19/08/2020

Paxford and Clapton

Clapton on the Hill is 3 miles from Bourton. British History Online has this under Clapton. The curate of Clapton who was ejected at the Restoration and became a Baptist was Thomas Paxford, (Calamy Revised, ed. Matthews, 383) presumably of the same family as William Paxford, the first person buried in the Baptist graveyard at Bourton. (Cf. B.G.A.S. Libr., Dr. Moore's Notebk. no. 1, p. 55.). In 1676 Clapton had a fairly high proportion of dissenters, (Compton Census.) two of whom were fined in 1685. (H. Clifford, Hist. of Bourton, 87.) In 1736 the rector's neglect of Clapton was said to have turned many to dissent, (G.D.R. Clapton petition registered as terrier, 1736) and in 1797 a house was registered for nonconformist services, (Hockaday Abs. clvii) apparently Baptist. In 1851 the Baptist minister from Bourton held Sunday evening services in a house at Clapton. (H.O. 129/342/1/1/2.) A permanent branch chapel was built in 1908 (Kelly's Dir. Glos. (1919), 123.) and continued in use in 1962.

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