THE HISTORY OF

BRAINTREE BAPTIST
CHURCH
ESSEX

BY

G. DORIS WITARD

THE CAREY KINGSGATE PRESS LTD.,

6, SOUTHAMPTON R O W , LONDON, W.C.I.

""•»rv»"-,»**u»'- <
•
THE CAREY KINGSGATE PRESS LIMITED, CONTENTS
6, SOUTHAMPTON Row, LONDON, W.G.I.
PAQH

INTRODUCTION - - - - - - - - 5
I. " FOR TALKE OF SCRIPTURE " - - - - 11

iL " THESE FIFTY YEARS " 15

III. PIONEERS 18

IV. T H E 1760 TRUST DEED - - - - - 23

V. " GRACE WAS H I S THEME " - - - - 29

VI. "HYPER-CALVINISM" 33
Published 1955
VII. " ENTIRE DEVOTEDNESS " 38

VIII. " SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY " 46

IX. " W I S E COUNSELLOR AND FAITHFUL FRIEND " - 52

X. " THUS ONWARD STILL W E PRESS " - - 56

XI. " T H E CHURCH IN A N E W AGE " - - - 60

XII. T H E MANSE - - 63

XIII. " HUMBLE AND NAMELESS " - - - 68

CONCLUSION : WHERE W E STAND TODAY

Rev. T. H. Davies - - - - 7 7
NOTES 81

IINDEX 83

EMORY UNIVERSITY

15000998
 INTRODUCTION
The privileges of Freedom of Worship and Liberty of
Conscience enjoyed in 1954 were won, at the cost of much
suffering and humiliation, by spiritual ancestors to whom the
present generation owes far more than can be imagined.
An attempt has, therefore, been made to trace, through
400 years, the story of the gradual movement away from the
State Church, and the drawing together of a company of
" Separatists," who ultimately formed themselves into a Baptist
Church in Braintree.
The story of the local Church must be considered against
the background of national history. In spite of the apparent
confusion, it is possible to trace the gradual movement away
from the Roman Catholic Church, through Protestantism,
Puritanism, and Nonconformity. Those who sought for Truth
followed where it led them, even through martyr fires, prison
cells, or across the seas as exiles. Many were turned from their
homes, almost all were "of no reputation "; yet their search
for truth led to the establishment (and, later, recognition) of
the Free Churches of this land, and through them, to the
enjoyment of freedom of worship and of conscience which is
now the accepted privilege of the British people.
In tracing this movement from the blind conformity
demanded by the Church authorities, towards freedom of
thought and worship, we notice, first, Non-conformity within
the Established Church. Desire for this freedom was awakened
by reading the New Testament. In the fifteenth century
Wycliffe's Poor Preachers had made this possible to a few, who
suffered martyrdom for their newly-discovered belief. It was
William Tyndale, an exile on the Continent, whose printed
English New Testaments were smuggled into England, who
attained his desire to make the English Bible available even
for " the boy that drives the plough." These New Testaments
were contraband; those who possessed them or assembled to
hear them read were likely to suffer imprisonment. In 1536
5
 Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake, yet within
three years The Great Bible (which was mostly a revision of
Tyndale's translation) was authorized to be read in every
church. It was, however, still unlawful to assemble for any
form of worship other than in the parish church. The tide of
persecution varied as the Bishops' officers moved from place
to place. There were also periods when the enforcement of
the law was relaxed, for political reasons. At such times the
little companies would be able to meet without hindrance, but
still without leaving records, as it is most unlikely that it would
occur to them that, four hundred years hence, their spiritual
descendents would be intensely interested in those first gather-
ings " for talke of Scripture."
During the five years of the reign of Queen Mary, "all
the laws that had been made in King Edward's time concern-
ing religion were now repealed," and England became once
more a Catholic country. At least, such was the Queen's
decree, but the people who had been reading the English
Bible could find there no justification for the creeds which
they were now required to affirm. They protested—not only
in words, but by martyrdom. Among these Protestant martyrs
was William Piggot, who was burned in Braintree on the 28th
March, 1554. A Bocking man was burned at Colchester, and
five men and a woman from Bocking or Braintree suffered in
the fires of Smithfield. It is not claimed that they had any
connection with Nonconformity as we know it now, but it
seems to prove that even then there was a strong movement
towards freedom of thought in this neighbourhood.
With the accession of Queen Elizabeth, the State Church
again became Protestant. An " Act for the Uniformity of
Common Prayer and Service in the Church and Administra-
tion of the Sacraments " promised hard times to the Separa-
tists, or " gospellers," for many consciences, quickened by
knowledge of the Scriptures, could not accept a blind con-
formity which was contrary to their belief. There was a
decided movement away from enforced worship. " The High
Commission took in hand to suppress congregations of dis-
senters which were now being constantly augmented by those
6 7
who had been driven or discouraged from communion of the
Establishment."1 In 1571, too, the Bishops' severe insistence
upon subscription to the Articles " made many dissenters keep
their private meetings in woods, fields, their friends' houses,
etc." 2 Moreover, an Act of Supremacy decreed that the
Queen had sovereignty and rule over " the Estate Ecclesiastical
and Spiritual," thus making ecclesiastical nonconformity an
offence against the crown. In 1592 a petition to the Privy
Council stated that there were "within the prisons about
London—not to speak of other gaols throughout the land—
about threescore and twelve persons, men and women, young
and old, lying in cold, in hunger, in dungeons, in irons." . . .
" We crave for all of us but liberty either to die openly, or to
live openly in the land of our nativity." 3
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, a further Act of
Parliament decreed that Separatists who refused to conform
and absented themselves from church, or attended conven-
ticles, should suffer imprisonment until they made "public
and open submission." A second refusal would be punished
by exile for life. " Oppression could no farther go than this.
Conformity had been rendered impossible for thousands al-
ready, and now dissent was either transportation for life, or
death." 4
The first Baptist church in England was founded in London,
about 1611, by Thomas Helwys, who had returned from exile
in Holland, where, with other Separatists, he had pondered
long upon the question of Baptism, concluding at last that it
could not be for infants, but for believers only. Hoping to
extend the influence of this principle, he wrote four books
upon this matter, which were the first published in England to
proclaim the Baptist principle of freedom of worship, and that
" a Christian Church must bear witness to the truth; that this
is its primary duty, for the sake of which it is created." He
sent to King James I a copy of his last book bearing a neat
inscription in his own writing, containing these words:.
" The King is a mortall man and not God, therefore hath no
power over y immortall soules of his subjects to make lawes
and ordinances for them and to set spiritual Lords over
 them." 6 These daring words cost Helwys his freedom and life. senters, including Baptists, when, by means of the Act of
He died in Newgate prison. Uniformity, the Conventicle Act, and the Five Mile Act, an
John Murton, who succeeded Helwys in the charge of the attempt was made to extinguish the rapidly spreading flame
London Baptist Church, followed him to Newgate, where, at of desire for freedom of worship and liberty of conscience.
great risk to himself and the friends who aided him, he also " They spoke of their faith, if at all, in bated breath. They
carried on the Baptist witness. No writing materials were were hunted like rats from hole to hole. Informers were paid
allowed in prison, but he received daily a bottle of milk, to play the spy upon them. Their persons were imprisoned,
secured by a stopper of twisted paper, upon which each day their property plundered. They had died by thousands in
he wrote in milk, returning the paper in the empty bottle. close confinement; had suffered nameless atrocities at the
By scorching the paper his friends were able to decipher and hands of Jeffreys; had had their nearest kin transported into
transcribe each daily instalment of An Humble Supplication, slavery."10
a Declaration of the right of Religion to be free from State More peaceful days came at last, however, with the passing
interference.6 of the Toleration Act, 1689, which gave freedom of worship,
When at last he was set free, John Murton wrote still though Dissenters suffered severe civil inequalities for at least
another book—Christ dying for all to save alV—dealing with another 140 years. It was not until 1833 that they were
the free will of man. These books were distributed with those allowed to enter the House of Commons; and theological
of Thomas Helwys. John Murton got into communication tests excluded them from Oxford and Cambridge until 1871.
with a group of Separatists in Colchester where, by 1633, Dr. Whitley's History of British Baptists states : " Thus the
there was a Baptist Conventicle, with Thomas Lamb as boundaries within which dissent had to remain were strait.
minister. Thomas Lamb was a man of strong missionary zeal. But their existence explains how Baptists with their friends
He, too, came under the restrictive power of the Star Cham- had henceforth a history which rarely touches and scarcely
ber, but as soon as he was free, he set off on further Home ever influences the course of national history."11
Missionary tours, throughout all the eastern and southern
counties.8 It seems strange that there exists so little docu-
mentary evidence of the result of these preaching tours.
It must be borne in mind, however, that until 1640, all dissent-
ing gatherings for worship were conducted in private houses,
barns, etc., and were liable to suppression and persecution.
" The records of Star Chamber and High Commission seem
to have been deliberately destroyed by the Long Parliament
(1640-1644) and only a few scattered books remain. Yet even
in these we find notices of Baptists."9 During the Civil War
and Cromwell's Protectorate (1645-1659), however, there was
more liberty of thought and worship, and a consequent ad-
vance in Baptist witness, when the groups of dissenters
gathered strength for the struggle that was yet ahead of them.
The period from the Restoration (1660) to the Revolution
(1689) was a time of severe persecution for the English Dis-
8 9
 CHAPTER ONE
" FOR TALKE OF SCRIPTURE "
DR. W. T. WHITLEY, M.A., LL.D., the Baptist historian,
writing of the earliest English Baptist churches, has stated :
" The formation of a Baptist church is a definite thing, a
condition precedent to which is the baptism of people on
profession of their own faith, and a usual consequence of
which is the choice and recognition of officers."1 There is no
such information of this nature available concerning the
Braintree Church, and it seems unlikely that it will come to
light at any future time.
Looking back upon the days when the Church probably
came into being, it is little wonder that there are no records.
It must be borne in mind that in times of persecution, gather-
ings for worship would be held as secretly as possible. The
only records, therefore, would be reports of convictions, and
the only names worthy of mention would be of the leaders or
eminent men.
Concerning the Braintree Baptist Church, it is believed that
certain documents which would have been of great interest
have been lost or destroyed. Would they have revealed the
story of its formation, or portrayed to us its founders? Who
were they—what manner of men and women were our spirit-
ual ancestors ? We may never know, but we can imagine that
they were humble men and women, thoughtful and devout,
fearless in ignoring alike the derision and the praise of men.
How could they realize that, in following the dictates of
conscience and upholding truth as they saw it, they were
making history? They were, indeed, building better—far
better—than they knew!
By 1527, Tyndale's New Testament was being read in
Braintree " with great application and joy." It is, indeed,
almost impossible to imagine the enlightenment that came to
earnest seekers for truth as they read and pondered over the
11
 words of Scripture. Those who thus met found themselves
face to face with new and startling truths—truths which
gripped and held them—truths which they could not deny,
even in face of persecution and contempt.
It is not claimed that these early gatherings were the foun-
dations of the Baptist Church, or any other church. Careful
reading of the following chapters will enable the readers to
form their own opinions as to the importance of the following
references (quoted from Strype's Memorials) to Sectaries or
.Gospellers, and to what extent they influenced the unknown
founders of the Braintree Baptist Church.
We read of Thomas Vincent and his daughter, who, with
William, Anthony, Robert and ' Mother ' Beckwyth ,of Brank-
tree, were apprehended, with ten others from this county.
" They had secret meetings wherein they instructed one
another out of God's Word." 2 In 1532 William Beckwyth,
his wife and two sons were again arrested, with many others,
presumably for the same offence—" for talke of Scripture."
They were sent to London, examined and abjured (that is,
disowned by the Church authorities).
" O n January 27 (1550-1), a number of persons, about
sixty, met in a house on the Sunday, in the parish of Bocking,
where arose among them a great dispute whether it were
necessary to stand or kneel, bareheaded or covered, at prayers;
and they concluded the ceremony not to be material, but that
the heart before God was required, and nothing else. These
persons were looked upon as dangerous to Church and State,
and orders were sent to Sir George Norton, Sheriff of Essex,
to apprehend them. On February 3rd, those who were appre-
hended appeared before the council, and confessed the cause
of their assembling to be ' fbr to talk of the Scriptures, and
that they had refused the Communion for above two years.'
Whereupon ' five of them were committed, and seven of them
were bound in recognizances to the king, in £40 each man." 3
In History of English Congregationalism, Dr. R. W. Dale
has also quoted Strype's Ecclesiastical Memorials:
" In 1550 ' sectaries' appeared in Essex and Kent, sheltering
themselves under profession of the Gospel. These were the
12
first that made separation from the Reformed Church of
England, having gathered congregations of their own. The
members of the congregation in Kent went over unto the
congregation in Essex, to instruct and to join with them, and
they had their meetings in Kent in divers places besides
Faversham." " Among the evil opinions (pronounced by the
authorities to be worthy of punishment) were the following:
That the doctrine of predestination was meeter for devils than
for Christian men; that there was no man so chosen, but that
he might damn himself; neither any man so reprobate, but
that he might keep God's commandments and be saved; that
St. Paul might have damned himself if he listed; and that child-
ren were not born in original sin. They also taught that
learned men were the cause of great errors, and they rejected
infant baptism."*
There is an appealing human touch about the quaintly-
worded Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council, 1550-52,
which was made available to the Baptist Minister through the
kindness of the late Alfred Hills, Esq., of Bocking.
"At Grenewiche, the XXVIIth of Januarie, 1551.
An unlawful assembly—
Upcharde, of Boking, was brought before the Coun-
saill tooching a certein assemble that had been made in his
house in Christmas last, who confessed that were certein
Kenttishemen to the towne to have lodged with goode man
Cooke, and bicause Cookes wief was in childebed, thei cam
to this Upcharddes howse, weare Cooke was then at dinner,
and by Cookes entreatie there thei were lodged. And upon
the morowe, which was Soundaie, divers of the towne about
XII of the clocke came in, and there thei fell in argument
of thinges of the Scripture, speciallie wheather it were
necessarie to stande or kneele barehedde, or covered at
prayer; whiche at length was concluded in ceremonie not
to be materiall, but the hartes before God was it that im-
ported and nothing els; and bicause it seemed such an
assembley, being of LX persons or mor, shulde meane some
great matter, therefore bothe the said Upcharde, and one
13
 Sympson of the same sorte, was committed to the Marshalsie
till further triall were had, and order taken that lettres
shulde be sent bothe into Essex and K e n t for the appre-
hension of these that arr accoumpted chief of that practise.
A lettre to Sir George Norton, knight, Shrief of Essex, to
apprehende certein persons whose names were sent enclosed
in a scedule, and to sende them hither that none of them
have conference with other. T h e persons sent for were of
those that assembled for Scripture maters in Bocking, viz. :
John Barrett of Stamphorde, coweherde. Robert Cooke, of
Bocking, clothier. John Eglise, of the same, clothier. Rich-
ard Bagge. Thomas Pygrinde. J o h n Kinge. — Myxsto.
— Boughtell. Robert Wolmere. A like letter to Sir
Edwarde Wootton and Sir Thomas W y a t to apprehende
and sende u p these persons following: William Sibley, of
Lannams. Thomas Yonge, of the same. Nicholas Shetter-
ton, of Pluckley. Thomas Sharpe, of Pluckley. John Lydley,
of Asheforde. — Ghidderton, of Asheforde. — Cole, of
Maydeston, schoolmaster (sic)."
Referring to this historical occasion, Dr. Whitley stated :
" There is no reason to believe that they ever met again.
Under Queen M a r y two of them were burned."
There is, however, very good reason to believe that, despite
the vigilance of Archbishops and Bishops, in Braintree and
the district there was still a strong element of dissent from
formal creeds and ritual, and a deep desire for freedom of
worship.
14
CHAPTER TWO
"THESE FIFTY YEARS"
" I HAVE lived in Essex to see many changes, and have seen
the people idolizing many new ministers and lecturers," wrote
the Rev. Samuel Collins, Vicar of Braintree from 1610 until
his death in 1657. H e seems to have been an advocate of
toleration as the safest way to peace and prosperity in his
parish. But his views did not accord with those of the power-
ful Bishop Laud, whose favour he was very anxious to retain.
In June, 1631, Samuel Collins wrote to Dr. Duck, Bishop
Laud's Chancellor, complaining of the " unconformity" of
the people of Braintree, and justifying his policy of toleration,
in order to maintain peace in his parish.
" My lord's displeasure pierces deepe with me. T h e
complainte which hath provoked him I willingly and
wittingly occasioned, to reform the error of sundry in my
towne which would not be persuaded but that it still lay in
me to procure them a toleration of their wonted unconform-
ity, which I laboured to draw them from. . . . It is no easy
matter to reduce a numerous congregation into order that
hath been disorderly these fifty years, and that, for the seven
yeares last past, hath bin encouraged in that way by the
refractory ministers in the county, with whom they have
had acquaintance in their private meetings and conferences,
who have left divers schismatical books among them, and
during their continuance here laboured to make my person
and ministry contemptible and odious, because I would not
hold conversation with them. If I had suddenly and
hastely fallen upon the whole parte of uniformity, I had
undone myself. . . . For, upon the first notice of alteration,
many were resolving to goe to New England, and others to
remove elsewhere, by whose departure the burden of the
poor, and charges of the towne, had grown insupportable
to those that stayed behind. By m y moderate and slow
15
 proceedings I have made the stay of some, and do hope to
settle their abode with us. . . . M y lord of London needes
not to implore the power of the High Commission to rule
me; the least finger of his owne hand shall suffice. If what
I have sayd and done will not satisfy, I must submitt to his
honour's censure. . . . I t makes me add a new prayer to my
litany, ' From this people, good Lord deliver m e ! ' . . . If
I may neither prevayle for remission of his lordship's present
intention, nor for removall from hence in convenient tyme,
, I hope I shall ere long be at rest with the Great Bishopp of
our souls. . . . If anything have fallen from my pen that
may be offensive, I hereby crave a favorable construction
thereof, and that it may be concealed from my lord." 1
T h e letter is endorsed in Laud's h a n d w r i t i n g : " Mr. Collins,
his letters about Conformitye."
A further letter (1632) is addressed to Laud, then Bishop of
London :
" My good lord, I a m come with a kinsman of mine to
your lordship, whom I humbly desire may be admitted into
the rectory of Barndston, which my lord (Robert, Earl of
Warwick) offered me. But I desire your honour, when we
come before you, to let him know that you expect from me
some account upon what terms I am settled at Brayntree.
I also humbly pray your lordship to give me charge, in his
presence, to prevent and suppress to the utmost of my power
all conventicles of both sexes in my parish, and to be care-
ful to keep all my people, of what quality soever, to con-
formity in receiving the sacrament. And withall, to
intimate that your lordship hath so watchful an eye over us
in Brayntree, as that few things can be spoken of or done
but they come to your lordship's eare. These things spoken
at this present, will both settle this young man in the com-
formable way wherein he now is, and may procure me
much peace.
SAMUEL C O L L I N S . "
If Samuel Collins is a faithful witness, we may infer from
his letters that, in 1631, for " these fifty years " past, there had
16
been in Braintree a strong element of " unconformity." His
letter of 1632 is vague, but seems to imply that there were
" conventicles " (gatherings of dissenters) which he was con-
stantly trying to suppress. Is it likely that Thomas Lamb had
been one of the " refractory ministers " who had " left divers
schismatical books " ?
Dr. Whitley, however, has recorded that a weaver named
Samuel Oates (an ex-minister, a Cambridge M.A.) sent out to
preach by the Church of Bell Alley in London, came to Essex
in 1646. H e believed that it was the duty of every man, owed
to the Lord Himself, to make disciples everywhere. H e sprang
into notoriety by being arrested for murder, because a woman
whom he had baptized died within a fortnight. H e published
a pamphlet on A New Baptism and Ministry and continued
his work. H e visited Braintree and Bocking, " but there is
no word of any church, either existing before, or founded by
him." 2
Is it possible, or probable, that the Braintree Baptist Church
had its origin in the " conventicles" from which Samuel
Collins prayed to be delivered? So far the mystery is still
unsolved; the question remains : When, and by whom, was
the Braintree Baptist Church founded ?
17

