The Forgotten Pastor of Moor Row: John Garner's Testament in Stone
This simple, damaged slab, split through the middle and resting on a roadside verge near Moor Row, is the sole remaining testament to a life devoted to the gospel over three centuries ago. It speaks volumes about the early nonconformist spirit that shaped this corner of the UK.
- The memorial measures 1.5m x 0.7m
Who Was John Garner?
Born around 1631, John Garner lived through one of the most tumultuous periods in English religious history. He was a preacher and a pastor in the Moor Row area. The inscription on his stone reveals his defining characteristic: his dedication to an unpaid ministry.
While further records of his life are scarce - a common occurrence for nonconformist ministers of that era - the stone itself is the primary source of truth, detailing his key actions and legacy. He was buried on December 2nd, 1706, at the age of 75 years.
The Free Gospel and the Sepulchre Meadow
The inscription makes it clear that Garner was a man of firm conviction, embodying the spirit of religious dissent prevalent in Cumbria during the late 17th century. His memorial is a powerful declaration:
Hear Doath the Body of John Garner lays who was faithfull to the Lord in his days who did this burying place freely Bestow and Despensed the gosp without Charge you know unto the peopel over which he was Ordained A paster unto them he did still Remain. Buryed ye 2d day of December 1706 aged 75 years.
The most significant piece of information here, besides his fidelity, is that he "did this burying place freely Bestow." This place is understood to be the unmarked Sepulchre Meadow, close to where his memorial was originally located.
In a time when burial was strictly controlled by the Established Church, a dissenting figure like Garner establishing a private, free burial ground and dispensing the gospel "without Charge" marks him as a selfless, independent spiritual leader for the local people over which he was "Ordained A paster." This act cemented his place as a foundational figure for his congregation.
This epitaph, written in the vernacular English of the time, offers several powerful revelations about John Garner:
A Devoted Pastor: He was "Ordained A paster" and "did still Remain" so, suggesting he led a congregation in the area.
A "Free" Gospel: Crucially, he "Despensed the gospel without Charge you know," meaning he preached voluntarily and without payment. This strongly aligns with the traditions of Nonconformist groups of the time, who often rejected the established, paid ministry of the Church of England.
The Burial Ground: He "did this burying place freely Bestow," indicating he donated the land that became the initial burial ground for his community. This is a profound act of charity.
His Life and Death: He died and was buried on the 2nd day of December 1706 at the age of 75. This places his birth year around 1631, meaning he lived through a tumultuous period in English history, including the English Civil War and the 'Great Ejection' of Nonconformist ministers in 1662.
Nonconformity: His practice of dispensing the gospel "without Charge" and bestowing a private "burying place" points heavily towards him being a Nonconformist - someone who did not adhere to the doctrines or practices of the Church of England.
This text on the gravestone is highly localised, featuring archaic spellings ("Doath," "lays," "peopel," "paster") and a simple rhyming metre (lays/days, Bestow/know) typical of non-professional, grassroots craftsmanship in rural areas of this era. The stone is not merely a record of death; it is a declaration of the virtues and defining theological principles of the nascent Dissenting community in West Cumbria at the turn of the 18th century.
For Dissenters, this period was characterised by nonconformity, oppression, and secrecy.
Garner’s ministry, therefore, began when it was fundamentally illegal and dangerous to preach outside the established church. His death in 1706, some seventeen years after the 1689 Toleration Act, marks him as one of the religious pioneers who survived the underground years to enjoy the limited, but vital, religious liberty that the Act provided.
Consequently, the inscription’s assertion that he "was faithfull to the Lord in his days" is much more than mere piety; it serves as a powerful political and religious validation of his perseverance through decades of state-sanctioned oppression and fines, celebrating his endurance during the most difficult years of Dissent in Cumberland.
Garner Was A Radical Dissenting Pastor
The inscription states that Garner "was Ordained A paster." This terminology - formal ordination and the hierarchical title of 'pastor' - is structurally incompatible with the foundational tenets of 18th-century Quakerism. Quakers fundamentally rejected a human-appointed, structured ministry, including the title of pastor, in favour of the spontaneous "Inner Light". They considered paid, professional ministry a "hireling ministry," limiting the leadings of the Holy Spirit and tending towards corruption.
The crucial clue to Garner’s identity lies in the other central statement: he "Despensed the gospel without Charge you know." This phrase directly addresses the radical Dissenting commitment known as the "Voluntary Principle," which stood in opposition to the established Church’s system of tithes and salaried clergy. The rejection of paid ministry was a defining ethical and theological stance for many Dissenters.
