A ‘SIGNIFICANT’ symbol that a Darwen chapel was one of the most important in Lancashire was recreated and put on display.

Local historian Simon Huggill constructed a double pulpit at Lower Chapel with the help of fellow volunteer John Waring.

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The structure was on show until recently and included an effigy of the Rev Griffiths Griffiths who served in the non-conformist chapel from 1699 until his death in 1723.

The display came after the pair discovered a grave beneath the current pulpit containing bones thought to be the remains of the Welsh reverend.

For verification of the find the teeth were taken to a dentist in the town where is was confirmed that they were from a man aged between 50 and 55-years-old, a profile that fits with what the records show of the Rev Griffiths.

Mr Huggill, 65, said: “The fact that a double pulpit was at this chapel shows that it was one of the most important in Lancashire.

“People will have come from all around to attend services and it really was a hub of non-conformity in the region.

“It was traditional at the time to bury ministers under the pulpit so we can be very sure that these bones actually belong to the Rev Griffiths.”

Built in 1719, Lower Chapel was one of four in the town which had a population of only around 500.

However, with an estimated 2,000 seats between them, Yates Chapel, Bottoms Chapel, Lower Chapel and Higher Chapel all vied for congregation members.

The bones were found as part of a restoration project that is well into its 11th year.

The dad-of-eight and granddad-of-12 added: “The project is carrying on bit by bit but it was a major moment to find the grave.

“It was good to get the pulpit on show as it was a centrepiece for the chapel.

“Darwen was a centre for non-conformity in the area from the second half of the 18th century.”

The pulpit has now been dismantled and the restoration project is set to continue for a number of years to come.