Swinford is 4 miles south of Lutterworth and 12 miles south-west of Market Harborough.
Independent or Congregationalist
‘Independents’ numbered 90 worshippers in the Meeting House Return of 1829. They met in a house.[1] The date of construction of their chapel is given in different sources as 1810,[2] 1833,[3] and 1834/5. The earliest of thee seems unlikely, as they had no chapel in 1829, and the source is a century later. The other dates are sufficiently close to refer to the same building. The 1851 census of religious worship only gives a construction date of 1834/5 of a separate building that was exclusively for their worship. In that census return the ‘Independent or Congregationalist’ chapel (as they were now called) used a building that was capable of providing about 50 free seats, 118 other seats, and room for about 42 standing worshippers. A congregation of about 120 attended the only service on Sunday 30 March 1851, which was in the evening. The average congregation for this service was reported to be 138.[4]