I live in Lancashire, some way from Herefordshire. I have come across several references to a Hope Mansell Chapel in my researches. I can only find a St Michael church in Hope Mansell. This may sound a daft question, but does anyone living in that area happen to know if it is one and the the same building? Many thanks.

Malcolm Harrison

If you Google

Genuki Herefordshire and click on Hope Mansel (spelt with one l and then with two)

"HOPE-MANSELL, a parish in the hundred of GREYTREE, county of HEREFORD, 5 miles (S.E. by S) from Ross, containing 146 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Hereford, rated in the king's books at £6. 5s., and in the patronage of the Crown.

The church if dedicated to S Michasel. Limestone abounds in the parish. Courts leet are occasionally held here"

From Samuel LEWIS A Topographical Dictionary of England (1831) CMel Lockie

CHURCHES

Anglican

St Michael, Hope Mansel, Church of England

Good question Malcolm !

As I'm sure you know (I've often wondered), in modern parlance a C of E parish Church isn't generally known as a Chapel, but I've seen a few instances in old books and modern discussions where chapel has been used to describe very small churches, and St Michael's is certainly very small indeed, you may find the following video of interest. Similarly the word sometimes refers to the room or part within a Church or other building, see the first paragraph of this Wiki entry. It also often refers to a Non Conformist place of worship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=minEkTtlNWE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel

I'm struggling to find a good online history resource for Hope Mansell. The best I've seen yet is below, which pays special attention to the spelling conundrum !.
http://www.westonnews.co.uk/hopemansellname.php

Unlike the parts of Glostershire adjoining Hope Mansell area, this part of Herefordshire has not yet been covered in the online section of the excellent Victoria British County History series of books which would usually cover this subject. However it may well be covered in the original book versions - like you Malcolm I don't live in the Forest, but my local library is the main one for my London Borough, and it has a complete set of these large red volumes covering the whole UK spreading across several shelves, perhaps you have a similar library set near you ?.
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Portal:Victoria_County_History

Trying to find an old map of the area, this 1888 edition of the OS maps is very detailed. Unfortunately I cannot find a map centred on Hope Mansell, if you zoom in you'll find it at bottom L/H corner. As you can see even by 1888 it was still a very small village, I cannot see any places apart from St Michael's Church where a Chapel may have been ?.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/101570424

The earliest edition of the OS map from 1841 is here, zoom into the area just below the centre for Hope Mansell, the Church is marked with a cross. As you can see this hamlet is not far from larger villages & Churches such as Ruardean (in Glos). St Michaels Church dates from the 1400s if not earlier, so much the same as Ruardean.
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/sheet/first_edition/sheet43

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Malcolm, I wonder if the term "Chapel" has been used in your references because, due to it's small size within a small hamlet, with larger villages & Churches closeby, is because St Michaels didn't have it's own dedicated minister ?
That Wiki page I mentioned earlier states
"A feature of all these types is that often no clergy were permanently resident or specifically attached to the chapel."

Of course, without knowing more about the "Chapel" references you have, or who wrote them and when, makes it difficult to say more. I certainly doubt that 1843 Hope Mansell had a Non-conformist community large enough to warrant their own Chapel.

Finally and as you probably know from your years on the forum, the Herefordshire side of the Forest area isn't overly covered by online Family History resources, but you might want to consider contacting this site.
https://www.herefordshirefhs.org.uk/

Also the newly-revamped Herefordshire Archives.
https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/info/200164/herefordshire_archive_and_records_centre

Had a very quick look on Ancestry for

England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Register 1567-1790

this includes:

Elizabeth BROADLEY
birth date: 2 December 1790
Birth Place: Mansel-Hope, Herefordshire

father: William BROADLEY, mother Elizabeth

both of Manfel Hope, William was a Stone-Cutter

also had another daughter christened the same day.

Denomination: Particular baptist

Piece Title: Piece 2306: Weston-Under-Penyard, Ryeford, Chapel (Particular Baptist) 1787-1791

Looking at some other entries, parents had come from Coleford, Newland and many other places.

That's interesting M.

I wonder if this suggests Ryeford is a local chapel (in the non conformist sense) for Hope Mansell, it's only a couple of miles away, towards Ross.
??

This FoD site's database includes over 4000 PRs for Hope Mansell church dating from the 1500s. Sadly no Broadleys but there's a couple of Bradleys (not a rare surname locally). By comparison, nearby Ruardean has nearly 20,000 PRs, also dating from the 1500s.

I wonder if this is part of that same "Elizabeth Broadley" family you mentioned ?

Record_ID: 98081
Entry_Number:
Year: 1719
Month: Feb
Day: 7
Grooms_Surname: JONES
Grooms_Forenames: William
Grooms_Age:
Groom_Condition:
Grooms_Occupation:
Grooms_Residence: of the Parish of Ruardean
Grooms_Fathers_Surname:
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames:
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation:
Brides_Surname: BRADLEY
Brides_Forenames: Elizabeth
Brides_Age:
Brides_Condition:
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: of the Parish of Ruardean
Brides_Fathers_Surname:
Brides_Fathers_Forenames:
Brides_Fathers_Occupation:
Licence_or_Banns:
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark:
Witness_1:
Witness_2:
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: H Dudley Rector
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes: old style date 1718/19
Register_Reference: AG68/3
Page_Number: 1
Parish_Chapel: Hope Mansell
Soundex_Groom: J520
Soundex_Bride: B634

This FoD site's PRs database has just 9 Broadleys, six in Ryeford and Ruardean including the one you mentioned. There are over 1000 Bradley's.

???

Jeff the baptism was 1790

On Ancestry there is Weston Under Penyard, Ryeford Chapel 1787-1791 and also 1785 til 1837 - will have a look at the Registers.

The baptisms etc are on the Forest of Dean records. over 600 records. Ryeford Baptist