Brackley is a small market town and ancient borough, near the south-west extremity of the county: it has, in former times, been a place of considerable importance. In the early days of Methodism, John Wesley might have been seen sometimes, preaching to a rustic throng from the steps of the Market-house. But the Independent Church in this place is of very recent date, and its history will therefore be comprised within a very small compass. A short time previous to the year 1835, "the North Bucks Association" made an ineffectual attempt to obtain a place of worship in this town. At length a room was secured for the purposes of divine worship and preaching the Gospel. This proving inadequate to accommodate the attendants, in 1836 a Chapel was erected, at a cost of L650, capable of seating about 300 persons. The services of Mr. John Ashby, formerly a student at Newport, now minister at Stony Stratford, were engaged by the newly formed congregation, and he laboured here for somewhat more than a year. After his removal, the pulpit was principally supplied by students from Newport Academy. In January, 1838, Mr. G. Smith, late of Halesworth, accepted an invitation to labour here. In the same year a Church was formed, consisting of twenty persons--the ordinance of the Lord's Supper was first administered June 24th of that year; but in the beginning of 1839 Mr. Smith was compelled by indisposition to resign his connexion with the Church. Again supplies were obtained from the Newport seminary, until 1842, when Mr. W. R. Lewis commenced a probationary course of labour, and afterwards settled as the pastor. Under his superintendence the Church was re-organized; but after the lapse of three or four years circumstances arose which rendered his removal to a more extended sphere of labour a subject for consideration, which resulted in his resignation about Christmas, 1846. In 1847, Mr. Robert Davis, who had been pastor at Turvey, Bedfordshire, accepted an invitation to minister in this place, and continued his services until December, 1851. The Church, again being destitute of a pastor, was supplied for a time by ministers from the vicinity; until, in August of this year (1852), Mr. T. Roberts, late student at Newport Pagnell, accepted an invitation to become the pastor under somewhat pleasing circumstances; and it is hoped that his ministry will be rendered truly useful, that the Church may be increased, and the name of the Redeemer glorified. The present number of communicants is thirty-three; children in the Sabbath-school, rather more than fifty. CHAPTER XXV. MEMORIALS OF THE INDEPENDENT CHURCH AT BYFIELD. The village of Byfield, containing more than 1000 inhabitants, has in it a small Independent Church, of recent origin; but it has struggled with many difficulties, and a number of changes have taken place during its short history, of which we can only present some very concise statements.