Yarm is mentioned
in the Domesday Book of 1086; it is thought that its name is derived from Old
Norse where yarum or from the Old English gearum, both words mean an enclosure to catch
fish. The areas Friarage and Spital
Bank preserve the memory of the Domninican Friars, often called Black Friars or
Friar Preachers, who settled in Yarm about 1286 and maintained a Friarage and a
Hospital in the town, until 1583. John Wesley, founder of Methodism and Tom Brown, hero in the Battle of Dettingen are also associated
with the town.
In
1822 the foundation stone for the primitive Baptist chapel was laid, the building
was completed in 1831. In 1897 the Main
Hall was added followed by the middle hall which joins the two halls together. This became a Methodist Church until it was
sold to Yarm Parish Church in the early sixties. The hall was used as the parish hall until it
was sold to the Emmanuel Fellowship Church in 1976.
Twenty
years later Yarm Town Council purchased the hall. Once a charitable trust was set up in July
1999
to run the hall, the trustees decided to call it Yarm Fellowship hall,
as it had always been a community building concerned with Fellowship.
It
is said that people have been sent running from the building on many occasions
after they have seen the ghost of a monk or a hooded man has been seen in the
room upstairs. Shadows have been seen
passing the interior windows also children have been heard playing and even
tugging on people clothes. A man is reported to have been seen standing
in the corner of the back room only for him to disappear the moment you turn to
get a proper look footsteps are often heard coming from different parts of the
building.
Yarm Fellowship Committee is a Charitable Trust (No. 1084481)