CHAPTER THREE
PIONEERS
I N 1834, the Rev. William Humphries, to whom the Brain tree
Baptist Church owes so much, compiled a " Church Book," a
thick leather-bound volume, on the first page of which he
wrote this preface : —
" Whether any proper account of the early history of this
Interest had been taken, or whether it has been destroyed, is
a point which it is difficult now to decide. But certain it is
that t h o u g h ' this Interest has existed from the time of
I I Charles, or perhaps earlier, no account respecting it is to
be found much earlier than the time of the Rev. John Horn-
blow " (1779-1816) " a n d if any particular account had been
kept by him, none could be obtained of any information at his
decease. Even the Trust Deed of the Meeting House itself
had been missing for near fifty years, and another had been
forged by the person who had first retained it altering the
Trust—and so much had this deed been lost sight of that its
existence excited the greatest surprise when it was discovered,
by the oldest members now living. This Deed, together with
a few other papers, were delivered to me in 1832 by a Mrs.
Johnson of Coggeshall, in whose hands the thing had been
placed by a Miss H a m m o n d , her aunt, who lived with a
person of the name of Parrott, a Doctor of Physic, who lived
at what is called the M o u n t House, in Coggeshall Lane, Brain-
tree, who was at one time an active man at this place of
worship. T h e papers which accompany the Deed are few
and comparatively unimportant. But these, together with the
information which I have obtained from old persons in the
neighbourhood most acquainted with the circumstances of
the case, are the chief source of the few following statements
respecting it. M y successor may be more successful in his
inquiries respecting the Cause than I have been, and if so,
will be able to give a better or a more extensive account of it.
18
But after having made every inquiry in the course of nearly
nine years, I have not yet met with anything that leads me
beyond the following account.
W. Humphries, Dec. 23, 1834.
" It appears by sufficient evidence that there was a General
Baptist Church in Braintree in the reign of Charles the
Second, and that the said Church under several pastors
gradually became a Particular Baptist Church. T h e Congre-
gation first met in some premises now in the possession of Mrs.
Bright, in what is now commonly called Back Lane, but then
Sandford Pond Lane. Afterwards the congregation met in a
place in the possession of Mr. Humphreys—corset-maker—
now in the possession of Mr. Smee, coach-maker, on the same
side of the way and near to, the Horse and Groom public
house. After that they assembled in a cottage belonging to
Mr. Cartwright of Coggeshall Lane, which cottage was after-
wards purchased by the congregation during the ministry of
Mr. Draper, and was fitted u p for a place of worship and soon
after enlarged to twice its original size."
In these brief sentences Rev. W m . Humphries sums up the
history of the Church during one hundred years. What depths
of suffering and privation, what steadfast endurance and
patient submission, what wealth of inward experience and
conviction, lie hidden behind this bare statement of fact?
Through adversity and through prosperity, from generation
to generation, the witness of the Baptist Cause in Braintree
and Bocking was maintained by men and women of whom we
have no record, even, of their names. We honour them as
spiritual ancestors, whose principles and practices were the
foundation-stones of the Braintree Baptist Church as we know
it now.
Nothing is known of the actual spot in " Sandford Pond
Lane " which was the first meeting-place of the Baptist Con-
gregation. Though the date is also uncertain, it must have
coincided with the period of persecution between 1664 and
1689 when the operation of the Conventicles Act forbade a
gathering for worship of more than five persons, in addition
to members of a family. History thus supports the local tradi-
19
tion that, at a word of warning of the approach of the con-
stables, the little company would silently disperse, making
their ways, by twos and threes, to the shelter of the woods on
Skitt's Hill, south of the town. T h e r e they would secretly
assemble and resume their interrupted worship.
I t must not be forgotten that the Great Plague, 1665, which
caused the death of about one-third of the population of
Braintree and Bocking, must have greatly disorganized the
little community of believers.
' O n the authority of the late Mr. Alfred Hills, solicitor and
local historian, we are told that John Bunyan, released from
his twelve years' imprisonment (1660-1672) "often stayed in
Bocking with the English and Tabor families, who sympathised
with and shared his religious views, that he frequently
preached in the square outside the ' White H a r t ' inn, as well
as in the great barn of Mr. English's farm at Bocking End,
whither thousands of people flocked from all parts to hear
him." I t is believed that he was actually arrested while preach-
ing in Bocking, " on the occasion of his second term of
imprisonment in 1675, during which time the first part of the
Pilgrim's Progress was written. T h e second part was written
1676-77. " It was during these years that Bunyan was again
received and comforted by the English family, and in their
hospitable home he spent long hours over his writings. A
strong oral tradition has always been handed down in the
Tabor family that Bunyan wrote the greater part of the
Pilgrim's Progress while staying in Bocking." x
Although " holding Baptist views," it is not claimed that
John Bunyan had any closer connection with the Baptists than
with all the other Dissenters of the district, but there can be
no doubt that the congregation from Sandford Pond Lane
would be among his hearers, and be strengthened by his words
and example. 2
T h e second meeting-place " near the Horse and Groom,"
and, consequently, in the parish of Bocking, was upon the
premises of Humphreys the corset-maker. Here, again, the
actual spot and the exact date have not been traced. T h e r e
is a reference to one named " Gowles, of Braintree, in 1706,
20
with a hundred hearers." After 1715 and some time before
1760, services were being held in a cottage belonging to W.
Gartwright in Coggeshall Lane. This cottage eventually be-
came the recognized meeting house of the Baptist Church in
Braintree. 3
A weaver's shop stood by the roadside. A narrow pathway
led from Coggeshall Lane, through the weaver's yard, to the
meeting house beyond, which was surrounded by gardens and
a cherry orchard. W h a t manner of men and women were
they, who Sunday by Sunday, met for worship in the cottage
meeting house in the cherry orchard? M a n y of them must
have been humble and obscure, desperately poor, by modern
standards, yet out of their poverty they were willing to main-
tain this meeting house, to which they gathered from miles
around.
T h e first " Baptist minister " mentioned in connection with
the purchase of this cottage and the building of the meeting
house was a M r . Draper. H e was succeeded by a Mr.
Slaughter, who signed a petition for a further measure of
religious freedom; Richard Hume, of Pattiswick; and William
Wright of Bocking. T h e only one of these ministers of whom
anything further is known is Richard Hume. He had been
apprenticed to a cooper at Rayne and afterwards entered the
ministry as " pastor of the Baptist Church in Bocking " until,
in 1767, he moved to Stebbing to become " p a s t o r of the
Church in which Baptists and Congregationalists were happily
united, and the barn chapel was filled to overflowing. H e had
the' advantage of an uncommonly powerful voice and in this
position was characterized by mildness of temper and gentle-
ness of manner. A relative induced him to become his surety,
with the result that he became involved in financial difficulties
that led to his removal from Stebbing in 1776 to Paulers Pury
in Northants. where he continued to labour until the time of
his death in 1800." 4 (Paulers Pury will be remembered as the
birthplace, in 1761, of William Carey, our Baptist Pioneer
Missionary).
In 1775 John Watkins became pastor. U p to this time the
Church had been a General Baptist Church, but Dr. Whitley
21
states that, as " the Trust Deed had no doctrinal clause, the
Church was free to call any man. Watkins persuaded the
Church to become Strict and Particular." Rev. Wm. Hum-
phries stated that Watkins " appears to have been very success-
ful for a time, but afterwards left the Church and congrega-
tion and his wife, who was a native of Braintree, and went
over to Amsterdam, in 1778."
22
CHAPTER FOUR
THE 1760 T R U S T DEED
FEOFFMENT in TRUST for the BAPTIST CHURCH at
BRAINTREE.
Mr. JOHN CARTWRIGHT to Mr. JOHN DRAPER, etc.
Dated 12th November, 1760.
THIS INDENTURE made 12th day of November, 1760
BETWEEN JOHN CARTWRIGHT of Braintree in the
County of Essex of the one part and John DRAPER Brain-
tree, Richard HUME of Pattiswick and William WRIGHT
of Bocking, Baptist Ministers, Arthur BENTALL of Halsted,
Yeoman, Isaac SAMSON of Bocking, Clothier, Joseph GOSS
of White Nodey, Yeoman, Samuel CARTWRIGHT of Brain-
tree, Baysweaver, Anthony BENTALL the younger of Halsted,
Saymaker, THOMAS GRANGER Little Maplestead, Yeo-
man, John TUNBRIDGE of Bocking, Yeoman, James
JAGGER of Burnham, Yeoman, and James DYER, of
Coggleshall, Clothier, of the other part
WITNESSETH that for and in consideration of the sum of
thirty one pounds £31 of lawful money of Great Britain (being
ANNABAPTIST
the proper money of the pArTxoT CHURCH of
Braintree aforesaid) to the said John CARTWRIGHT paid
by the said John DRAPER (etc.) the said John CART-
WRIGHT HATH granted . . . ALL THAT piece or parcel
of ground part of the garden of the said Thomas Richardson
containing in length two rods and in breadth two rods as the
same hath been lately marked out from the remainder of the
said garden of the said Thomas Richardson joining to the
Cherry Garden in the occupation of James Challis with the
MEETING HOUSE thereupon lately erected and built AND
ALSO a path five feet in width leading from the further
corner of the weaver's shop now in the occupation of Daniel
23
 Horkley Senior to the said piece of ground and Meeting House
also with the liberty of way and passage to and for the said
Baptist Church and successors for the time being from time
to time and at all times hereafter for ever to go pass and
repass into and through the yard of the said Daniel Horkley
to and from the said piece or parcel of ground and Meeting
House. . . .
T O HAVE AND T O HOLD the said piece or parcel of
ground and Meeting House IN TRUST . . . and for the only
proper use and behoof of the Baptist Church at Braintree
aforesaid and their successors for the time being hereafter and
for ever. To Assemble and meet together for the worship and
service of God and to and for no other use intent and purpose
whatsoever
AND LASTLY it is the true intent and mission of this
presence and of the said parties hereto that the said property
(?) and possession of the said piece or parcel of ground and
Meeting House with their appurtenances shall be wholly
vested in the members of the Baptist Church at Braintree
aforesaid and their successors hereafter for ever. AND
FURTHER that no person shall be appointed or constituted
remain or continue a TRUSTEE thereof that is not a member
of or at least a constant hearer of the aforesaid Baptist Church
or some other neighbouring Baptist Church AND
FURTHERMORE also that when the number of those
trustees or at any time hereafter shall by death or otherwise
be reduced to FIVE SURVIVING TRUSTEES only that
then the members in communion at the aforesaid BAPTIST
Church shall have power and authority to nominate and
appoint SEVEN MORE TRUSTEES to be joined with the
surviving five to support maintain and keep up the said
Meeting House for the purpose aforesaid hereafter for ever.
IN WITNESS whereof the parties above named subscribe
their hands and seals.
(Signed)
As far as can be known, this is the original and authentic
24
Trust Deed of the Braintree Baptist Church, around which
hangs an interesting story. In the first place, why. is the word
"Baptist" crossed through and replaced by "Annabaptist"
written above it, in the same ink?
Many letters, manuscripts and legal documents refer to an
unhappy period in the history of the Church. Briefly sum-
marized, the story is as follows :—
The cottage in Coggeshall Lane was altered in such a way
as to meet the requirements of a Meeting House or Chapel.
The Rev. John Watkins had begun to collect funds for this
purpose, but his departure for Amsterdam in 1778 had left
the Church in difficulties. At this time, there lived at Mount
House, Coggeshall Lane, a " Doctor of Physic " named James
Wyke Perrott, who was a member of a Baptist Church in
Birmingham, and an " occasional member " at Braintree. The
members here asked Dr. Perrott to straighten out " the tangled
finances." It seems that eleven men raised £100 between
them, and Dr. Perrott advanced another £100 to be spent
upon enlarging the Meeting House. On the strength of this
generosity, the Doctor considered himself the " proprietor"
of the Meeting House. It must have been just at this time
that the Trust Deed disappeared. At any rate, it was retained
by Dr. Perrott, as security for the loan, no doubt.
In the meantime, the Rev. John Hornblow, a young
Minister from Abraham Booth's Church in London, became
Minister here in 1779. Less than a month after his ordina-
tion, trouble began. At his first church meeting he asked Dr.
Perrott to leave, because, being a member of the Birmingham,
and not the Braintree Baptist Church, he was not entitled to
attend its business meetings. Dr. Perrott, who had previously
conducted the business of the church, objected to this ruling,
and feeling grew so strong that the meeting was broken up.
At a later church meeting, on this issue, several members were
suspended and others withdrew.
This unhappy contention reached a climax on Sunday,
October 1st, 1780. The Rev. John Hornblow and his congre-
gation arrived for the usual service, only to find the meeting
house closed against them—by order of the so-called " pro-
25
 prietor"—Dr. Perrott! Nothing daunted, John Hornblow
preached to the people in the meeting house yard.
O n Tuesday, November 7th, 1780, nine ministers from
surrounding Baptist churches came to Braintree to hold an
inquiry concerning the dispute. They interviewed the leaders
of both factions, and the investigation continued until mid-
night, and was resumed at eight o'clock the next morning.
Details of the proceedings are copied into " T h e Church
Book." T h e arbitrators gave what they believed to be an
impartial judgment, but we know that they could not have
been aware of all the facts. They would not, surely, have
advised the conveyance of the meeting house " to proper
Trustees," had they known that, somewhere in Dr. Perrott's
possession, there was a Trust Deed dated 1760.
T h e arbitrators recommended t h a t : " D r . Perrott ought not
to be present at their church meetings, because occasional
membership, if the Dr. ever had it, is only admission to
occasional Communion, and never implies a right to direct
the affairs of the Church, or even to know them without the
consent of the whole Church."
" T h a t D r . Perrott ought on his part to convey the meeting
house to proper Trustees in trust for the sole use of the
Church." " T h a t certain members named ought to pay the
Dr. the money he expended on the enlargement of the meeting
house with legal interest for the same and to sign the bond as
soon as conveyances are made."
T h e transactions of 1760 were thus entirely ignored when,
on 17th July, 1781 an indenture was drawn u p by which J o h n
Cartwright, as owner of the property, granted to J. W. Perrott
and his eleven friends a lease of the meeting house for the
nominal annual rent of " one peppercorn," for one thousand
years, until J o h n Cartwright should repay to them the £ 2 0 0
they had spent upon it. T h e following day, 18th July, 1781,
by a document headed " B A R G A I N and SALE," John Cart-
wright sold the property for £ 3 0 to J. W. Perrott and thirteen
others, who thus became Trustees of the mortgaged property,
on behalf of the " Sect of Protestant Dissenters called Parti-
cular Baptists." In this way, the debt was transferred from
26
John Cartwright to the whole Church. Among these thirteen
Trustees were seven who had signed the indenture the previous
day.
Comparing this brief account of the 1781 documents with
the 1760 Trust Deed, baffling questions come to mind :—
How could John Cartwright sell the same property in 1760
and again in 1781 ?
Joseph Goss of White Notley was the only person who
signed both trust deeds. W h a t had happened to the other
1760 Trustees in the intervening twenty-one years, that the
original deed could have been forgotten or ignored ?
Why is there no mention of the Rev. John Hornblow in the
latter documents?
W h y was an important Baptist principle evaded by the
alteration of the Trust? In 1760 the appointment of successive
Trustees was the responsibility of " m e m b e r s in communion
at the aforesaid Baptist Church." In 1781 this responsibility
was put into the hands of " surviving Trustees " themselves.
Second thoughts came to some concerned in this matter at
a later date. W e read (1784) : " J o h n Cartwright declared in
my presence that Mr. Samuel Cousins should say, ' He was
ashamed of what he had done as trust in regard to the Baptist
meeting house, and though he had been once a fool, he would
not be that fool any more '."
Whatever Doctor Perrott's motives may have been, he kept
the original deed hidden away. I t was lost for fifty years.
" Mrs. Cox's Legacy " was another source of trouble! It
must have been with the best intentions in the world that
Mrs. M a r t h a Cox of Bocking included in her will a bequest
of £ 4 0 0 upon T r u s t ; the dividends to be paid annually " for
the only use and benefit of the minister or pastor for the time
being of the Society or Congregation of Baptists in Coggeshall
Lane at Braintree whereof John Watkins is the present
minister or pastor." Mrs. M a r t h a Cox little knew what trouble
would arise from this generous bequest!
John Watkins left Braintree for Amsterdam in 1778, within
a few months of the execution of the will. Until the settle-
ment of the Rev. John Hornblow in 1779, Dr. Perrott assumed
27
 control of the affairs of the church, including this legacy,
which he seems to have been reluctant to relinquish to the
new minister. At any rate, this business was also discussed by
the arbitrators in 1880, and their ruling was: " D r . Perrott
ought to deliver a fair statement of Mrs. Cox's legacy to persons
properly appointed by the Church to receive it, because it
was the true intent and meaning of the said testatrix that the
said Church should solely enjoy the benefit of it."
Dr. Perrott, however, thought differently, and the dispute
was taken to His Majesty's High Court of Chancery, in Dec-
ember, 1781. The capital was reduced by court fees, to £234
10s. 5d. It remains in Chancery to this day, and each success-
ive minister annually receives a very small dividend.
We are told that " the Dr.'s influence after this gradually
declined." When Dr. Perrott died, in 1798, one of his three
executors was Hannah Hammmond to whom he bequeathed
£20; and £10 each to the other executors, " for their trouble
in the execution of the trusts." Hannah Hammond, who lived
at Mount House, was aunt to a Mrs. Johnson of Coggeshall
who, in 1832, restored to the Braintree Baptist Church the
long-forgotten Trust Deed.
It would be well to close the narration of this unpleasant
episode with the conclusion arrived at by the arbitrators in
1780 : " To content ourselves with a general exhortation to
oblivion of the past and courtesy for the future, and to leave
the characters of all the parties to the judgment of the Great
Day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed."
28
CHAPTER FIVE
"GRACE WAS HIS THEME"
I T will be recalled that John Watkins, who left the church
and went over to Amsterdam in 1778, had persuaded the
church to become " Strict and Particular." Until this time it
had been a " General" Baptist church. This means that the
theology taught by John Watkins was a strict and narrow
Calvinism. " God's sovereignty was stressed till our responsi-
bilities vanished. Man was declared to have no power for
penitence or faith, save through the super-enabling of God's
selective grace. . . . They who could think themselves the
privileged exulted in their fortune, but remained unconscious
of owing the good tidings to others. The favour was for the
few. They left to God the ingathering of His own selected
guests."1
It is enlightening to trace how this church was enabled to
move out of the deadening influence of this teaching into the
broader outlook of more progressive Baptists who " united the
doctrinal strength that has ever characterized Calvinists, with
the evangelistic fervour that had shone forth in Smyth and
Lamb." 2
In 1807 (and in 1814) the Rev. Andrew Fuller visited
Braintree and preached at what seems to have been a united
Congregational and Baptist Missionary Rally at the Bocking
End Chapel. Looking backward nearly 150 years, it is possible
to see that these visits were significant, in view of the great
debt which this church still owes to Andrew Fuller, through
the influence of his broader outiook and wider evangelical
teaching and its lasting effect upon Baptist thought throughout
the country. It was his famous declaration " That the Gospel
of Christ is Worthy of all Acceptation " which so " restated
the thought of Calvin as to bring out the responsibility of man
both for his own hearing the call of Christ, then for repeating
that call far and near." 3
29
 Twenty years before his first visit to Braintree, Andrew
Fuller had first listened to an unknown village preacher named
William Carey giving " utterance to sentiments which had for
some time been struggling for room in his own heart." 4
Seizing Carey's hand, Fuller exclaimed : " We must know
more of each other." How Fuller supported Carey in his
pleading with his fellow-ministers for the formation of the
Missionary Society; how he became its first secretary; how
he upheld the cause and sustained its pioneer missionaries—
,this story is one of the little-known epics of friendship (which,
however, belongs to another history than this). When Andrew
Fuller first came to Braintree he was fifty-three, and within
seven years of the end of his life of zealous service for the
Baptist Missionary Society, for which he literally burned
himself out. His second visit was during the last year of his
life.
The lasting effect of Fuller's teaching was chiefly felt in
the Braintree Church through the influence of two of his
intimate friends and followers : Steevens of Colchester, and
Abraham Booth, minister of the " premier Particular Baptist
Church in the world, Prescot Street, London."
" By the call of Steevens, of Colchester, the ministers and
messengers of eight Essex churches met at Braintree on the
20th September, 1796, and formed an Association. The out-
standing feature was that ' the grand object of this Association
is the spread of the Gospel in the different towns 2nd villages
of the county'."
Abraham Booth, " scandalized at the Hyper-Calvinism of
the Particular Baptists,"5 had found great help and enlighten-
ment in the teaching of Andrew Fuller. He had so far put
this teaching into practice that he had baptized Dr. John
Thomas (Carey's first missionary colleague), had corresponded
with him in Bengal, and had later introduced him to William
Carey and the newly-formed Missionary Society, of which
Booth was one of the first supporters. He was also one of the
first Particular Baptists to encourage Home Evangelization
and the training of young ministers, the outcome of which
was the founding of Stepney College (now Regent's Park
30
College, Oxford). This was the man whose counsel and friend-
ship with John Hornblow must have been a powerful influence
during the thirty-seven years of Hornblow's ministry here.
In 1778 the Braintree Baptist Church appealed to Abraham
Booth, asking him to recommend a successor to the " Strict
and Particular" John Watkins. John Hornblow, who had
been born in Halstead in 1743, was a member of, and had
been called to the ministry by, Booth's Church in London.
He became pastor of the Braintree Church in 1779, with a
stipend of about £40 a year. " I observe the largeness of
your family and the smallness of your income," wrote Dr.
Perrott, offering, privately and personally, to pay Hornblow
a guinea per week. This generous offer, however, seems to
have been a cause of embarrassment to Mr. Hornblow, and
when, within the first year, his relations with the Doctor
became strained, the payment seems to have been discon-
tinued. It is to be hoped that, as the congregations became
larger, the income also increased !
The day of John Hornblow's ordination to the Braintree
Church must have been a great occasion. There were present
ministers from Langham, Ipswich, Harlow, Ridgewell, Saffron
Walden; also Steevens of Colchester, and Abraham Booth
from London. Messrs. Booth and Wellin each received
£1 lis. 6d. and Mr. Gould of Harlow, £ 1 Is. The item,
"Horses at Challis's, 3 / - " conjures up a picture of all these
worthy gentlemen riding on horseback into Braintree on the
morning of July 15th, 1779. Doubtless they had acquired
good appetites on the way, for the cost of the Ordination
dinner was £ 8 9s. 6d.!
We are told that, after the unpleasant experiences related
in the previous chapter, Dr. Perrott's influence declined, and
others who had been persuaded to support him acknowledged
the error of their ways. There came then, to the church and
congregation, and to their minister, nearly to the close of his
life, a long period of peace and prosperity. During this time
" the place of worship was enlarged to twice the size, so as to
be capable of holding about 400 persons."
The Church Book further states that " Mr. Hornblow was
31
a man of unimpeachable character and highly esteemed in
the neighbourhood. As a preacher he was uneducated and
united in the views of his pastor Abraham Booth and Dr. Gill.
He was very laborious, and in the early part of his time was
almost the only minister in the neighbourhood who preached
much in the surrounding villages. His name is dear to many
who knew him." " Hornblow of Braintree started preaching
in the theatre at Chelmsford, about 1802, and a chapel arose
on the east side of Market Road, where it joined Duke
Street."6
Some time before Mr. Hornblow's decease, the congregation
began to decline. His death in May, 1816, at the age of
seventy-three, brought to a close a ministry of thirty-seven
years. His portrait still hangs in the vestry, showing him in
wig and pulpit bands, holding his Bible, with hands extended
in the act of preaching. A memorial tablet in the church
states that " Grace was his theme."
32
CHAPTER SIX
" HYPER-CALVINISM "
" THE Reverend Richard Miller, student at Stepney, preached
to the congregation on the day that Mr. Hornblow departed
this life, May 14th, 1816." In February, 1817, Mr. Miller, was
given the right hand of fellowship at a church meeting, and
in March, " without one dissenting voice," the church decided
to ask him to become their pastor. " His ordination took place
on Tuesday, December 23rd, 1817, on which occasion Mr.
Craig of Bocking End introduced the service by reading the
Scriptures and prayer."
Richard Miller came to a church which had begun to
decline with the failing strength of its late pastor. He evi-
dently found himself among some worthy brethren who had
made some attempt at reformation. In November, 1816, while
they were without a minister, the church had been called to a
special meeting, at which it was apparently agreed that,
whoever the next pastor might be, the church must be kept to
the strait and narrow path of Calvinism. Henceforth every
candidate for membership would be required, individually,
to assent to a " confession of faith," as follows :—
" We, the Church of Christ meeting in Coggeshall Lane,
Braintree, think it expedient to have the following important
doctrines as Articles of Faith inserted in the Church Book,
and to be assented to by each individual previous to their
being received and united as members of the Church, viz. :
Three equal Persons in the Godhead.
Eternal and personal Election.
Original Sin.
Particular Redemption.
Free Justification by the Imputed Righteousness of
Christ.
Efficacious Grace in Regeneration.
33
i
 Sanctification of the Spirit made known by its actings
and effects.
The final perseverance of real Believers.
The Resurrection of the dead.
The Day of Judgment.
The everlasting punishment of the wicked and the
eternal happiness of the righteous.
Ordinances to be observed and attended unto and not to
be deviated from by this Church under the present Gospel
dispensation :
Baptism. The subject thereof. Believers.
The mode. Immersion.
The Lord's Supper. Strict Communion.
The above Articles (doctrinal) or confession of Faith,
were proposed and seconded at a special church meeting.
The question being put, they were carried or decided upon
without a division and signed on behalf of the whole.
JAMES CHALLIS. WILLIAM CHALLIS. DANIEL SWALLOW.
Deacons. Nov. 26, 1816."
The new ministry started well. Two days before Mr.
Miller's ordination, at a special church meeting, the members
assented to lengthy " Rules and Regulations" (as outlined
below):—
1. We do promise to walk together. . . .
2. We will contend for the faith and purity of the Gospel.
3. We do promise to keep the business of the church with-
out divulging. . . .
4. We will support to the utmost of our abilities God's House
in this place.
5. We engage to attend all meetings . . . nothing hindering
except distance, sickness, or the works of necessity and
mercy.
6. We agree that the church meeting shall be held in the
week preceding the full moon . . . under the following
regulations : (These include)
34
" Motions shall be seconded, debated and determined by
the majority.
That the members shall speak standing, and but once on
the same subject, except to explain, until the question has
gone round.
We have an annual meeting when the state of the pecuni-
ary matters of the church shall be reported by the
auditors and these rules shall be read and the names of
the members shall be called over.
7. We will pray for our minister and highly esteem him for
his work's sake.
8. We will endeavour to watch over one another's conversa-
tion for good . . . and to wait as servants of Christ for His
salvation.
Signed on behalf of the whole church and by order of the
same :
R. MILLER, Minister. JAMES CHALLIS, EDWARD WARD,
Deacons."
There is an interesting clause in the terms of the agreement
with the new minister, January, 1817. " T h a t the funds for
his support arising from subscriptions and collections, etc. be
kept distinct from other funds and kept open, that those who
wish may communicate to its increase." Pew rents were started
at this time, also " a weekly subscription for the exclusive
purpose of repairing, rebuilding and enlarging our present
meeting house." " Mr. Miller's ministry was evidently attended
for some time with great success. The place soon became
nearly filled and many (35) were added to the church." But
it is not surprising to learn of grave differences, the climax
of which is recorded in a minute dated December, 1821,
written, apparently, by the minister himself: " R. Miller,
finding his comfort and usefulness at an end through the
contentions that had risen, gave notice to leave this day six
months." We learn that from that date the Ordinance of the
Lord's Supper was supended until August, 1822.
The church secretary's handwriting is resumed in the
35
minutes for 1822. " Mr. Richard Miller closed his labours on
second Lord's day, April 14. Mr. William Ragsdell commenced
his labours on the third Lord's day, April, 1822. It is but just
to remark that Mr. R. Miller's farewell sermon was hostile.'5,
Mr. Ragsdell was minister only and left in October, 1823.
On October 7th, 1824, after a year as " minister," Mr.
George Washington Wilks was " set apart to the pastoral
office." The " Church Book " further states : " It is but just
to say respecting this individual that he was an antinomian
in his doctrine and in his practice, and was the means of
reducing the congregation and church to a wretched condition
as to numbers and sentiment. He died in London some years
after of the cholera."
A church minute book can be very revealing, not only in
the bare facts recorded, but in the unintentional indication of
the clash of wills and personalities. During the ministry of
the Revd. George Washington Wilks, there was in the church
a " Brother William Hicks," who believed he was " called to
speak." A few months before Mr. Wilks resigned his pastoral
office, Brother Hicks was put forward as a promising preacher
and likely successor to the present minister. (!)
The following entry in different handwriting is signed
W.W. :—
" Oct. 20. Church Meeting half past six o'clock, when,
after singing and prayer, Brother Hicks was requested to
inform the Church of his reason for thinking the Lord had
called him to speak in His name; but not feeling himself
at liberty, it was postponed till the ensuing Lord's Day after
the morning Service. After singing, Bro. W. Challis prayed,
our Pastor expounded a part of the 121st Psalm, and sang
and prayed and the meeting was ended."
On the following Lord's Day, the church assembled after
the morning service.
" The Pastor pressed on their attention the importance of
the subject, after which Brother Hicks stood up to inform
the Church why and wherefore he thought the Lord had
called him to preach. He said that Mr. C.'s people, among
36
whom he formerly met, said that they thought he would
be called to speak; what an honour it would confer on him
would the Lord qualify him for such a work as instructing
his saints; he had a great wish to be useful and not a cypher
in the Church and in his generation."
After the pastor had suggested to the church the importance
of the scriptural qualifications and scriptural evidences of any
man being called, " the meeting concluded with prayer and
the members departed peaceably." (!) That afternoon the
pastor informed the church of an arrangement made by two
of the deacons and Brother Hicks.
The next minute, once more in different handwriting,
reports a special church meeting, at which nothing took place
but singing, Bible-reading and prayers, and ends : " N.B. A
form of godliness, but the power of the spirit called evil
characterized the meeting." The church secretary resumed
the minutes on December 22, 1825, recording that " Mr. Wilks
resigned his pastoral office." Brother Hicks occupied the
pulpit one Sunday in January. In April it was carried without
a division " that Brother William Hicks should be sent forth to
preach wherever a door might be opened "; and on the 20th
May, we find a recommendation to Brother William Hicks
being received as a student at Stepney Academy.
/
37

