Westbury Leigh Baptist Church, Westbury

In 1662 a congregation formed here as an offshoot of the early meeting in Southwick. By 1669 Anabaptists were meeting in the house of Roger Cutter, who was their pastor until his death in 1693. Cutter also represented his congregation at the 1st Baptist Assembly in London in 1689. During Cutter's liftime meetings were held at various places, most frequently at Clay Cross House, home of the Phipps family. After 1693 the congregation moved into a barn beloging to Stephen Self, a clothier, on the site of the present Baptist chapel. In 1714 Self converted the barn into a chapel. A split occured in 1724 when John Watts, an elder, led 29 people to form a new congregation at Westbury. When Watts moved to Erlestoke the congregation returned to Westbury Leigh.

Robert Marshman was pastor from 1763-1806 and towards the end of his ministry, in 1796-7, he was responsible for building a new, larger chapel on the site of the old one. Nearly all the cost of £1,300 was raised by the congregation. Marshman also helped found a chapel at Chapmanslade. The next minister, George Phillips, was suspected of Wesleyan leanings and in 1810 he left, with his followers, after a dispute and formed a new church, at Penknap, half a mile away.

The two congregations were reconciled after the new chapel was built but Westbury Leigh were without a minister for five years. Despite this a Sunday school was formed during this time and in 1819 a schoolroom was built when there were 140 pupils. Between 1847 and 1871 the congregation raised money for many improvements to the chapel, which is still well used today. Originally baptisms were held in the streams at Boyer's Mill and Stormore