Isaac Horler was baptised at Kilmersdon, Somerset, England on September 28, 1834 the son of William Horler and Ann Bryant who lived at Stratton. It is presumed that Isaac came to Single Hill, Somerset, England to work in the coal mines, his occupation in the 1871, 1881 and 1891 census returns.
It was here that he met Jane Swift, daughter of another miner, John Swift and his wife Grace. The couple were married on May 25, 1855 at Writhington, Somerset. In 1856 their first son Edward/Edwin was born. Alfred(1857), John(1859), Emily(1861). Sidney(1862) and Lucy(1867) followed.
The Single Hill Methodist Society had been founded in 1848 and the Chapel built between 1849 and 1850. Whilst no Horler’s or Swift’s appear to have been members of the founding class they certainly appear to have been active members of the church as we shall see.
In 1876 the Methodist Chapel at Single Hill acquired its first organ at a cost of £15/6/-. Prior to this date it appears that it had been the custom for the hymn tunes to be started up by one of the members pitching the tune. There is no record of who was the first organist we do know that prior to his death in 1886 Edward was the organist.
At about the same time that the Chapel was acquiring its first organ, Edward married (Charlotte) Louisa Goodenough daughter of James & Jane Goodenough. (James was the Society Steward for some 42 years from 1853 until his death in 1894). In 10 years of married life Edward & Louisa had 4 children, Hubert(1876), Minnie(1878), Ellen(1881) and Alice who appears to have been born after her fathers early death in 1887.
Sometime between 1881 and 1883 Jane died and Isaac married the widowed Hannah Swift in early 1884. Hannah was the widow of Thomas Swift, 1st cousin of Isaac’s first wife.
At the age of sixteen, Hubert, following in his fathers footsteps became the organist. At this time this may only have been as the reserve organist as we learn from the Societies Centenary Handbook published in 1949 that ‘For a few years the organ was presided over by Thomas Selway, but when he went to the north of England to live, Hubert Horler again took over the position of organist’.
On June 6th, 1893, the Single Hill Methodist Society passed a resolution to form a new Trust. Two of the nominees being Isaac and Hubert Horler. The nominations were received and sanctioned by the December Quarterly Meeting of the same year. Remember that at this time Hubert was still only 18 and below the age of majority.
Just before the First World War the members and trustees had decided to place a pipe organ in the Church, and an order was placed with a Bath firm of organ builders to supply one for the sum of £100. The outbreak of war delayed this, but the makers fulfilled their obligation in 1918 and the pipe organ was duly installed and Wilfred Horler, son of Hubert became the first organist with his father as assistant.
The Horler’s were still active in the Methodist Society in 1927 when the Ladies Guild was formed. Hubert, Wilfred and an as yet unidentified Mr. G. Horler were among the trustees. (A Mrs. G. Horler was Secretary of the Ladies Guild in 1949)
David Unwin said,
December 5, 2007 at 3:53 am
Is there any further information on Alice Horler? My grandfather, also David Unwin and born in Dlary in Ayrshire, lost his first wife on 1st January 1920. He subsequently re-married an Alice Hawler (that is the spelling that was always used by my late parents). When Alice died (in think sometime in the early thirties) my mother always recalled having to accompany the body with my father and grandfather by train and hearse for the iunterment at Single Hill. Itr would appear that the family always had the wrong spelling
Brian Tompkins said,
December 5, 2007 at 10:03 am
In Grace Swifts Journal, (her mother was Minnie Horler), she mention that on a trip to England in 1931, “Next we went to London to be with Aunt Alice. Met her husband David, Sophia and Tom (his children). They were born in America.” Was Tom your father?
George Goodenough said,
March 13, 2011 at 3:27 pm
As a child I met Hubert Horler in Single Hill in approx 1952. He gave my Grandfather George Goodenough (born 1866 son of James and Jane) a pair of china dogs which had been on the mantlepiece of James and Jane