Not so long ago a Sunday Visitor to the Sussex village of Northchapel might, on entering a little stone-built chapel set back from the A283, have heard a group of elderly people singing hymns unaccompanied by any music. Our visitor could have heard many unfamiliar hymns in several chapels scattered across West Sussex and Surrey. The worshippers were members of the Society of Dependents, founded by John Sirgood, and better known to outsiders as 'Cokelers'. They were important for over a century in West Sussex and Surrey.
The nickname 'Cokeler' is of very early date, and is popularly attributed to Sirgood's preference for cocoa rather than beer.