The final act of celebration in our Bi-centenary year took place on Sunday 25th November 2007, when Miss Beryl Jones presented a copy of the Church’s original Register of Baptisms from the year 1806 up to 1837, when the Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths was introduced in England and Wales.  Before 1806, all children were baptised at St. Cuthbert’s and the event recorded there, as this was the only church in the Parish of North Meols.

The original Register, started by Revd. George Greatbatch on 6th January 1806, had to be surrendered to the General Register Office in 1837, and a form to that effect, signed by his successor Revd. William Alexander, can be seen near the end of the book. The reverend gentleman was clearly unaware that the Register would never be returned, because he is seen to have written, “ It is again requested that this Book may be returned as soon as possible, or the disappointment in the neighbourhood will be very great”.

The Church is grateful to Beryl for her painstaking reproduction of the Register, which can now be viewed in its original state, in the handwriting of Greatbatch and Alexander, including the comments they made at the time. She has included some interesting facts in the introduction to the copy register, having felt that 170 years is a long time for a community to be “disappointed” and without an integral part of its history.


The Church’s new history book, ‘The North Meols Independents’, elaborates on this aspect of the early life of people in North Meols, including our fraught relationship at the time with St. Cuthbert’s Church, and the struggle to be recognised.

          Finally, if any member of the congregation has a suitable display cabinet, which they no longer require, which would house the Register and make it readily accessible to everyone, would they please contact the Minister or Church Secretary, Mrs. Ellen Christian.

Geoff Lloyd