The analysis suggests a highly specific hybrid denominational commitment. Garner was formally "Ordained A paster," a structure typically favoured by Independents (Congregationalists) or Baptists , who established a structured, if locally governed, ministry. Yet, he also embraced the most radical economic principle of Dissent - the rejection of pay. This points to his being a non-stipendiary, formally ordained Dissenting Pastor.
This arrangement was often necessitated by the poverty of early, rural Dissenting churches, forcing the minister to either be independently wealthy or, more commonly, to rely on a secular trade for income, thus fulfilling the voluntary principle out of economic necessity as well as profound theological conviction. This blend of structural formality and financial radicalism is a critical distinguishing characteristic of this specific Cumbrian congregation.
Garner’s second great legacy, recorded on the stone, is his provision of a burial site for his congregation: he "did this burying place freely Bestow." The existence, location, and subsequent fate of this burial ground, known as Sepulchre Meadow, are central to understanding the plight of Dissenters in post-Restoration England.
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| General Area Illustration |
The Necessity of Private Burial Grounds
Despite the limited freedoms granted by the Toleration Act of 1689, Dissenters were still subject to significant restrictions. They continued to lack control over established Anglican churchyards. As documented elsewhere in England, such as in Exeter, Anglican vicars often refused permission for the burial of Dissenters, or, crucially, denied the placement of memorial stones over their graves. To safeguard their spiritual identity, ensure proper interment, and allow for the erection of funerary monuments that affirmed their nonconformist beliefs (like Garner’s epitaph), Dissenting groups were compelled to acquire private land specifically for burial.
Therefore, John Garner’s act of "freely Bestowing" this land was not an act of simple charity but a necessary strategic development that enabled his congregation to exist wholly separate from the established church, even in death.
Historical Confirmation
Historical records specifically confirm the existence and location of this non-Anglican burial plot near Moor Row, in the wider Cleator area. Accounts from the 19th century refer to a burial ground "in a field, on the west side of the river Keekle, called Sepulchre Meadow". These records note that "A few legible tombstones yet remain, and the mounds of some graves are discernible". This evidence confirms that Garner’s stone was one of the last visible markers of this sacred plot.
However, the records also paint a picture of profound neglect. They describe the site as having had its "fence is removed, and the once-sacred place laid open to the adjoining meadow". This degradation is important: the site was already in a vulnerable state, lacking defined boundaries and protection, decades before the railway arrived. Rural Dissenting burial grounds, unlike publicly funded churchyards, often struggled for maintenance and legal protection. Their status as privately 'bestowed' land meant they were highly susceptible to absorption by agricultural land or, later, industrial development once the original congregation dispersed or declined. The informal nature of the site, reflected in the name "Sepulchre Meadow" (simply "Burial Field"), highlights its unofficial status compared to established churchyards.
The Stone's Remarkable Journey
John Garner's memorial has had a journey almost as eventful as the religious upheavals he lived through.
The stone was originally set up near Sepulchre Meadow, close to the railway line. For many years, it served as a memorial mounted on an railway old bridge in the village. This unusual location hints at its marginal status - perhaps a necessary measure to protect a nonconformist grave marker.
Upon the lifting of the railway tracks, the memorial was removed, and its whereabouts had been unknown for sometime. Mercifully, it was rediscovered on a roadside verge.
While it is now damaged, with a split through the middle, this fractured stone is a tangible piece of West Cumbrian history. It stands as a solemn, if slightly fragmented, tribute to a man who lived and died in service, freely giving the land and the word to his community. He remains, in stone, the forgotten pastor of Moor Row.
Going Forward
For public stewardship, the stone should be permanently re-contextualised in Moor Row. Given its unique journey, the most historically appropriate location would be along the route of the old railway line, much of which has been converted into a national coast-to-coast cycleway and footpath. This precise location allows the stone’s narrative to be fully told: how it was initially displaced from Sepulchre Meadow (west side of the Keekle), and ultimately abandoned by the railway’s closure.
The stone should be displayed with interpretive panels that explain the history of John Garner, his status as an unpaid Dissenting pastor, the theology embedded in his epitaph, and the significance of Sepulchre Meadow as a private burial ground. John Garner’s stone is a testament to the quiet, enduring, and independent spirit of Cumbrian religious life, a crucial relic that deserves protection as a symbol of local resilience against both centuries of persecution and the obliterating demands of the industrial age.
- I'm not giving the precise location of the memorial stone, so as to mitigate against further damage.
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| John Garner Memorial Illustration |
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