254 An Account of Lesbury Parish, by Geo. Tate, F.G.S. 



Alnmouth : — "In a few years, from the encroachments of the 

 river and tide, the Chnrch Hill would, in all probability, have 

 disappeared, had it not been for Algernon, Duke of Northumber- 

 land, who caused a strong retaining wall to be erected around 

 the greater part of it, where the sea had any influence. Thus it 

 has not only been saved from the encroachments of the ocean, 

 but it is partly the cause of the growth of bents and increasing 

 the sand accumulating to a considerable extent, between the 

 Church Hill and the sea."] 



After 1663, we find no reference to the Curate of Alnmouth ; 

 and during nearly two centuries no religious service was cele- 

 brated there according to the forms of the Church of England. 

 To supply this want, a granary belonging to the Duke of North- 

 umberland was fitted up as a chapel, licensed by the Bishop of 

 Durham, and opened for public worship on March 30th, 1859. 

 The minister has a salary of £100, which is raised by subscrip- 

 tions and collections, and the use of a house and garden, granted 

 by the Duke of Northumberland. 



[On the 7th November, 1876, anew church was consecrated 

 and formally opened. The old one on the opposite side of the 

 river, which it is intended to replace, had fallen into decay. It 

 is designed to accommodate 120 people or more. It was erected 

 by public subscription, at a cost of upwards £1,400 ; Major 

 Browne, of Lesbury, who gave £500 towards its erection, being 

 the largest subscriber. The site was given by the Duke of 

 Northumberland. The plans were prepared and the work exe- 

 cuted by Mr Matthew Thompson, of Newcastle-on-Tyne. It was 

 dedicated to St. John the Baptist ; as the old chapel on the 

 authority of Baker's Liber Regis, appears also to have been ; 

 although Mr Tate makes no allusion to this ; nor is it known 

 how the one saint superseded the other as spiritual patron. In 

 the " Archseologia " of date 1789, the chapel is said to be com- 

 monly called " Wooden' s Church;" and Mr Dickson conceived 

 that this might be Woden, the Saxon divinity. But I think it 

 was merely so named because the people of the township of 

 Wolden or Wooden, for convenience, worshipped there ; Mr D. 

 having further misunderstood the meaning of the word Wolden, 

 or Walden, which has nothing to do with Woden.* The date of 

 the Methodist Chapel, I do not know ; but I find from the Rev. 

 * See Ber. Club's Proc. vol. vii., p. 460, 