CHAPTER SEVEN
"ENTIRE DEVOTEDNESS"
ONCE again, in a time of difficulty and depression the church
turned for help to one of the foremost Baptists of the time :
on this occasion to Dr. Steadman, Principal of Horton Baptist
Academy, Bradford, who was asked to recommend one of his
students. Writing of Baptist progress in Yorkshire, Dr.
Whitley has stated : " This progress was due directly to evan-
gelization steadied by education, and these were incarnate in
one man, William Steadman." 1 At his first Church, as early as
1782, he " had shown his energy by starting a Sunday School."
Ten years later, it was Dr. Steadman who " sent the first half
guinea " to the Baptist missionary cause.2
When Dr. Steadman sent to Braintree a student named
William Humphries, he sent one who was to infuse into the
life of the Braintree Church the wider vision and the forward
outlook of his Principal at Horton Academy. ;In June, 1826,
the call to " continue for another six months was ' unanimous,
with the exception of a very few that were partial to Mr.
Hicks, but after a short address the Church comfortably
adjourned'." (!)
Already interest in the new minister was awakening, and
there were " many unexpected members present " at a meeting
in December, 1826, when it was finally decided to invite Mr.
Humphries to take the pastoral office, to which he was " set
apart and ordained " on Tuesday, March 6th, 1827. Isaac
Mann, " first student of Dr. Steadman's College," preached a
sermon on " The Importance of Christian Character in the
Discharge of Pastoral Duties."
It may well be imagined that the task to which William
Humphries had been called was by no means easy. Church
attendance, which had been declining with the failing powers
of the Rev. John Hornblow, had been only temporarily re-
vived by the Rev. Richard Miller's ministry, which ended
under a cloud. Wm. Ragsdell was little more than a temporary
38
pulpit-supply, and George Washington Wilks " left the church
in a wretched condition." William Humphries found a legacy
of "hyper-Calvinistic doctrines" set forth as "Articles of
Faith" to be assented to by prospective members. He also
found, among those who had drawn up these " Articles " men
whose temperaments seemed to match their beliefs.
In 1826, a neighbouring minister who had been asked to
come over to administer the Lord's Supper, had refused to do
so " on account of a letter addressed to the Association from
G. W. Wilkes containing or maintaining Imputed Sanctifica-
tion. It was decided not to be an opinion or sentiment of the
church." By March, 1829 we find a minute which states
" that Progressive Sanctification be entered in the Church
Book as a fundamental principle of Faith, and that the Moral
Law be entered in the Church Book as the rule of conduct to
believers." There can be little doubt that many debates
(probably heated discussions) took place before that short
entry could be included in the church minutes !
To such a church came William Humphries, sharing his
tutor's wider, more generous faith. Ardent with the enthusiasm
of a youthful, consecrated life, the young minister came to his
first—his only—church. To the task of unifying this church
and making it more worthy of its long tradition, William
Humphries set his hand, and, literally, gave his life.
The Ordinance of the Lord's Supper had already been
suspended for some time before 1826, when a collection had
been taken in aid of the funds for the poor. Another similar
collection was taken about a month before Mr. Humphries'
ordination. In January, 1829, Mrs. Humphries, Miss Mary
Bentall, and two men were appointed as visitors to the sick.
Similar appointments were made each successive year. The
annual church meeting, at which the names of the members
and the rules were read, was held " according to r u l e " in
1828, and onwards from that time. In 1829 £ 3 5s. was
contributed by the members for the Bible for the pulpit.
lit will thus be seen that order was gradually being restored,
in some respects, but in others the way was not quite so plain!
There were cases of " disorderly walk " and " improper con-
39
duct " to be dealt with, as in March, 1828, when it was agreed
" that the Rev. Washington Wilks be excluded for improper
conduct during the time he was pastor and afterwards."
There was the resignation of Deacon Challis; there was the
" church meeting at which a considerable number of members
was present, but no business attended to, the deacons being
absent."
It was not until December 31st, 1829 that a matter very
near to the heart of the young minister was recorded on the
minutes, thus : " Church Meeting. The night being unfavour-
able, not more than sixteen of the members were present.
After R. Dare and J. Bragg had prayed, the following propo-
sition was unanimously received : ' That the Society which
was established for the purpose of collecting for the foreign
Missions be entirely laid aside, and that a society for the
purpose of collecting for the new School Room be established.'
Mr. Humphries concluded by prayer."
On the 24th February, however, we learn that " few were
present in consequence of the cold. Mr. Humphries then
stated to the church that in consequence of some little diffi-
culty in proceeding with the" schoolroom they had agreed to
lay it aside—that the society for collecting for it would conse-
quently not be formed, and that therefore it would be proper
for the Missionary Society to be recommenced, but he thought
that, as the present time was so very distressing, it would be
proper to defer it till the next quarter, when he would again
bring it forward." There is no further reference to the build-
ing of a Sunday School during Mr. Humphries' lifetime,
though Dr. Whitley has stated that " he erected new schools
at his own risk in 1830."3
In March, 1830 we learn that Mr. Humphries had drawn
up a set of rules, which, he thought, if properly observed,
would be a means of increasing his support, which, he stated,
" had of late declined." In August, 1832, however, it was
decided that there should be a quarterly collection between
the quarters towards the support of the ministry.
Undaunted by these " distressing times," or by the memory
of the " little difficulty in proceeding with the building of the
40
schoolroom," William Humphries, in the fifth year of his
ministry, undertook his great act of faith, the accomplishment
of which still stands as a visible reminder of his tireless energy
and " entire devotedness," and of the sacrifice and loyalty of
his people.
A Sinking Fund was established, for the building of a new
meeting house. A resolution passed in June, 1832, provided
that " This meeting house shall not be commenced until two-
thirds of the money sufficient to secure its erection shall be
obtained or promised. This money, whether principal or
interest, shall be used for no other purpose than that of build-
ing the meeting house." £100 had already been raised by the
weekly collections started in 1817. The minute book makes
it clear that the church discontinued its usual collection for
foreign missions, with the promise that " as soon as they shall
have accomplished what they are now doing, they shall feel a
great pleasure in resuming their subscriptions for the missions."
Regular weekly and monthly subscriptions to the Building
Fund were collected from the members : Fourteen Trustees
gave £100 between them, besides contributing to the final
subscription such generous sums as £10, £20, or £30 : Mrs.
Daniel Challis and Mrs. John Challis collected £55 : the
collection at the opening of the Chapel was £62 8s. 7£d. :
£300 was lent by Elizabeth Railing and Mary Railing, spin-
sters, of Booking; also £60 by the Baptist Building Fund.
The minister himself was most generous, not only in his
gifts of money, but in time and energy. Imagine him, on a
Monday morning, setting out (in the " gig," on horseback,
or by stagecoach ?) on one of his lecturing or preaching tours,
in the course of which he visited : Epping, Greenwich, Chat-
ham, Margate, Tunbridge Wells, and Seven Oaks : Chelms-
ford, Colchester, Maldon, Stowmarket, Debenham, Wood-
bridge and Thaxted. He carried with him a stiff-covered cash
memorandum notebook. In each town visited, donations
(varying from 2/6 to £20—but mostly 10/- or £1) were con-
tributed by friends who signed their names beside the amount
recorded in the minister's book; the name of the town was
written in the margin of each page. Thus we have, not only
41
the record of William Humphries' journeys, but autographs
of many unknown friends of the Braintree Church. In this
way the minister himself collected £765 10s. 7d. The mort-
gages were repaid by July, 1838, when the Secretary's Book
showed the grand total of £1,881 19s. ll^d.
The cost of the building was as follows :
£ s. d.
Site ... 118 12 6
Erection 51ft. X 41 with galleries 981 17
Fittings 31 10 6
Architect, Travelling exs. in collecting
fees, etc. ... 113 4 m over, when Mr. Humphries received from Hannah Hammond's
£1,245 5 2
The remaining £600 was raised by loans, and it is not clear
for what purpose it was used—probably for seating and pulpit
which, even in those days, could hardly have been included in
the £31 10s. 6d.
Interesting details appear in the minutes : " That the brass
chandelier, which was formerly used in the old meeting house,
be sold for the purpose of assisting in the purchase of new
lamps for the new meeting house." " That, as the clock in the
old meeting house will not do for the new one in consequence
of the length of the pendulum and the weights, it was agreed
that it should be sold and a new one obtained to suit the new
place of worship." " Sale of old gig." " 1/6 a week for clean-
ing of the meeting house. That a collection be made half-
yearly at the pews."
The opening ceremony, on Thursday 10th October, 1833,
must have been an important event, but it seems that no one
present on that occasion imagined that, 120 years hence, there
would be curiosity as to " W h o was there? Who was the
preacher? What was the text? What hymns were sung? "
Yet the meeting house itself still stands, a memorial to the
faith and devotion of its builders. Reference to history books
will confirm William Humphries' description of the 1830s as
42
" very distressing" times. Set against this background of
poverty and hunger, it is impossible to estimate the sacrifice
of the congregation in raising such a sum of money, or the
faith and courage of a man who could inspire his people to
such a venture at such a time. More than 120 years after, the
old meeting house stands as a challenge to the present. It is
a precious heritage from the past, which must be handed on
to the church of the future. Whence comes the church of the
future ?
Purchase of land between the old meeting house and Drury
Lane (59 feet by 73 feet, for £100) for the erection of the new
building, necessitated the making of a new trust deed. More-
niece the original trust deed of 1760, which " had been missing
for near fifty years," this event excited the greatest surprise,
even among the oldest members, who had been unaware of its
existence. It was soon obvious that the 1781 documents must
be invalid and contrary to the principle of the original deed,
which clearly stated that appointment of trustees should be
made " by the members in communion at the aforesaid Baptist
Church."
In September, 1832, Mr. Humphries procured an iron chest
for the deposit of the trust deeds of the premises, and at the
next church meeting " Mr. Humphries was deputed to take
what steps he should think proper for the renewal of the trust
of the meeting house." This document, dated December 12th,
1832, defines the new meeting house as " a Place of Public
Worship for the Service of God by the Society of Protestant
Dissenters of the Denomination called Particular or Calvinistic
Baptists." The appointment of successive trustees is " to be
made by the major part of the members of the said Society
being communicants as aforesaid who shall be present at a
meeting convened for that purpose."
The new chapel built, the trust deed put in order, together
with lesser matters of organization and discipline, there yet
remained to the Rev. William Humphries a task upon which
he had evidently pondered long. Under his predecessors, the
church, originally " General Baptist" had become, and re-
43
mained, " Strict and Particular." Whatever modifications of
the old Calvinistic doctrines John Hornblow and William Hum-
phries may have introduced into their preaching, the practice
of the church still conformed to the Strict Calvinistic belief
in Particular Election : that is, the Braintree Baptist Church
practised " Closed Membership "—for baptized believers only;
and " Closed Communion "—for members only.
On the 28th October, 1832, the Rev. W. Humphries re-
corded in the minute book : " As I am going from home in the
morning and am not likely to return for some time, I called
the church together after the afternoon service to inform them
of some points in the new trust deed. I also took the oppor-
tunity for the first time of speaking to them respecting Open
Communion," and was glad to find that it was well received."
On the 11th November, 1832, the following important
resolution is recorded :
" That in case anyone who is a member of an indepen-
dent church shall wish to sit down with us at the Table of
Christ, we, the members of the Baptist church, do consider
it our duty to receive such a one, inasmuch as Christ has
received him—but not as a full member, and consequently
not to have anything to do with the management of the
affairs of the church, but as a communicant."
Such an important alteration was not acceptable to all, and
there must have been many difficulties before, on 22nd
September, 1835, " The Strict and Particular Baptists drew
off to found a second church meeting in Albert Road." 4 In
1839, it was agreed " t h a t no person shall be considered a
member of the church who has been absent from the Lord's
Supper for more than six months without justifiable reason."
The church minute book records 126 names added to the
church roll during Mr. Humphries' ministry. There were
also a number of cases of reproof and exclusion for " dis-
orderly walk." In 1834 the church expressed their wish to be
united with the Baptist Denominational Union. In 1837, in
compliance with a new Act of Parliament, it was decided to
apply for a " licence to marry at this place of worship." £ 3
44
was collected towards the cost; the licence was granted in
1842.
In March, 1841 : "This day the Rev. Eustace Carey came
on behalf of the Baptist Missionary Society, preaching morn-
ing and evening for the Rev. Thomas Craig, Bocking; in the
afternoon at our place from 1 John 3. 2." A second visit was
recorded in 1845. The Rev. Eustace Carey, a nephew of the
famous pioneer missionary, had joined his uncle in India in
1814. As he was an orator and preacher, his first-hand account
of Indian missionary life no doubt attracted large congrega-
tions on both his visits to Braintree. In addition to annual
collections for the Baptist Missionary Society, Baptist Home
Mission work was also supported during the last years of Mr.
Humphries' ministry.
On the 7th March, 1844 the minute book records that the
church meeting was deferred for a week owing to the illness
of Mr. Humphries. Monthly church meetings were held until
April, 1845. The next entry is: " J u n e 13. Mr. Humphries
the pastor died."
On 22nd June " Mr. Carter preacher his funeral sermon
from 2 Timothy 1. v. 12, verse chosen by himself: ' I am not
ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded
that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto
Him against that day '."
Mr. Humphries was laid to rest at the foot of the pulpit
steps in the chapel to which he had given so much of his
youthful vigour and dedicated service. On the wall above his
resting-place a tablet reads :—
" In memory of the Reverend William Humphries, who
was Pastor of this Church 19 years. His ardent piety, his
intimate acquaintance with Divine Truth, and his entire
devotedness to the Cause of Christ, eminently fitted him
for the ministerial office. He was instrumental in promoting
the erection of this Chapel. He died 13th June, 1845, aged
44 years.
Also of Hannah, wife of the above, died January 5th,
1864, aged 58 years."
45

