Weaste Cemetery

Biographies of people buried between 1880 & 89

Reverend William Knox (1818 - 1883)


Reverend William Knox was pastor of Chapel Street Independent Chapel and Chaplain for the Non-Conformist portion of Weaste Cemetery.

 

William was born in Canterbury, Kent on 8th December 1818 and was Christened at the Manner Street Wesleyan Chapel in Brompton, near Gillingham, Kent on 6th January 1819. His parents were Andrew and Elizabeth Knox. After some years spent as a Land Surveyor, William became a Minister, initially for the Wesleyan Methodists and then for the Congregational Church. Prior to his last appointment, which had been for 4 years, he was Pastor for the Congregational Chapel at West Liverpool Street, Salford and prior to that at Albert Road Chapel, Farnworth.

 

On the evening before he died, William preached a funeral sermon for an 88 year old member of the congregation. On giving out the hymn "Abide With Me" he mentioned it was written after an evening service and within a few hours the author* had died. The same fate awaited William as on the following day, Monday 19th November 1883, he died suddenly at his residence on Darwen Street, Weaste. He was 64 years old and left a widow, Mary.

 

The funeral took place on Saturday morning, 24th November at Weaste Cemetery. The coffin, which bore several wreaths, was followed by a number of elder scholars from the Sunday School and the choir sang a selected hymn over the grave. On Sunday evening 2nd December, a funeral sermon was preached in Chapel Street Chapel by Rev. Edwin Walker of Pendleton. Mr Walker quoted the testimony of members of the chapel and chapels at Farnworth and Kirkham as to Rev. Knox's great influence amongst young men and to his labours in connection with temperance and similar organisations. He said that Rev. Knox was a man of marked individuality, considerable mental power, of literary taste, singularly conscientious, generous to a fault and of strong faith and deep piety. The service closed by the organist playing the Dead March in Saul.

 

Ten years after her husband died, Mary Knox died at her home in Thurlow Street, Salford, on 17th May 1894. She was 67.