Peter Hyland, died May 1846

Our late brother was born in this at Fulnic place Septr 12th 1774, & baptised in this chapel a few days after his birth. He was brot up here & recd all his education at the Boys’ Day School, which was, however superior in point both of instruction & discipline, to most other day schools & he was apprenticed to his father, a baker by trade at the proper age, afterwards entered into partnership with him & took the whole concern into his own hands at his fa ther’s decease in the yr. 1818. Thus he was born, educated, spent his whole life died & is buried in one & the same place, & he has been heard to say that he never spent more than a week together out of Fulnec. He was twice married, first in 1802 or 3 to Ann Birkby by whom he had 4 children all sons; the oldest, Joseph, died several years ago. leaving 3 sons, & the youngest, Peter, died departed soon after his birth, the other John & Thomas survive & by them he has seen 12 grand Children 7 Boys & 5 Girls in all. His first wife departed happily in Octr 1811, & in the yr. following he was united to his second partner, Mary Wheatley, but had no children by that marriage. She likewise preceded her husband to a better world in Augt. 1838. Our later brother’s family, at the time of his birth, occupied the house adjoin

ing that in which my parents resided & dwelt there for many years afterwards hence, tho’ he was many years my senior I have known him intimately from my earliest childhood, & am the better able, therefore, to give a sketch of his character. He was naturally of a very agreeable temper, had a shred of good-natured drollerry & humour about him (which however was never indulged to excess or led him into that jesting “foolish talking & jesting, which are not convenient”). was kind-hearted, & almost uniformally cheerful; he was a most industrious man & ??? strict integrity & uprightness of character, both as a tradesman & as a private character, & hence no doubt, the blessing of God that rested on his “faithfulness in business;” never, too, the respect & esteem in which he was held by all connected with him, whether in the way of trade & business, or as neigh bours, acquaintances, or friends; & hence the affection felt for him by his relatives & Christian friends. He was a kind & loving husband, father & grand father, & tho’ he had attained to a good old age, nearly 72 years, he is sincerely regretted by many & will long be held in affectionate remembrance. He became a member of the Brns church & was admitted by confirmation to the Lords table in his youth, probably abt the age of 16, tho’ we cannot mark the

precise date. Being He was from his infancy brot. up in the knowledge of the truth in the nature & ??? of the Lord, & in the bosom of a Christian Congn & connected with a peo ple of God, going in & out among them, & enjoying all the means of grace with them: nor were these inestimable privileges thrown away upon him; no doubt, his spiritual course was chequered & he had seasons of compa rative coldness & indifference of heart & of consequent unfruitfulness; but he had a correct & clear views of evangeli cal truth & especially of the all-important point, that Jesus Christ is made ??? us of God wisdom & righteousness, sanctificat; & redemption & that naught else avails to save lost sinners; & tho’ he was not one of those who are called to go down to the battle, but rather to carry it by the staff & to occupy an humble & comparatively obscure sphere all the days of his life; altho, so far being forward to converse on spiritual subjects, he was rather the very reverse, &, until the last 2 or 3 days of his life, more close & reserved their night have been desirable, yet, his consistent conduct, his Christian spirit, his evident love of the Lord’s house & value of the means of grace, the faithfulness & pleasure with which he, for many years, attended to to duties of various offices entrusted to him in this Congn; as well as the more open communications on spiritual matters, which marked his last days, & the peace in which he at last fell asleep, assure us that he knew whom he had believed & was in Christ Jesus, as his

refuge & fortress, his robe & his life-supplying stream. He was, for a long series of years, probably 30 or many a member of the committee of this Congn, &, for a still more lengthened period of its council; & in the performance of his duties in these capacities, his consecreations, principles, & his faithfulness integrity, plain sound sense, & practical wisdom were both conspicuous & useful. He was also, for the unusual period of 52 years & until quite lately, a chapel-servant, & in the discharge of this gratuitous services connected with that office formerly for more onerous than they are now, he showed not only exemplary faithfulness & dili gence, but an untiring interest, & even delight. Our late Br was blessed with a good constitution & generally robust health; he seems, however, to have been rather subject to rheumatic affections, & in the yr 1818 suffered severely from rheumatic fever. He was however, hole & active until he had completed his 71st year. but in the course of last winter his strength began visibly to decline, & the more rapidly as the spring advanced; he was, however, to the last, quite free from pain, his whole ailment being a breaking off of nature & con sequent decline of strength; increasing drowsiness was the most marked symptom of his complaint, if complaint it may be called, & he mentioned it as a great mercy, that he enjoyed sound & undisturbed sleep the night thro’, to the very last. It was a source of regret to him that, owing to his increasing weakness, he was but rarely able to come to the house of God in the evening meetings last winter; but because as often as it was at all in his power & to was even present.