CHAPTER EIGHT
SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY
ANOTHER student of Horton College, Bradford, succeeded
William Humphries. The Rev. David Rees came to the
Braintree Church from Isleham, Cambs., in January, 1846.
We read in the old Church Book : " Mr. Rees was considered
a man of considerable intellectual power, but lacking a
popular talent, owing to which mainly the congregation at
this time had'fallen into a very depressed state." Nevertheless,
during his ministry of 13 years, 117 members were received
into the church. Mrs. Rees died in January, 1849, and was
interred in the burial ground in front of the church.
During the ministry of the Rev. William Humphries, " the
Nonconformist Conscience " was gaining strength and making
itself evident in Braintree. In 1837, the vicar and church-
wardens asked for a rate of 3 / - in the pound from the rate-
payers of Braintree for the much-needed repair of the parish
church. The dissenters objected, claiming that they had their
own places of worship to maintain. It was agreed that a poll
should be taken in the church, the churchwardens receiving
open votes, the dissenters presiding over a secret ballot-box.
The result was that 207 voted against the proposed rate, 70
voted for it. In spite of the majority against them, the vicar
and churchwardens levied the rate, but had difficulty in
collecting it.
Opposition was organized under the chairmanship of Mr.
Samuel Courtauld. When the Rev. David Rees became
minister here, the case was still being taken from court to
court, until it reached the highest court in the land—the
House of Lords. In 1853, after a fight of sixteen years, the
judgment of the Lords was given : " That a rate must be made
by a majority, and no other rate is valid."
In the words of Dr. Whitley : " Money was needed to repair
46
the parish church, and the Baptist minister of that time
organized opposition, and said, ' No. If parishioners wish,
they can exercise the privilege of saying no.' Oh, the row
there was—in the town, the county, the kingdom. It went
up through court after court; such a thing had never been
known before. David Rees was the champion, and in the end
it was decided that parishioners had the power to refuse to
pay a church rate. The principle was established for all
England. It was indeed a time of great advance. I am very
happy to say that as soon as ever the thing was settled, David
Rees and his friends opened a subscription to do voluntarily
what they would not do legally. One of my greatest friends
was the son of David Rees, and I have seen the splendid
testimonial that was presented to David Rees because he had
led the great contest. That was typical of that generation.
Baptists were stepping out from isolation and were attempting
to play their part in public life."
Some time before 1856, by the will of the late Anthony
Bentall of Felstead, the church had received a legacy of £100
on condition that it should be " vested in Government or real
security for the maintenance of a resident minister for ever."
In 1856, this £100, with the addition of £80 raised by volun-
tary subscriptions, was used by the trustees to buy from the
Rev. David Rees a cottage, and a piece of garden ground
adjoining the site of the old meeting house. In compliance
with the terms of the legacy, the trustees agreed " to pay to
the resident minister for ever such an annual sum out of the
rents and profits as shall be equivalent to the interest arising
from the investment of the said sum of £100." The agreement
bears the signature of H. Jackson, Commissioner to Administer
Oaths in Chancery in England; also David Rees' receipt for
£180. Until 1913, the cottage brought in a weekly rent of
1/6, which was then increased to 5/-, and later to 6/8, until
destroyed by enemy action in 1941.
In April, 1859 the Rev. David Rees left Braintree to take
the oversight of the church at Geelong, Australia, and in June
of that same year his place was filled by another Horton man,
the Rev. John Mostyn, a native of Anglesey. The church
47
guaranteed him "for his first year's salary the sum of £100,
in addition to the pastor's house." This was " from £20 to
£30 more than has been received for some years." We will
also supply the pulpit for four Sundays for the minister's
vacation." By the end of the first year the income of the
chapel was found to have increased to £121. During the first
three years of the Rev. J. Mostyn's ministry the church
membership increased to 180, with a congregation of " u p -
wards of 600," and about 260 Sunday School scholars.
, It would be interesting to learn when the Sunday School
was started. In 1830, it will be recalled, the Rev. William
Humphries had urged the need for a new schoolroom, but
there was " some little difficulty" in this matter, and the
project seems' to have been dropped in favour of the new
meeting house; but not entirely abandoned. The ground
bought in 1832 included the site for the projected new school-
room. One wonders whether the old meeting house was used
as a schoolroom until it fell into decay? The only clue is one
item (1861) : " £30 for material of old schoolroom."
On the wall of the boy's section of Manor Street Council
Schools there is an embossed plaque with the words : " Feed
My Lambs." The foundation stone bears the inscription :
" This School, erected and endowed by George Courtauld, of
Booking, is by him given for the use of the children of the
poorer classes of this town and neighbourhood." The date is
entirely obliterated. For some time previous to 1861, this day
school had been lent by Mr. George Courtauld to the Baptists
for their Sunday School, which then numbered " upwards of
260." The death of Mr. George Courtauld caused alterations
which rendered the premises no longer available.
Faced with such an obstacle, Mr. Mostyn followed his pre-
decessor's example: purchased a cash memorandum note-
book, wrote on the front page a full explanation of the
situation, and sent it on its journeys to plead the cause of the
Sunday School.
" Having to lose our present accommodation," he wrote,
" we shall have all this number of poor children thrown on
48
our hands without any place provided for them, which will
inevitably scatter them and break up a school we have been
at considerable expense and labour in raising."
The response was generous. The total cost of £312 16s. 5d.
was cleared by December, 1864.
The new schoolroom was opened on the 1st October, 1862.
" Two sermons were preached in Mr. Carter's chapel." It
seems to have been the custom at that time to make use of
either Braintree or Booking Congregational chapels when
especially large congregations were expected.
In July, 1870, chiefly because of increasing family expenses,
the Rev. John Mostyn decided to remove to the United States
of America, where, he thought, was " an inviting field for
ministerial labour." At this time, we are told, " The church
was in a more prosperous state than they had ever been in
the history of the church, and, what was more pleasing than
all, peace reigned amongst the members and between pastor
and people." A very large gathering assembled for the fare-
well tea and public meeting, presided over by the Rev.
Spurrier of Colchester. Mr. Mostyn was presented with a
purse containing £36 from the congregation, a silver watch
from the Bible classes, and various other valuable articles from
private friends.
The Rev. Samuel Hawkes, who had been a student at
Regent's Park College, came to Braintree from Buxton in
Norfolk in January, 1871. The chief events of his six years'
ministry were the purchase of land at the north end of the
schoolroom for the addition of classrooms, gas stoves and new
pews put into the chapel, the children's gallery improved, and
two projecting vestries removed, giving increased seating space.
The manse was also repaired. Mr. Samuel Courtauld offered
£100 on condition that the sum of £550 should be raised for
the alteration fund. The Baptist Building Fund granted a
loan of £250, to be repaid in instalments of £12 10s. Od.
every half-year. The first mention of a bazaar occurs in
connection with this fund.
During Mr. Hawkes' ministry the church was extending its
49
interest in the wider world, but it had also problems of its
own to face. The question of a Benevolent Society for the
relief of the poor members of the church was raised in March,
1871, when " T h e pastor gave some information concerning
the application of the Lord's Supper money to this work."
Other subjects considered at church meetings were, " the
importance of members of the church taking a more active
interest in the sick "; " the best means of sustaining the Means
of Grace with interest"; and whether candidates for church
membership should relate their spiritual experiences to the
church meeting (as formerly) or be visited by deputations, or
" be invited to meet the deacons, with such members as may
be chosen, in the vestry, for conversation."
The annual church and congregational meeting recorded in
January, 1875, was typical of such gatherings at that time. It
was to be held as near the first of February as possible, so as
to secure a moonlight night. The Church Book was to be
revised and the church roll called; a church year-book was to
be published containing a list of members and an address
from the pastor, who was also requested to write to absent
members. The meeting was held on the 21st January when
75 members attended—" a goodly number inasmuch as the
weather was very bad." It was preceded by a tea, and con-
cluded with the observance of the Lord's Supper.
Having accepted an invitation from the Baptist church at
Nelson, Lancashire, Mr. Hawkes left Braintree in 1877, to be
succeeded by the Rev. J. G. Foster, of the Pastor's College, on
the advice of Mr. Spurgeon, at a salary of £125 a year and
the minister's house. Rev. J. A. Spurgeon and Mr. Rogers
were preachers at the Recognition Services.
One of Mr. Foster's first problems concerned the election of
deacons. In March, 1878, " Mr. Fenton proposed that six
deacons be elected, two every two years to retire in alpha-
betical order, at the first instance." As an amendment, Mr.
Tunbridge proposed, and Mr. Piper seconded, that the
deacons should be elected for life. This was carried, and
Brothers Tunbridge, Warmington and Piper elected. (It may
be noted here that in 1886 it was agreed that six deacons serve
50
in office four years, retiring deacons being eligible for re-
election.)
During the Rev. J. C. Foster's ministry, Sunday services were
held in the morning and afternoon, and prayer meetings were
held on Sunday evenings " when necessary." These must have
been well attended, as a minute in 1881 concerns the question
of " preserving order in the galleries at the evening service."
But when, in 1883, the two Congregational churches began
regular evening services, the Baptist followed their example,
and " friends who might be willing to assist the pastor occa-
sionally " helped to conduct an afternoon service.
At this time, singing at the Sunday services was accom-
panied by a harmonium, played by Miss Prior, who was
presented " with a small sum of money (the result of a collec-
tion among the friends) as a slight recognition of her services
in playing the harmonium." At the annual members' tea on
the 26th February, 1880, it was " agreed to purchase the
harmonium now on trial in the chapel for the sum of £16. It
being thought desirable not to incur any debt in the matter,
subscriptions were promised equal to the sum required."
We are told that " the years of Mr. Foster's ministry were
ones of peace and spiritual prosperity." Mr. Foster went from
Braintree in 1884 to Sydenham Church, Forest Hill, London,
where he died, greatly loved and deeply lamented.
The Rev. J. Arthur Jones, from Regent's Park College,
succeeded Mr. Foster, with a stipend of £125 a year and the
manse. No outstanding events are recorded during his
ministry, except that the afternoon service then became a
monthly Communion service. Nevertheless, several of the
faithful members of the church at the time of writing (sixty-
five years later), have happy memories of Mr. Jones, as a jolly
playmate in Sunday School treats, as Band of Hope and Bible
Class Leader, and a popular minister with the young people.
His short stay in Braintree was the first of a succession of
pastorates, in Loughton, Hastings, ;Ipswich, Merthyr Tydfil,
and Bridgend, Glam.
51

