Benjamin Ingham, an Anglican clergyman born in Ossett and educated at Batley Grammar School, was at Cambridge with John Wesley and accompanied him to America where he met the Moravians. On his return to Yorkshire in 1738 he organised many religious societies in the Leeds/Halifax area, one of them at Gomersal, and invited the Moravians to join him in the work.
Benjamin Ingham then asked his society members if they wanted Moravians to work among them. At a huge lovefeast at Gomersal - the answer was 'Yes', and the request was forwarded to the Moravians in London. They sent various evangelists to the area and rented Smith House in Lightcliffe.
On 26th May 1742 the 'Yorkshire Congregation' was organised, when a document was signed by Benjamin Ingham handing over his societies to the Moravians. In July the Moravian headquarters moved to Smith House for a brief period before returning to London. Gomersal was one of the societies belonging to the Yorkshire Congregation.
The present church was built in 1751 and in 1755 Gomersal became a congregation in its own right along with Lower Wyke and Wellhouse in Mirfield. In 1758 girls' and boys' day schools were established. A single sisters' house was also founded and in 1793 a girls' boarding school. The additional buildings were built onto the side and back of the church with connecting doors.
Later the church was altered into its present format, raised to two stories with a gallery added in the 1860's and the pulpit moved to the south side and the pews placed length-wise instead of breadth-wise facing the pulpit. The pews were fixed at this time.
The industrial revolution and 1870 Education Act brought changes to the settlement' way of life and the sisters' house and schools were closed in the latter half of the 19th century. The additional buildings were then converted into dwelling houses. The house, to the left of the church as you face it, is the minister's house, though this also at present is rented out by the congregation.
The Church was extensively repaired in 2005 and 2009 and most of the fixed pews were removed and replaced with chairs. During the summer months the Church is open for visitors on Fridays from 10am until 4pm.
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