Chapel & Church

[Barrychuckle]

I've noticed in a few of the episodes the ladies (Nora usually) often states in a derogatory manner, 'she's chapel...'. I've never really understood the significance of this, but my dad reckons this it an old social class thing where the working classes would go to chapel whereas the middle & upper classes would go to the parish church. Does anyone know if this is correct?

 

[Roger]

I assume chapel means Methodist chapel but I don't know much about it. I think they tend to have higher moral values like not drinking or gambling and not wearing fancy clothes.

 

[Marianna]

Just for a bit of LOTSW context, the building that was used for the exterior library scenes is actually the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. Compare for grandeur to the Holmfirth Parish Church (Anglican) on Town Gate, directly across Church Yard from Kayes Ironmongers, or the Upperthong Parish Church (also Anglican) where Bill Owen and Peter Sallis are buried.

 

[Sarkus]

That's a great question Barry! I guess I always took it as meaning someone who was not quite good enough to go to the main church, not a full member or something. Looking around on Google, though, it appears Roger's explanation is most likely correct. Apparently people in the UK who weren't Anglican's/COE had their houses of worship usually called a "chapel" instead of a church no matter what the building looked like. Historian's call these people "nonconformist" for their beliefs.

In the pilot Clegg, Compo, and Blamire spend time in an abandoned chapel. And there is another episode with that trio where Compo says something about not believing in dead Methodists, so Roy Clarke certainly populated his version of Holmfirth with "nonconformists' when it came to religion.

 

[Barrychuckle]

My dad (who's normally very knowledgeable on such matters) told me in the village where he grew up there was a Methodist Chapel & a CofE (Anglican) church, he says the many farm workers used to go the Chapel on a Sunday whereas the farm owners would go to the church. He implied it was more to do with which social class you were from than denomination. So when I hear Nora using comments like 'bet she's Chapel', I get the impression it's to do with snobbery. I think this argument is reinforced by the fact that she is seen in or around the Anglican church in certain episodes.

 

[Peripheral]

My dad (who's normally very knowledgeable on such matters) told me in the village where he grew up there was a Methodist Chapel & a CofE (Anglican) church, he says the many farm workers used to go the Chapel on a Sunday whereas the farm owners would go to the church. He implied it was more to do with which social class you were from than denomination. So when I hear Nora using comments like 'bet she's Chapel', I get the impression it's to do with snobbery. I think this argument is reinforced by the fact that she is seen in or around the Anglican church in certain episodes.

I was wondering Barry, with today's trends, is Methodist Chapel the right adjective? Shouldn't it be now Methodist Womanel?