CHAPTER NINE
"WISE COUNCILLOR AND FAITHFUL F R I E N D "
IN March, 1890, the Rev. Alfred Curtis, of Spurgeon's College,
was unanimously invited to succeed Mr. Jones, at a salary of
£125 and the manse. Having been the home of successive
ministers for eighty years, it was necessary that the manse
should be repaired in readiness for the new minister. During the
next fifty years there are references to the need for repairs,
and, in 1916, the minute book records a request for a bath.
" Owing to the heavy cost of the work at the present time, if
the pastor waive the matter of the bath at the present," it was
decided, " that the church be recommended to make him a
grant of £10 from the General Fund."
Other matters attended to in the early years of the Rev. A.
Curtis' ministry included : a rummage sale and a bazaar; new
forms, a new lamp, and a tortoise stove for the school-room;
suggestions for more efficiently heating the chapel; a notice-
board in the pastor's garden; repairs to chapel; and enlarge-
ment of school-room, with the addition of folding doors. A
frequently-recurring topic was—the state of the Renovation
Fund!
In February, 1896, a pipe organ, which had been in use in
" T h e Free Church, Coggeshall Road," was offered for £ 4 0 ;
£10 to be paid at once, and £30 more to be paid within seven
years. Much discussion followed. The main objection, lack
of funds, was met by the generous offer of Mr. Brand. He
would give the new organ in exchange for the old one now in
the chapel (bought for £16 in 1880). Still more discussion
centred around the position of the new organ. It was hoped
by some that an extension might be built for the organ at the
back of the pulpit, and enquiries were made concerning the
purchase of land. However, a less ambitious suggestion was
finally accepted by a large majority, and the organ was put
on the gallery facing the pulpit, where it rendered good
52
service for fifty-seven years. On a Thursday in June, 1896, a
recital was given by a Mr. Reeder (whose terms were 10/6
and hospitality), and on Sunday, June 28th, the organ was
opened for divine worship by Miss Prior. At the same time it
was agreed " That members of the choir be thanked for past
services, and requested to sit up in the gallery after the open-
ing of the organ."
In September, 1896, after a discussion as to "the best
method for improving the spiritual needs of the church and
congregation in the future, a public tea was held for the pur-
pose of inaugurating Bible classes and instruction evenings
for the people. In April, 1901, members of the Pastor's Class
presented to Mr. Curtis a swivel study-chair, which was soon
to have an honourable place in the history of the church. The
Education Act of 1902 was considered to be unjust to the
Nonconformists, who were expected to pay rates towards the
religious instruction given in Church of England schools,
though they were given no opportunity for the teaching of
their own principles. They advocated "Complete popular
control of all elementary schools supported by the State," also
the " abolition of sectarian tests amongst teachers paid out of
national funds." 1 From time to time " Passive Resisters " who
refused to pay the Education Rate had certain of their house-
hold goods distrained by the authorities and sold by public
auction for the payment of the outstanding rates. On the 6th
July, 1904, the swivel-chair was taken from the manse and
sold. It was bought back by friends and once more presented
to Mr. Curtis. Before leaving Brain tree, in 1921, Mrs. Curtis
expressed the wish that the chair should be used in the vestry.
Still in constant use, it is a fitting reminder of one whose Free
Church principles were consistently upheld. A brass plate on
the chair briefly records the circumstances, and keeps alive
the memory of the " Passive Resistance " movement.
The Essex Baptist Union Autumnal meetings were held in
Brain tree in 1903, and in 1910 an application was made for
membership with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and
Ireland.
In 1914, fresh problems were created by the outbreak of
53
the war : dark blinds for windows, increased fire-insurance, sore bereavement." A plain tablet in the church honours his
also insurance against damage by aircraft (£3,350 in each memory : " That they may rest from their labours, and their
case). New Year's gifts (1917) were sent to soldiers and sailors works do follow them."
connected with the church. It was decided to send each man
" A tin of Oxo; a book entitled The Three-fold Cord; a khaki
handkerchief; half a pound of peppermints; a pencil; a tin
of condensed milk, and a packet of cigarettes." Sixty-two
young men from this church and Sunday school served with
the Forces between 1914 and 1919. Of these, nine failed to
return. £160 was subscribed for a Memorial Primary Hall,
erected " By the freewill offerings of the people in thanksgiving
for the lives preserved during the war, and in memory of the
noble lives laid down. Also the cherished memory of those in
the homeland who once worked and worshipped in this
Church."
On the 24th February, 1921, Mr. Curtis presided at the
annual meeting of the church and congregation. Many present
members must have memories of that occasion. One vividly
recalls the wistful earnestness of the minister's voice as he
expressed regret that 1920 had been a year without a baptismal
service. There was a note of urgency in his appeal which
touched a chord in the heart of one listener at least.
That appeal was almost the last message from the minister
to his people. On Sunday, March 6th, Mr. Curtis was too ill
to occupy the pulpit. His illness was found to be pernicious
anaemia, for which there was then no known cure. Through
the lengthening Spring days his strength declined, and he
passed to higher service on the 12th May, the third of the
ministers who literally lived and died for the Baptist church
in Braintree.
The minute book reads : " We have to record the passing
away of our dear pastor on May 12th, after thirty-one years
of faithful service in our Church and town. We shall miss
him sorely, not only as a gifted preacher of the Gospel of the
Grace of God, but as a wise councillor and faithful friend.
His last wish was that he might be spared a little longer to
preach the Word. We will continue to pray for his widow
that she may be sustained and comforted in this her time of
54 55

