1870’s

Hannah Mitchell was born at Alport Farm in 1871.  In her book : The Hard Way Up, she writes this about Chapel :

We had few recreations, and were never allowed any time to play. On fine Sundays we attended chapel in the afternoon, and in the evening often went to a prayer meeting at one of the nearest farms. Not out of piety, but simply for a change, and to avoid being sent early to bed, as a preliminary to rising earlier on Monday, which was usually washing day. My father always declared he was a Churchman, but as he never attended either church or chapel I could never see why he laid claim to any form of religion. He considered the whole duty of man was contained in the Golden Rule ‘Do unto others as ye would they should do unto you’, and certainly he lived up to this belief. The fact that my mother was a chapel member may have influenced his views of professing Christians.

Mitchell, Hannah. The Hard Way Up: The Autobiography of Hannah Mitchell, Suffragette and Rebel (Kindle Locations 544-550). Endeavour Press. Kindle Edition

I never missed a chance of learning anything. We had no dictionary, so when I came across a word I didn’t understand, or could not pronounce properly, I copied it and listened attentively to the preachers at chapel, until one of them used the doubtful word. Quite often I dare say they pronounced it wrongly, as most of them were local preachers, farmers or shepherds, no better educated than my father and uncle. Sometimes, however, the circuit minister, the Rev something or other, would be in the pulpit. Then I was sure of my ground and cherished my new word as a pearl of great price. Perhaps the church parson, making his yearly round of a scattered parish, would call at the farm, and over a cup of tea would talk kindly to us children. I sometimes ventured to ask him a few questions about books, but my mother thought this was a reflection on her, and it usually earned me a beating. So I had to be careful that she was out of earshot before I asked my simple questions.

Although her childhood was hard and not happy, she does have an affinity with the countryside and later in life writes a booklet about the Love Feast.