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Syston is in north Leicestershire, about six miles from Leicester. Originally a village, it now has more of the character of a suburb of Leicester.
In 1676 there were said to be 17 nonconformists living in the parish, although we are not told their denomination. Some would have been Quakers who met here from the late 17th century. Other residents in the late 17th century were Baptists, but initially worshipped at Arnesby, 14 miles away. Syston Baptist church was founded in the 1740s.
A new chapel was erected in 1868 at a cost of £400, and contained 200 sittings. The sources disagree as to whether the new chapel was an enlargement of the old chapel, or whether it was a new building.
The village grew rapidly over the late 19th century, from a population of 2,470 in 1881 to 3,087 in 1911.Membership of the Baptist church fluctuated quite substantially over that period, increasing from 53 in 1881 to 75 in 1898, but then reducing to 40 by 1903, before recovering to 59 by 1911. There was a strong Sunday school, with 130 members in 1881, increasing slightly to 144 by 1903; it is noticeable that the same membership peak was not seen in 1898, when the Sunday school had 127 members.
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