CHAPTER TEN
" T H U S ONWARD STILL WE P R E S S "
THE Rev. W. H. Buss, who commenced his ministry early in
1922, came to Brain tree from Faversham, Kent. During the
first summer, the minister conducted a series of candidates'
classes, concerning the meaning of baptism and church mem-
bership. These classes were well attended and resulted in
three baptismal services.
Encouraged by their young minister's forward outlook, the
church soon embarked upon several new ventures. The year
1922 saw the introduction of the Dedication Service for
parents with young babies; the formation of a Medical
Missionary Auxiliary; the use of the Baptist Church Hymnal
(in place of the Psalms and Hymns, the old copies of which
were sent to the Thaxted Baptist Church); electric light was
installed in the church, also a new heating apparatus costing
£274. At the end of 1925 the weekly envelope system of
contributing to the church funds was adopted. The church
membership at that time was 158, an increase of 13 during
the year, with a balance of £23 in the church fund. General
depression in the early 'thirties was felt in Braintree as else-
where, with serious consequences to the general prosperity of
the church. Junior Church membership, as outlined by Rev.
J. N. Britton of Southend, was adopted in 1928.
Fellowship with the other churches of the town was ex-
pressed in January, 1924, (a week of bitter weather) when the
Free Churches joined in a United Mission held in the
Institute, Bocking End. The Rev. N. H. Patrick (Area Super-
intendent) conducted the services during the first weekend,
followed by the Rev. Daniel Hayes, of " Pier Avenue,"
Clacton, with Miss Marjorie Ford, of Stowmarket, as soloist.
In 1928 the Rev. D. Hayes, with Miss Ford again as soloist,
conducted a series of mid-week afternoon and evening services
in our own church.
56
The Essex Baptist Association visited Braintree in the Spring
of 1924. The visiting preachers were Dr. F. W. Boreham and
the Rev. John MacBeath; and Dr. W. T. Whitley was also
present. In preparation for this occasion, the Rev. W. H. Buss
had compiled a sketch of the history of the church, typed
copies of which were on sale at the Annual Assembly.
1926 was a year of activity, in preparation for a bazaar in
the late autumn, and in anticipation of a large Missionary
Exhibition, in which all the churches of the town united to
portray the work of the various missionary societies in all
their activities. Missionaries from each society were in attend-
ance to explain the exhibits and talk of the work in their
particular spheres. The Baptist church was responsible for
the China and Congo sections. The organizer of the whole
exhibition was Mr. Glennie, of the Baptist Missionary Society.
During the Sunday evening service in the Baptist church, Mr.
Glennie held the large congregation spellbound with recollec-
tions of his experiences during pioneering days on the Congo,
particularly among the cannibal tribes of the interior.
During the ministry of the Rev. W. H. Buss, once again, a
vision of the few became an accomplished fact. Much thought
had been given to the problem of acquiring land for the
purpose of building a new school hall. In 1924 a happy
solution was reached through Mr. W. Bateman's generous gift
of a piece of land, which would enable the trustees to obtain
from the Braintree Urban District Council a convenient site,
for which one hundred one pound loans were raised. It was
agreed that one-third of the necessary money must be obtained
before the building could be started, and that the aim should
be to have at least half the money in hand by the opening
day. An impossible task?
Ninety years before, in times of very great poverty, the
building of the chapel had been a testimony to the faith of
the few inspiring the many to united service and willing sacri-
fice. This was the belief of the " School Extension Commit-
tee," which included five representatives from the Sunday
school staff. Miss A. Hunnable, the Sunday school secretary,
rendered especially valuable service by preparing draft plans
57
of the proposed building, which, it was estimated, would cost Army chaplain from 1939-1942. He went to France, and was
£1,355. In October, 1925, W. J. Courtauld, Esq., J.P., agreed among the last to leave after the evacuation of Dunkirk. He
to lend the church £1,000 at the same rate of interest that the resumed his chaplaincy at West Ham, which he still holds at
bank allowed their customers, to be repaid within ten years. the time of writing.
The new hall was opened in December, 1925 by (Lady)
Mrs. W. J. Courtauld, supported by Mr. G. T. Bartram, who
had shown great interest in the project. At the evening
service the preacher was Dr. Townley Lord. In June, 1929,
the following letter was received, with gratitude and thanks-
giving: " Your church has scrupulously and punctually carried
out its obligation to me, and indeed has now been better than
its word. I feel sure that, all this must have meant a great
effort. I will, as I said, cancel the remainder of the loan due
to me, viz. £350.—W. J. Courtauld."
As soon as the new building was available, the Graded
method of teaching was introduced into the Sunday school.
From that time onward, the first Sunday in December has
been observed as a special Rally Day for the school, with a
Toy Service in the afternoon, followed by a Teachers' Dedica-
tion Service in the evening.
Another outstanding event was the celebration of the cen-
tenary of the building of the church. On Sunday, 8th
October, 1933, the services were conducted by the Rev. J. H.
Rushbrooke, M.A., D.D., Secretary of the Baptist World
Alliance. Rev. John Wilson, M.B.E., D.D., of the Woolwich
Tabernacle, was the preacher at a service on Tuesday, 10th,
and on Thursday, 12th, the Rev. W. T. Whitley, M.A., LL.D.,
gave a lecture on " The Story of the last 100 years " of Baptist
witness in Essex, with special reference to the Braintree
church. (The late Dr. Whitley was a Baptist historian, and
much of the information in this brief history has been obtained
from his books or MSS.) A sealed envelope in the iron chest
contains the record of the Centenary Celebrations when the
church was privileged to welcome these distinguished visitors.
In October, 1933 the Rev. W. H. Buss obtained an appoint-
ment as chaplain to the Public Assistance Institutions of West
Ham, and resigned from the pastorate of the Braintree
church. It may be mentioned here that Mr. Buss served as an
58
59

