Church or Chapel?

[Miserissima]

Emlyn Williams has always been one of my favorite writers, and it’s no surprise that “The Corn Is Green” is done and redone again. I watched the 1979 version last week, and a question has been nagging at me: When Miss Moffat shows up tp her new residence, the proud Welshman, John Goronwy Jones, asks her if she is “church or chapel.” He was rather insistant on knowing the answer. (Miss Moffat, of course, had no idea what he was on about.)

What does that mean, “church or chapel?” What denomination is that?

 

[Augie1530]

Let me see if I recall what the meaning is its been several decades since Ive heard anyone in america use that term in real life, here goes Chapel refers to Non established religious groups and CHURCH refers to Established Church ie Anglican or Presbyterian in Scotland. I hope this helps , although my definitions may have changed over the past few decades, its what I recall hearing from my English father.

 

[Miserissima]

That sounds right! The story takes place in Wales, and I believe it’s around 1850-1890, because they mention Parnell.

So, “church” is more organized and “chapel” is for the working class? Considering the roots of the story, it does sound class-ist, based on socio-economic backgrounds.

Any ideas on how the services are different? Would ‘chapel’ be like listening to a sermon, and ‘church’ patterned after the Catholic Mass?

 

[bpbasilphx]

“Church” meant specifically Church of England.

“Chapel” (and some of them were bigger than C of E parish churches) meant the Dissenters–that is, all Protestants who were NOT members of the Established Church.

Though it is true, many of the working classes were “chapel”–that is, Dissenters.