The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham holds archived records which enable Royal Wootton Bassett United Reformed Church’s history to be charted from the very start, right up to the present day.
Original records were in handwritten form, and as you can guess, deciphering that was quite a challenge, so accuracy of the exact name spellings cannot be guaranteed — but the very best effort has been made to ensure accuracy.
Thanks are also due to Reverend Roy Fowler, who you’ll see featured in the list below, for his assistance from 1972.
So, we present: The History of Ministry at Royal Wootton Bassett United Reformed Church. Which does not appear to exist in this format anywhere else.
Ministers, 1823–2026
- 1823–1837 — Rev Martin Slater, of Hackney Theological Seminary
- 1839–1857 — Rev Michael Thomas, a student of Carmarthen
- 1857–1860 — Various ministers and students
- 1860–1868 — Rev David Williams
- 1868–1869 — Vacant
- 1869–1872 — Rev J Storey
- 1872–1874 — Vacant
- 1874–1878 — Rev J Pinn
- 1878–1881 — Rev B Rhodes
- 1881–1891 — Rev D Morgan
- 1891–1892 — Vacant
- 1892–1899 — Rev HW Harvey
- 1900–1904 — Rev J Austin
- 1904–1907 — Rev J R Price
- 1908–1913 — Rev D Beasley Williams
- 1913–1915 — Rev BJ Edwards
- 1916–1918 — JH Parry, a student of the College of Bristol
- 1918–1924 — Vacant
- 1924–1927 — Rev A Wilfred Bonsey
- 1928–1932 — Rev JW Eastburn
- 1933–1936 — Rev Clarredge
- 1937–1945 — Rev Nigel Porter
- 1945–1960 — Vacant for 15 years, per minutes of 7th January 1960
- 1960–1966 — Rev F Ross Brown
- 1966–1968 — Rev S Ross
- 1968–1972 — Rev Nigel Charlton
- 1972–1985 — Rev Stella Bleaze
- 1986–1995 — Rev Roy Fowler
- 1995–1999 — Rev John Rees
- 2001–2006 — Rev Jill Thornton
- 2008–2011 — Rev Georgina Brotherton
- 2014–28 June 2026 — Rev Sarah Simpson
- 29 June 2026 — Vacant
Deciphered and listed by Joy Mattis, Church Secretary of Royal Wootton Bassett United Reformed Church.