Methodist Church, Litton

The chapel, erected originally in 1834, was rebuilt in the late 19th century, followed by altering and refitting in 1905.^[1]

It has been suggested that roots of non-conformity in Litton do however reach back into the 17th century, before this chapel was built. William BAGSHAW, the Apostle of the Peak, was born in Litton on 17th January 1627/8, the son of William BAGSHAWE and Jane née OLDFIELD, daughter of Ralph, of Litton, and later that century he founded several meeting houses in the area, as for example at Great Hucklow, Stoney Middleton, Ashford, Tideswell, and Bradwell. In common with Litton, these were lead mining areas, though it is not clear whether this may have influenced his choice of venue, or whether he happened to be popular with the lead mining community. The exceptions were at Charlesworth, and Chinley, in the Dark Peak, where he also founded chapels.

James CLEGG, the non-conformist preacher of Chapel en le Frith certainly came to Litton too, as his Diary records him preaching here, and possibly others followed in his footsteps. Tradition has it that the upper floor of the barn on the opposite side of the road to the chapel was their meeting place, with the steps up the side of the barn leading to a door providing access.^[2]

(Information provided by Rosemary Lockie)

[1] Non Conformist Chapels and Meeting Houses, Derbyshire. Published by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England 1986. ISBN 0 11 300007 3.
[2] A “live” version of my source is currently unavailable, but it may still be referenced by courtesy of the “Wayback Machine” (Internet Archive) for Litton Village in Derbyshire.