs room which might be some sort of class room, perhaps used for Sunday school. Its building was financed by John SLACK of Saltersford Hall, and by other voluntary contributions, and it was dedicated on 24 June 1733, originally to St John the Baptist. The tower was added in 1754-55, but the church was not officially consecrated until 1894, when it was re-dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. Various theories account for the name. One suggests Jenkin was the name of a local farming family who also gave the district its name. Another suggests Jenkin was a fiery welsh preacher, who regularly came to preach at the horse fair which was held annually at this spot. A third, rather fanciful suggestion is that as the chapel was partly financed by voluntary contributions, the name arose from ‘jinking’, the sound raised by charity collectors everywhere when shaking the proverbial collecting tin into which coins could be dropped, although in 1733, that ‘tin’ is believed to have been a basket! (Information provided by Rosemary Lockie) References
Image contributed by Alf Beard on 22nd July 2003.
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