Oliver Heywood (minister)

By his uncle, Francis Critchlaw, he was recommended as preacher at Coley Chapel, near the village of Northowram, in the parish of Halifax in the West Riding.

For many years before his settlement there had been no administration of Communion at Coley; he restored a monthly celebration in 1655, connecting it in 1657 with the introduction of church discipline in the presbyterian way.

Hitherto his parishioners had been united in attachment to his ministry; the discipline divided them, and 'sincere Christians' became his 'greatest trouble;' his communion list reached seventy-three names.

[2] Heywood was a royalist presbyterian, and though he took no part in the insurrection under George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer, he disobeyed the order requiring a public thanksgiving for its suppression, and was accordingly apprehended and threatened with sequestration in August 1659.

Among his parishioners an influential party, headed by Stephen Ellis of Hipperholme, the man of most substance in the chapelry, was in favour of the resumption of the prayer-book.

Hence attempts were made to exclude him from churches, even as a hearer; while, on the other hand, Ellis, as churchwarden, claimed fines for his non-attendance at Coley Chapel, under the statute of Elizabeth.

Taking advantage of his successor's absence, he preached at Coley Chapel on the first Sunday of 1668 to 'a very great assembly;' his appearances in the pulpits of parish churches were frequent at this time.

[2] On 29 October 1672 he took part in the first ordination by presbyterians of the north since the Restoration, held in Deansgate, Manchester, at the house of Robert Eaton, an ejected divine, afterwards minister of Stand, Lancashire.

[3] He approved of James's declaration (1687) for liberty of conscience, and at once set about building a meeting house at Northowram (opened 8 July 1688), to which he subsequently added a school.

[2] Heywood was one of the many nonconformist divines who attended solemn fasts (September 1689) in connection with the case of Richard Dugdale, known as the 'Surey demoniac.'

On 2 September 1691 he preached in Mrs Kirby's house at Wakefield to 20 ordained and four licensed preachers of the two denominations and the "heads of agreement" were adopted.

The meeting was the first of a series of assemblies of nonconformist divines of the West Riding at which preaching licences were granted and ordinations arranged.