York Unitarian Chapel is a building on St. Saviourgate,

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, England. It is a member of the

General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (GAUFCC or colloquially British Unitarians) is the umbrella organisation for Unitarian, Free Christians, and other liberal religious congregations in the United Kingdom and Irelan ...

, the

umbrella organisation An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

for British Unitarians. It is in the form of a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

and was built in 1692 or earlier. It is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. It is thought to be the first brick building of any size in York with load-bearing brick walls. A major benefactor was Lady Sarah Hewley, a Protestant

dissenter A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Usage in Christianity Dissent from the Anglican church In the social and religious history of England and Wales, and ...

and widow of Sir

John Hewley Sir John Hewley (1619–1697) was an English magistrate and Member of Parliament for Pontefract, an early Whig. He sided with parliament against the king. After his death his widow, Sarah Hewley founded the Hewley Trust in 1705, now known as the ...

, MP. Lady Hewley also founded almshouses in

Tanner Row Tanner Row is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The area covered by the street was part of the civilian settlement associated with Roman Eboracum. Archaeological investigations have uncovered remains of a bathhouse, and a ...

in York, which were moved by the railway in 1839 to be the present

Lady Hewley's Almshouses Lady Hewley's Almshouses are a historic building in the city centre of York, in England. Sarah Hewley founded almshouses on Tanner Row in 1700, run by the Lady Hewley Trust. These were demolished to allow the construction of York's original r ...

in St Saviourgate. There are also twelve almshouses known as Colton's Hospital in Shipton Street. The most famous minister of the Chapel was

Charles Wellbeloved Charles Wellbeloved (6 April 1769 – 29 August 1858) was an English Unitarian divine and archaeologist. Biography Charles Wellbeloved, only child of John Wellbeloved (1742–1787), by his wife Elizabeth Plaw, was born in Denmark Street, St ...

, who was at first assistant to the Rev.

Newcome Cappe Newcome Cappe (21 February 173324 December 1800), was an English unitarian divine. He served as the pastor of the York Unitarian Chapel, located in York, England. Cappe published various sermons and after his death his second wife, Catharine Cap ...

and then minister until his death in 1858. He was involved in saving the

York city walls York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City Wa ...

from being used to provide building materials, ended

malpractice In the law of torts, malpractice, also known as professional negligence, is an "instance of negligence or incompetence on the part of a professional".Malpractice definition, Professionals who may become the subject of malpractice actions inc ...

s at York County Lunatic Asylum, founded the York Mechanics' Institute, wrote a guide to

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

and initiated an appeal after a fire destroyed a Minster screen. He was Principal of Manchester College, one of the

dissenting academies The dissenting academies were schools, colleges and seminaries (often institutions with aspects of all three) run by English Dissenters, that is, those who did not conform to the Church of England. They formed a significant part of England's edu ...

for training ministers and the higher education of lay students.

References

External links

York Unitarians website
{{coord, 53.960300, -1.077620, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Unitarian Unitarian chapels in England Religious buildings and structures completed in 1692 17th-century Protestant churches 1692 establishments in England St Saviourgate