CHAPTER ELEVEN
" T H E CHURCH IN A NEW A G E "
OUR present minister is the Rev. T. H. Davies. He is a native
of Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, and was educated at Pagefield
College, Ammanford, and Regent's Park College. He was
ordained at Cross Street Baptist Church, Islington, and from
thence was called to the pastorate of the Braintree Baptist
Church. He has now been our minister for twenty years. In
that time there have been many changes, due chiefly to the
second world war. Mr. and Mrs. Davies' first home was at
the old manse, which was destroyed in February, 1941 by
enemy action.
Mr. Davies has been faithful to the evangelical tradition of
our church and our denomination. He has brought up his
generation in the fundamentals of our faith, and has stressed
our Baptist witness by inculcating Baptist principles to the
Church, and especially to all candidates for believers' baptism
by immersion. He introduced to our church the Church
Covenant, a guide to all members on the obligations of church
membership. This has set out clearly the duties and privileges
of every member to the fellowship of Christ.
All through the war, the Rev. T. H. Davies was the O.D.
chaplain to all troops in the district, including two aerodromes.
He thus gained much experience that proved valuable to the
church in the war years. The benefit from this appointment
was mutual. Not only the men, but the padre, and indirectly,
his church, were invigorated by fresh contacts and new friend-
ships. Members of the Forces stationed in the neighbourhood
were welcomed to the services and into private homes. In
1943 a fortnightly gathering was arranged after Sunday even-
ing service, to enable these visitors to feel at home, and to give
an opportunity for our own young people home on leave to
meet again in familiar surroundings.
The Rev. T. H. Davies also exercises a ministry as the Free
60
Church Chaplain to the two local hospitals. Hospital chap-
laincy work has become increasingly important and very many
opportunities are afforded for Christian witness among sick
people.
The cessation of hostilities in 1945 was celebrated in Brain-
tree by a Sunday afternoon service in the market square, in
which all the Protestant churches were represented, and also
representatives of all the troops in the district. The preacher
was the Baptist minister. A large congregation also attended
the service conducted by the Rev. T. H. Davies in his own
church on the evening of V.E. Day.
The end of the war brought most of our young men and
women back home. We as a church lost two in the Royal Air
Force; but, due to contact maintained during the war years
with our young people, most of them returned again to their
church.
Many problems faced us when war ended. A new organ
was needed in our church, and after much planning and toil,
a Compton Electrone organ was installed in September, 1953,
and it was dedicated to the greater glory of God by our
minister; and Mr. Sandy Macpherson, of the B.B.C., who was
our special visitor for the occasion, rendered the first recital
on the organ.
For the first time in the history of our church, a magazine
was published monthly, commencing in the autumn of 1948.
This has proved to be of great interest and help, especially
to those of our church who are in other lands and to the aged
people, as well as to those who worship regularly.
On October 28th, 1948, a Baptist Women's League Branch
was established in our church and has proved to be a means
of great blessing to the church and to many others outside the
church. It has now a fine membership of 102.
The Baptist Men's Fellowship was commenced in the
autumn of 1954, and the majority of the men of the church
have enrolled and have shown a deep interest. There is every
prospect of the Men's Fellowship increasing in numbers and
in interest.
A Baptist Youth Group has been in existence since 1952
61
and has an average attendance of thirty young people. By this
means our young people are brought together every week
to know each other and to have fellowship together.
In the year 1950 the 400th anniversary of our Nonconform-
ist origin was celebrated in our church. A week was given to
special services, and our speakers included the late Dr. S. W.
Hughes, ex-Secretary of the Free Church Federal Council;
Mrs. Flide, formerly Mrs. Curtis; the Rev. W. H. Buss,
former minister; and the Rev. T. G. R. Tyrrell, a member of
our church and a missionary on the Congo. During the week
a pageant was presented to a full church depicting the out-
standing events in the history of the Braintree Baptist Church
now recorded in this book. Seventy of our people took part in
the pageant, which was given in costume.
In July, 1952, the Baptist Missionary Society Mid-Essex
Auxiliary week was held in Braintree. The new B.M.S.
Exhibition, set up in the senior and junior halls, attracted
many visitors. A team of missionaries were available to give
commentaries. There were also film shows, discussions, and a
brains trust. At a final rally a united choir rendered appro-
priate music between the scenes of a specially-written Mission-
ary Pageant, produced by various churches in the Group; and
the Rev. J. B. Middlebrook, M.A., concluded the meetings
with a very fine address.
At the present time the church is faced with another enter-
prise. The destruction of the manse and the caretaker's
cottage has left us with a stretch of land in front of the church
and almost in the centre of the town. Plans are already being
discussed to lay out this stretch of land as a worthy approach
to the House of God, as well as a car park for the convenience
of our worshippers. This project will be costly, but plans are
already in hand to raise funds for the purpose.
62
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE MANSE
A RECORD of the Baptist cause in Braintree might be woven
around the story of the old manse.
In 1760 a weaver's shop occupied part of the space between
Coggeshall Lane and the old meeting house, which was
entered by means of a right of way through the weaver's yard.
We read no more of the weaver's shop, but in 1817 the trustees
bought a freehold tenement, then " in the several tenures or
occupations of John Clarricot and John Moss," which stood
upon the same plot of ground. The purchase included " out-
houses, buildings, yards, gardens, and half part of well pump
and drain." Later a wash-house was built over the old well,
which was discovered when the site was levelled in 1941.
The Rev. John Hornblow had been the tenant at the time
of his death in 1816. One can only surmise that he moved
into it when he first came to the church thirty-seven years
earlier. Remembering the reference to " the largeness of his
family," it may be assumed that he had been glad to occupy
the whole of the premises, also as much of the garden ground
between his house and the meeting house as was not already
in use as a burial ground. Is it fanciful to imagine a succession
of little Hornblows, playing in the garden adjoining the burial
ground, or sitting in a decorous row in the pastor's family
pew throughout long Sunday services ?
When the property was bought, in 1817, for the use of the
Rev. Richard Miller and his family, the trustees had a clause
inserted in the deed to the effect that, should any minister die
and leave a widow in occupation of the manse, " she should
be permitted to live in the said premises for the space of six
calendar months after her husband's decease."
A succession of shorter ministries brought quick changes to
the manse as well as to the pulpit, until the Rev. William
Humphries brought home his young bride, then twenty-two
63
years of age. She was baptized here in November, 1827. The
young minister was facing a difficult task—so indeed was the
young wife in the manse, in those distressing times. It would
be revealing if we could learn something of the domestic life
of William and Hannah Humphries : if the salary, by this
time, was more than £40 a year; how many children they
had; how, in common with most of their people, they
managed " to make ends meet" in those " hard times "; and
what was the nature of Mr. Humphries' last illness, which
brought his labours to an end at the early age of forty-four.
Very soon after her arrival in Braintree, we read of Mrs.
Humphries taking her place as sick visitor and in other
forms of church work. When, after nineteen years of widow-
hood, she died in 1864, her name was added to her husband's
memorial tablet in the church.
The Rev. David Rees came to the Braintree Church in
January, 1846. At that time there were added to the church
roll " by letter from Isleham, Mary Eliza Rees, and Harriet
Booth." Mrs. Rees died three years later and was interred in
the burial ground in front of the chapel. Harriet Booth, with
Elizabeth Rees and Susan Waters (who had been baptized by
the minister in May, 1852) went with Mr. Rees to Australia in
1859.
Of the Rev. John Mostyn, who came to Braintree in 1859,
there remain a few treasured memories. Miss Prior retained
a marvellous memory until her death at the great age of 95.
In March, 1949, a few weeks before her last illness, she
allowed the present writer to take down from dictation some
of her early recollections :—
" I was at the Baptist chapel and Sunday school from
my earliest recollections. Mr. Rees was really the first
minister I can remember. My father did some work for
him, and I remember him coming to our shop. Then there
was Mr. Mostyn. He had curly hair, as black as coal, and
smoked a long white churchwarden's pipe. Then Mr. Hawkes
came with his wife and four children from Lancashire.
His salary was then £75 a year and the manse. It was he
64
who suggested I should take a school. The fee was 4d. per
week for each child. I started with five scholars, making an
income of l/8d. per week. They were Mary, Fanny,
Arthur and Walter Hawkes, and one other. Walter was a
little invalid. I began the school in my father's room. (Later
I taught many Braintree families in my school, in the
Baptist schoolroom: Bowtells, Brands, Baileys, Cooks, Lin-
foots, Bentalls, and three generations of Plucks.) Mr.
Hawkes stayed eleven years. Mr. and Mrs. Foster were my
friends from the beginning to the end. They were eight
happy years. Mr. Foster had a curl on the top of his head.
He always had a smile for everybody. He lost his voice at
Forest Hill, so he had to give up his preaching. Then came
four happy years with Mr. Jones. Mr. Curtis was here
thirty-one years."
Mr. and Mrs. Foster are still remembered with respect and
affection by a few members. The Rev. J. Arthur Jones was in
Braintree only about four years, but he left behind many
happy memories. At that time there was at " Mount House "
a boarding school for about twenty young ladies. They
attended Sunday services in the Baptist chapel, accompanied
by their principals—the Misses Woodgate. The young minister
married Miss Kate Woodgate. One Sunday in 1953, in the
course of conversation after the morning service, a visitor
explained to the minister that she was the daughter of the late
Rev. J. Arthur Jones. Mrs. Jones had retained her faculties
until her decease at the great age of ninety-seven, and had
corresponded with Miss Prior almost to the end.
The ministry of the Rev. Alfred Curtis is a comparatively
recent memory. He was considered to be a powerful preacher;
and a man of wide interests. His study was a small geological
museum, with its neatly labelled cases of precious stones and
fossils. He was an artist, too, and the walls of the manse were
hung with his oil paintings. Mr. Curtis had been minister in
Braintree five and a. half years when, in September, 1895, he
brought a bride home to the manse. They had no children,
and when, after twenty-five years spent together in the service
65
of the church, Mrs. Curtis was left a widow, she moved away
from Braintree. In October, 1950, she was a welcome and
honoured guest at the 400th anniversary celebrations, greeted
and remembered by many, and looking surprisingly little
altered after nearly thirty years' absence !
During the early years of his ministry in Braintree, the Rev.
W. H. Buss lived with his mother and father at the manse,
until Mrs. Buss was seriously crippled by a fall, and, after
much suffering, died in heir sleep on the 7th April, 1927. A
year later, a crowded social gathering in the Senior Hall
welcomed the minister's bride. Seven happy years followed,
during which, after nearly forty quiet years, the sound of a
child's voice was heard in the old manse !
In January, 1935, the Rev. T. H. Davies and Mrs. Davies
made their first home in Braintree. Many happy memories
come to mind of the succeeding five years. Perhaps the most
vivid memory is of the minister's little daughter picking daisies
from the front lawn and offering them, through the iron rail-
ings, to certain elderly ladies as they came from morning
service. Another very different memory is of a war-time
winter scene, with long icicles hanging from the trough above
the kitchen window.
The ever-recurring problem, " Repairs to manse," caused
the church officers many hours of thought, as it became in-
creasingly difficult to keep the house weather-proof and fit for
habitation. Estimates were obtained, and orders given for
extensive repairs in the summer and autumn of 1940, but war
conditions caused unavoidable delays. Mr. Davies used the
manse as a study only, boarding out elsewhere, while Mrs.
Davies and their little daughter remained in Wales, intending
to return as soon as repairs were completed.
The minute book records :—
" It was decided that it be put on record that we as a
church had suffered severely from air action by the enemy
on the night of Friday, 14th February, 1941. The extent
of the damage was as follows: The manse had been so
damaged that it had to be completely demolished. The
66
cottages had suffered likewise and had to be completely
demolished" The church and schoolrooms also were dam-
aged. " The estimated damage cost was as follows : The
manse, £950; the cottages, £200; the church £311, making
a total of £1,461. The deacons expressed their sympathy
with the minister, the Rev. T. H. Davies, at the loss of his
home. While recording the above facts, we also wish to
express our gratitude to God for merciful deliverance and
much evidence of His nearness to the church in the hour of
shock and loss."
It is remembered with gratitude that the manse was empty
on that Friday night; that the choir members were unharmed
(though still .in the schoolroom at the time of disaster), and
that a group of our lads were unhurt, though they had left
the very spot one minute before the bomb fell. It is good to
remember how they, and other lads of the Bible Glass,
rallied round their minister the next day and helped him in
the dangerous task of salvaging his household goods.
For all who would ponder on " the ways of God to men,"
let the old manse tell its own story : the story of devotion and
self-sacrifice in Christian home and family life; of generations
nurtured " i n the fear of the Lord "; of sacrifices and endur-
ance; of heartaches and fears, unknown even to the church;
of many joys gladly shared, and many a sad heart comforted
by the hospitality and cheer of the manse fireside. In a
moment, this long story came to an end ! But surely its influ-
ence must have been built into the life and tradition of the
church, and, through the witness of the church, will continue,
from generation to generation, to " assert eternal Providence,
and justify the ways of God to men."
67

