Breage is a village three miles (5 km) west of Helston. This profile of Breage Bible Christian Chapel has been compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell.
John Wesley, the great Methodist preacher, visited Breage in 1750 and many converted to Methodism. Chapels were built in the village, today only one remains open.
John Wesley preached at Breage five times between 1750 and 1765. He wrote in his journal on September 5th 1755, ‘I had given no notice of preaching here, but, seeing the poor people flock from every side, I could not send them empty away. So I preached a small distance from the house, and besought them to consider our ‘great High Priest’, who is passed through into the heavens.’ And none opened his mouth, for the lions of Breage too are now changed into lambs. That they were so fierce ten years ago is no wonder, since their wretched minister told them from the pulpit (seven years before I resigned my fellowship) that ‘John Wesley was expelled the College for a base child, and had been quite amazed ever since; that all the Methodists, at their private societies, put out the lights etc,’ with abundance more of the same kind. But a year or two since it was observed he grew thoughtful and melancholy, and, about nine months ago, he went into his own necessary house – and hanged himself.’ (http://ukwells.org/wells/breage)
William Carvosso (see this website) wrote in his journal in April 1817, ‘On my way back, I called for the first time on Mr Glasson Sr at Breage. Here I saw the power of God displayed in convincing and converting many sinners. Several backsliders were restored, and four laid hold on the blessing of perfect love.’ It is probable that Breage would have been touched by the revival in 1823 in the Helston circuit. (http://ukwells.org/wells/breage)
Non-Conformist. There were chapels in Breage belonging to the Wesleyan Methodists, Bible Christians, and the Methodist New Connexion. (https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/CON/Breage)
Bible Christian chapel, now converted to house and altered. Datestone above doorway. Granite rubble walls; original grouted scantle slate roof half-hipped roof. Original doorway left of centre to front side wall. Painted rubble forecourt walls. (Cornwall Council Heritage Gateway)
Chapel located on the north side of Higher Road.
1821: Breage Armenian Bible Christian Chapel [RG4/100]. C. 1821-1837 ?? https://www.aigs.org.au/cornwallff8.htm) (Could this indicate that there was an earlier Bible Christian Chapel at Breage?)
11 Jul 1859: Lease, Bible Christian Chapel, Park an Flood, Pellor, Breage churchtown. Parties: 1) Gerveys Grylls of St Martin in Meneage, esquire. 2) Glynn Grylls of Helston, gentleman and The Reverend Charles Grylls of Lanhydrock parsonage, surviving trustees of the marriage settlement of Gerveys Grylls. 3) George Tilley, itinerant preacher in the Bible Christian connexion, now stationed at Breage. Term: 99 years on the lives of John Stephens and Thomas Henry Stephens, children of John Stephens, junior, of Penbro, Breage and Ebenezer William Tilley, son of George Tilley. Rent: £1 16 shillings. Old walls with adjoining plot of ground on the south side and a garden on the north side, in Breage churchtown, formerly parcel of a field called Park an Flood, part of Pellour, formerly leased to Richard Edwards, with a right of way in a road 4 feet wide to be left at the west end of the chapel now being erected there, into the garden. Read more… (Kresen Kernow RH/1/1144)
1859: Build date. (Cornwall Council Heritage Gateway)
1860: Build date, (SWChurches / National Archives https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F148636)
Built as a Bible Christian chapel. (SWChurches)
1907: The Methodist New Connexion, Bible Christians and United Methodist Free Churches amalgamated to become the United Methodist Church.
1907: Became a united Methodist Church. (SWChurches)
1932: The Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and the United Methodist Church amalgamated to become the Methodist Church of Great Britain.
1934: Chapel closed and congregation joined with Breage (Troon) Methodist Chapel. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)
Closed: 1936: (National Archives https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F148636)
Became a dwelling. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)
Now residential with date plaque and lintel.
Former Breage Bible Christian Chapel (Photo: Paul Phillips 2022)
Found the right page:) George Tilley was an itinerant preacher from 1834-1860. He left Cornwall and, presumably as an itinerant preacher, went to the Isle of Wight where he met my gr,gr. grandmother. (Or vice versa….was she the female itinerant preacher we had in the family?) They returned to Cornwall where Ebenezer died in 1870. The daughter went back to the Isle of Wight and married my grandfather.