Duddington - Methodist Chapel Founded 1837

I have been told that there was once a) a Methodist Chapel in Duddington, and b) the Church of England was not happy with the expansion of Methodism in the area. At the earliest point, the CofE purchased the property, demolished the building and built a new structure in its place. Over the years, a number of people have contacted me enquiring as to where their Methodist ancestors in Duddington may have been buried. Although I had read a Methodist Chapel had existed – I could no longer locate this reference - or prove what I had been told. As with all things “Duddington” – my family have continued to research step-by-step – with Diane Wyles finally locating the following historical photograph:

According to the street plan – this is the “High Street” with the house on the left being called “Peartree Cottage” – and the house on the immediate right known as “Rose Cottage”. These two structures still exist and can be clearly seen on the video I film whilst recently walking in the area. 

The “Methodist Chapel” has been demolished and replaced with the building now known as “Meadow Garth”:

Meadow Garth, High Street, Stamford PE9 3QE
 
I contacted the “Heritage” archive of the Methodist Church ([email protected]) and received a reply containing a link to the following text currently preserved in the UK’s National Archives:
 
Folio 26. Place of worship: Wesleyan Meeting House. Parish or place: Duddington. Date erected, consecrated...
Wesleyan Methodist. Informant: W Harrod, Steward. Estimated attendance on Sunday 30 March 1851: morning [not stated], afternoon [not stated], evening 34....Folio 26. Place of worship: Wesleyan Meeting House. Parish or place: Duddington. Date erected, consecrated or licensed: 1837. Religious denomination
Location: Duddington

Held by: The National Archives, Kew - Home Office
Date: 1851
Reference: HO 129/421/26
Subjects: Census | Indian Subcontinent | Religions

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=duddington+methodist+&_sd=&_ed=&_hb=

This building was licensed in 1837 – and was still in use during the 1857 Census, and during the photograph listed above as being taken in the “1890s”. I believe the UK government commissioned a photographic study of Britain’s villages using the relatively new technology of the “camera” between 1880-1910. The contemporary author – Brian Andrews – has chosen the safe middle-ground for the theoretical date of the “1890s” – it could just as easily be “1880” or “1910”, etc. What we do not know is c) the date the Methodist Chapel in Duddington finally closed its doors, or d) where Methodists (I assume to be “non-conformists”) were buried. I was told there was a small graveyard with the Chapel that had its stones removed and was covered over following the demolition. Of course, I cannot prove this at the moment. At the same time, no one can answer my question as to where were Methodists from Duddington buried? ​

NOTE: When discussing this matter with a representative of the Methodist Church - this person said the Church itself had NO records of a Chapel operating in Duddington. This expert was surprised, however, when the 1851 Census for the Duddington area stated that there was a Methodist "Meeting House" (see above). There was some concern that a "Meeting House" is NOT a "Chapel" - and that we could be discussing two different entities. Be that as it may, given that the population of Duddington was usually around 80 (including Children) - I doubt more than one Methodist place of worship could be sustained at any given time (considering the existence of the CofE St Mary's and the Congregational Hall). Until any evidence to the contrary, this article assumes that the "Meeting House" and the "Chapel" are referring to the same single building that resided in Duddington's High Street - just after Rose Cottage. It probably existed well into the early 1900s - perhaps even to WWI - after which there was a general loss of faith throughout the nation.