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
" H U M B L E AND NAMELESS"
MINUTE books and legal documents preserved in the iron chest
have been the chief sources of material for this brief history.
Yet, the true story of the church must remain for ever un-
recorded. The faithful proclamation of the Gospel, the quiet,
consistent witness of pastor and people; and the formation
of Christian character : on such sure foundations has the
church been built up through the years. For many genera-
tions the church has been served by men and women whose
strength of character and personal witness to the Christian
Way of Life have upheld the evangelical tradition of this
church. Their names may be unrecorded, their deeds and
words forgotten, but the lasting influence of their personalities
has been handed down as a precious heritage to be valued by
the present, and handed on to the future—in no way dimin-
ished, but, rather, enhanced from generation to generation.
Is it possible to gather from the old records some idea of
the manner of life and the personalities of some of those men
and women who thus helped to make our church what it is
today?
Until the ministry of the Rev. John Hornblow, events and
personalities are vague, but the legal documents and corres-
pondence preserved in the iron chest show that at that time
there were men of strong will and forceful character in the
church, causing a clash of wills which was very discreditable.
Nevertheless, John Hornblow's influence prevailed, the church
survived, and the pastor maintained a successful ministry for
thirty-seven years, during which time he was pardy instru-
mental in founding churches at Chelmsford and Rayleigh.
He also assisted in the formation of the Essex Baptist Asso-
ciation at Braintree, 1796.
After Mr. Hornblow's decease, an attempt was made to
formulate a creed, rules were laid down, and discipline exer-
68
cised. Under this new order, one of the first to be censored
by the church was Mrs. Elizabeth Hornblow !
" March 7, 1817. The case and conduct of Mrs. Elizabeth
Hornblow was brought forward and after discussion it was
agreed by a large majority that she should be considered as
a suspended member for her treating of the church with
contempt, etc. etc."
" M a y 7, 1819. Mrs. Hornblow dismissed to the church
in Keppel Street, London."
Other entries in the minute books are revealing!
"1820. Sarah Bragg be 'withdrawn from' for conduct
unworthy of a Christian, having been reproved without
good effect. This motion was followed with earnest prayer
for her soul by the pastor."
" 1821. Mary Jiffin set aside until she acknowledge her
fault. In 1824, however, it is good to learn "that Mary
Jiffin be invited to take her place again."
It was also agreed regarding Joseph and Mary Bright, and
Samuel and Mary Handley (who had been excluded since
1820 "for slandering characters"), that, "having acknow-
ledged their sins, they should be restored to full communion."
In 1840 Mr. Thompson, deacon, was suspended for six
months for drunkenness on the testimony of James Burton,
who saw him so intoxicated at market that he was not able to
stand.
"Nov. 4, 1841. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson be requested to
take their place as members."
" Mrs. Peters, now Mrs. Harrington, to be suspended
from the Lord's Table for six months for her conduct in
marrying a very wicked young man."
" 1848. On Lord's Day, 11th June, John Cook, Stisted,
having taken his place among the members with a view to
partake of the Lord's Supper, when he, in connection with
Thomas Fish, was charged with serious offences. It was
unanimously resolved that both Fish and Cook should be
forthwith excluded from the fellowship of the church—for
69
 having circulated certain false and slanderous reports in
reference to some members of the church."
The Church Register for this period, giving name and date
of admission to the church, whether by baptism or transfer,
and date of death or " dismission " to some other church, has
also, in some cases, revealing comments added by the minister.
For example :—
" Ebenezer Quant and Mrs. Quant, by letter from Bury,
28 May, 1847. Withdrawn, 1850. May God deliver our
churches from such characters." (In different handwriting)
" Amen."
Most of the comments, however, are complimentary.
" Sarah Bentall was very much esteemed by all and
delighted to do good." Thomas Wood. " He was a good
man, meek and retiring, but useful." " Mrs. Joslin died
Dec. 1852, having been a Christian for more than sixty
years."
One is very curious to know the exact meaning concerning
Mrs. Oxbrow, widow, Booking—" Never sits down."
" 1853. Jeremy King. By dismission from Dunmow, died
1860. He had been upwards of forty years a minister of
Christ."
"Mrs. Denton. Received by letter 1872. April 3, 1883,
Called suddenly, but was watching."
" 1843. Thomas Cook, Surgeon, Booking, having been
baptized at Worcester, was received into Christian fellow-
ship."
" July, 1884. Mr. Abraham Hutley called attention to the
distressed condition of Mrs. Cox, a member of this church.
The pastor spoke of the death of her daughter, who had
been suffering from a serious disease. Mrs. Cox was
absolutely without money. Friends desirous of helping her
would have the opportunity at once, and an appeal on her
behalf would be made at the Ordinance on Sunday."
In more recent minute books, the personal references are of
a happier nature! The position of Honorary Life Deacon is
the highest honour that a Baptist Church can bestow upon
70
one of its members, as an acknowledgement of long years of
faithful service, and a token of its respect for integrity and
nobility of Christian character. During the last fifty years,
the church thus paid tribute to six of its officers.
Mr. Jabez Pluck was accorded that honour in 1906, and
continued to take his seat upon the rostrum for the Commun-
ion Service until he was well over ninety years of age. Until
a few years before his decease he claimed the privilege of
distributing the Harvest Festival produce, driving himself in
his little " trap," drawn by a contented donkey, which spent
most of its carefree life in the paddock which is now part of
the County High School grounds.
Mr. James Bowtell, who had served the church and Sunday
school for many years, was elected Honorary Deacon in 1916.
Mr. Charles Bailey, appointed in 1926, held the position
until his decease ten years later. He was a man of integrity,
with a calm faith, unshaken by sorrow and suffering.
Mr. A. W. Witard received this honour less than two years
before his death in 1944, after more than twenty years as a
member of the diaconate.
Mr. F. Clements was elected as Honorary Life Deacon in
1946, and maintained his interest until his "passing" in
October, 1950.
After thirty-six years on the diaconate, and many years of
service as Church Secretary, Sunday school Superintendent
and Choirmaster, Mr. H. O. Cook was " given the highest
honour the church could confer and made a Life Deacon "
in 1950. He, too, held this office less than two years.
There is also on record (1924) a special tribute to the life
and service of Mr. R. H. Linsell, a deacon and former super-
intendent of the Sunday school.
The Essex Baptist Union (as the Association was then called)
was first formed in Braintree in 1796. From that time, every
year, the minister and one or two representatives (" messen-
gers ") would attend the Annual Assembly, the appointed
messenger bearing a letter from his church, which would
be read at the Assembly. A circular reply would be drafted,
approved, and dictated, each minister taking down his own
71
copy, which he would read to his church the following
Sunday.
In 1824, however, the letter which was read to the Associa-
tion by the Rev. George Washington Wilks met with such
strong disapproval, that the Association " repudiated" the
Braintree Church. It was not until 1829 that the Rev. William
Humphries was able to ' live down' the failings of his pre-
decessor and restore the church to the fellowship of the
County Association. Since that time representatives have been
appointed to all the Annual Assemblies. In 1864, six ministers
and five laymen met at Braintree and acknowledged that it
was not worth while meeting again. 1 The minute book of the
Association was deposited in the library of the Baptist Union.
In 1869, however, the present Association was formed, again
at Braintree. In 1835 the Rev. William Humphries became
Association Secretary. The Rev. J. C. Foster was President
in 1882, after which he became Secretary. The Assemblies
were held in Braintree in 1796, 1852, 1864, 1869, 1903, 1924,
1937 and 1950.
In 1910 the Braintree Church applied for membership with
the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland. Since 1840
" Home Mission Work " has been supported by the church,
in response to the Union's various appeals.
" A Society for collecting for Foreign Missions" was in
existence in the Braintree Church in 1829, and though the
collection was discontinued while the Building Fund was in
operation, by 1841 missionary boxes were in circulation and
annual collections for the B.M.S. were resumed, to be con-
tinued, it seems, without a break to the present time. In 1841
the total was £18 6s. 11-Jd. In 1953, £104 Is. 3d.
For many years the weekly collections in all departments of
the Sunday school have been given entirely to the B.M.S.
The Medical Missionary Birthday Scheme was inaugurated in
1922. For many years before the war, a " Missionary Circle "
met regularly to knit and sew suitable garments for despatch
to the mission field. In addition to the annual visit of a
missionary deputation to conduct all three Sunday services,
the local committee arranges an Annual Medical Missionary
72
Service, when Sunday school scholars and others bring gifts of
suitable medical accessories for B.M.S. hospitals abroad.
In July, 1919, a valedictory service was held in the church,
to wish Godspeed to Miss Hilda Gibbs, a teacher at the Brain-
tree County High School and a Bible Class leader in the
Sunday school. Miss Gibbs, after a course of special training
at Bristol, ultimately held a post in the Mission High School
for girls in Delhi. She revisited Braintree on her return from
India, but passed away after a long illness in her home in
Bristol in 1940.
The B.M.S. representative in charge of the Congo section
of the United Missionary Exhibition in 1926, was the Rev.
T. G. R. Tyrrell, home on his first furlough from Bolobo. Five
years later, Mr. Tyrrell, in search of a spiritual home, asked
that his name might be added to the roll of the Braintree
Baptist Church (because of the cordial fellowship and warm
welcome he always received). Every time Mr. Tyrrell returned
to England, he was welcomed to the Braintree Church, until,
in 1952, he accepted the ministry of the Baptist church in
Ludlow.
Tragic though the war years (1939-1945) were for all, it
must be admitted that the life of the church was greatly en-
riched and its horizons widened by American soldiers being
welcomed to our church. There were others, from various
parts of Britain, whose fellowship enriched our church life,
while they were glad to accept the hospitality offered to them
by our members.
In July, 1939, two of our young men were called to
service under the Conscription Act. They were the first of
very many members of the church or Bible classes, called to
H.M. Forces, to receive an inscribed pocket Bible, presented
before the assembled congregation, on the last Sunday before
leaving home. During the war, no less than thirty-six young
men and women served with H.M. Forces. Every month, for
seven years, the Rev. T. H. Davies drafted a letter, each copy
of which was typed separately, on special letter-paper, with
stamp for reply enclosed. Every one of these young people
thus received news of their comrades and the home-church,
73
with items of general interest, and words of Christian cheer
and encouragement from the minister, assuring them of the
interest and prayers of the church during their absence.
In June, 1941, Sergeant Observer John A. Rudkin, R.A.F.,
was reported " missing." John had attended church and
Sunday school all his life and was a member of the minister's
Bible class when he joined the R.A.F. The anxiety and grief
of our church treasurer and Mrs. Rudkin and the family were
shared by the whole church. Derrick Stock, who was also a
member of the Bible class when he joined the R.A.F., was
also reported " missing " in August, 1944.
The rest of the young people, we gratefully record, returned
in due course.. Though many of them did not permanently
settle in the old home town, by correspondence and visits, they
still testify to the abiding influence of early days in church
and Sunday school.
The Braintree Baptist Church has a long tradition of
evangelism. When the " Essex Baptist Association " was first
formed in Braintree in 1796, " t h e grand object of this Asso-
ciation " was " the spread of the Gospel in the different towns
and villages of the County." The Braintree minister of that
time, John Hornblow, was an ardent and eloquent evangelist,
preaching in the surrounding villages and in the theatre at
Chelmsford. " Grace was his theme."
In 1871, " A unanimous request was presented to Charles
Brand that he would give the address at the service preceding
the next church meeting, in order that the church might
decide upon his fitness for the work of village preaching. A
vote of confidence in the brethren already engaged in the
village work and of sympathy with them in their labours was
also passed unanimously."
From that time onward, the church's tradition of evangelism
has been upheld, not only in the pulpit, but also by a succession
of " local preachers " who have freely given themselves to the
help of the village chapels. It must be remembered that until
recent years, walking, or (later) cycling, would be the only
means of reaching these villages. Most of these preachers
would be men of very little education, apart from the instruc-
74
tion and encouragement given by their ministers; time for
study would be limited by long working hours; the joy of
service would be their only reward. Village open-air services
were a feature of this work. A band of young people would
accompany one or two of these preachers, whom they would
assist by Bible-reading, or as a choir, thus receiving early
training in this work.
Modern conditions have brought many conveniences to
village life; many distractions, too, crowding out the open-air
service. But village chapel services are still conducted by
preachers from our own and neighbouring churches, who thus
maintain the Christian witness and bring encouragement to
the few who keep open the little " Bethels," in spite of many
adverse influences.
There is still need for a proclamation of the Gospel, not
only from the pulpit (where it is always faithfully preached),
but by the personal witness of the consistent Christian life of
every member. It is thus, by word and by life, the church
will continue to uphold its long tradition of evangelism.
The Primary Sunday school is dedicated to the memory of
those who fell in the 1914 war, also to " the cherished memory
of those in the homeland who once worked and worshipped in
this church." Many who have passed " beyond " since that
time have enriched the life of the church by very many
practical gifts, such as: Bibles, hymn-books, hand-worked
Communion cloths, carved collection plates and hymn-boards,
various items of furniture, and a number of generous legacies.
All these material gifts, too numerous to mention in detail, are
precious because they are permanent tokens of generous con-
cern for the well-being of the church, and its maintenance in
years to come.
Many cathedrals are elaborate with memorials to the famous
or to wealthy benefactors. In this church three plain wall
tablets perpetuate the memory of the ministers who died in
the service of this church, and a stone slab marks William
Humphries' resting-place. It could also be truly said that
every part of the Braintree Baptist Church is a memorial to
those who, " humble and nameless," gave so freely money,
75
time and service for this church. However strange their ways
and opinions may seem today, we count it our highest honour
to share their service and sacrifice, and to be one with them in
CONCLUSION
loyalty and zeal for the glory of God and the extension of His
Kingdom—in the Name and for the sake, of His Son, Who is WHERE WE STAND TODAY
Head of the Church now and for ever. BY
T H E R E V . T. H. D A VIES

You have now read this history. Our church has come down
the years through many difficult times and vicissitudes. It
remains to state what are the main positions of our Baptist
outlook today. We cannot possibly do any semblance of
justice to this subject within the space at our disposal, but I
submit an outline of what we believe and what we practise
within the church today.
T H E DEDICATION SERVICE
The meaning of the Dedication Service should be clear in
the minds of all our Baptist people. Let it be known that this
is not a christening service, or infant baptism, but the home
and the church joining together to give every possible oppor-
tunity for the little ones of Zion to be brought up healthily
in the Christian Faith.
When a baby is born into one of the homes of our church,
the parents bring the baby to the church, by appointment, but
let it be clearly understood that it is not the baby that is being
dedicated, but the parents and the church. It is the wish of
the parents that the little one should be brought up in the
love of God. They come to church and give their vows that
they will " so order their home," and do everything possible
to give the baby every opportunity to grow up in the Christian
Faith. The church likewise say that everything possible will
be done by the church, through the Cradle Roll Secretary, to
afford every help to the parents in this Christian duty. The
link between the church and the home is the Cradle Roll
Secretary, and she keeps in touch with that home until the
baby is about four years of age, when the parents are invited
to bring the little one to the " Beginners' Department " of the
Sunday school.
76 77
 At the age of five, the child passes on to the Primary
Department; at eight, to the Junior Department; at eleven,
to the Intermediate; and at fifteen to the Bible Classes. Thus
the young person, being of age, is guided to make his or her
own decision to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, and to
become a member of His Church.
BELIEVERS J BAPTISM BY IMMERSION
If the young person comes to a decision to dedicate his or
her life to Christ and to join His Church, he or she attends a
candidates' class, conducted by the minister. In that class,
the candidate is taken through the Fundamentals of the
Christian Faith, the Meaning of the Church, the Principles of
Believer's Baptism by Immersion, and the Meaning of the
Communion Service. After baptism, the candidate is received
into the membership at a Communion Service in the presence
of the church and given a membership card on which is
printed the Church Covenant.
We believe in adult baptism only, and the mode of baptism
is immersion. This is according to the New Testament, which
is our authority on all matters of Faith and Order. The
ordinance of baptism means, first, the death, the burial, and
the resurrection of our Lord, and, secondly, it means the death
of the old self and its burial, and the rising to a new life in
Christ. Thus we stress what happened to Jesus Christ and
what happens to a believer in Jesus Christ. It is the meaning
we give to baptism that is important. The whole Gospel is
found in the New Testament meaning of believers' baptism by
immersion.
T H E COMMUNION SERVICE
In Baptist churches we have no altar, but a table. At the
Communion Service we meet around the table. The service is
simple. The taking of the bread signifies the broken body, the
death of Christ on the Cross. The wine signifies the dying of
the Son of God for the redemption of the sinner.
So much depends upon what is going on in the mind of
the communicant at the Communion Service. We are asked
78
to remember Christ in the upper room, in the garden of
Gethsemane, upon the Cross, and " The Risen Lord." A
congregation of communicants thinking on these things and
dwelling upon the love of God in Christ creates a corporate
relationship through which the Holy Spirit is manifested, and
through which our faith is increased, giving us an ever-
deepening spiritual experience.
T H E CHURCH
Every member of the church has one vote, and that gives
to every one an equal status. In all matters concerning the
church that are brought up in a church meeting, all members
can express their opinions or convictions. We expect no
one to abandon his or her convictions, but in matters of
opinion it is the majority vote which decides any issue. Those
whose opinions do not agree with the majority are expected to
accept the majority decision. But we are to remember that
the church meeting should be under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit; that all members have sought that guidance and vote
accordingly. Hence, the authority of the church meeting and
its decisions are derived from the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
T H E CHURCH COVENANT
The Church Covenant has been mentioned. At a candi-
dates' class this covenant is thoroughly explained and each
one is asked if he or she accepts that covenant. What does it
mean? It is an agreement between the believer and the local
church, and every candidate, on being accepted into member-
ship at the Communion Service, is given a membership card
on which the church covenant is printed in full with scriptural
references. The believer has already accepted the Covenant
of God—" This is the new Covenant in my blood "—but the
believer, on joining the local church, is also asked to accept a
^ovenant with that church. The believer has obligations to the
group to which he or she belongs and those obligations are put
in the form of a Church covenant.
79
 In matters of discipline the covenant can be referred to, NOTES
and this gives the minister authority on behalf of the church INTRODUCTION
to deal with matters that call for disciplinary measures, if
1. Annals of Evangelical Nonconformity in the County of Essex
necessary. The minister speaks for God, and the minister
by T. W. Davids. Jackson, Walford & Hodder, London, 1863,
speaks for the church. p. 7.
2. Davids, op. cit., p. 7.
3. A Popular History of the Free Churches
Unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus, through-
by C. Silvester Home, M.A. James Clarke & Co., London, 1903,
out all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3 : 21). p. 7.
4. Davids, op. cit., p. 7.
5. Baptists as Champions of Religious Freedom
by Rev. J. H. Rushbrooke, M.A., D.D. The Kingsgate Press,
London, 1938, p. 8.
6. Rushbrooke, op. cit., p. 8.
7. A History of British Baptists
by W. T. Whitley, M.A., LL.D., F.R.Hist.S. The Kingsgate Press,
London, 1932, p. 8.
8. Whidey, op. cit., p. 8.
9. Whitley, op. cit., p. 8.
10. Silvester Home, op. cit., p. 9.
11. Whitley, op. cit., p. 9.
CHAPTER O N E

1. Whitley, op. cit., p. 11.

2. Davids, op. cit., p. 12.
3. Davids, op. cit., p. 12.
4. History of English Congregationalism
by R. W. Dale, 1907, p. 13.
CHAPTER T W O

1. Davids, op. cit., p. 16.

2. W. T. Whitley, in unpublished MSS., p. 17.
CHAPTER T H R E E
1. Tales of Bocking
by Alfred Hills. Benham & Co., Ltd., Colchester, 1928, p. 20.
2. Whidey, op. cit., p. 20.

81
 3. Whitley, W. T. (MSS.), p. 21.
4. Sketches of Free Church Life in Stebbing
by W. H. Beckett. Jarrold & Sons, Norwich, 1893, p. 21.
CHAPTER F I V E
1. William Carey
by S. Pearce Carey, p. 29. INDEX
2. Whitley, op. cit., p. 29.
Acts of Parliament:
3. Whitley, op. cit., p. 29. Conscription, 73
4.' William Carey, Conventicles, 9, 19
Education, 53
by S. Pearce Carey, M.A. Hodder & Stoughton, Ltd., London, of Privy Council, 13
1923, p. 30. Supremacy, 7
5. Whitley, W. T. (M.S.S.), p. 30. Toleration, 9
Uniformity, 6, 9
6. Whitley, op. cit., p. 32. America, U.S., 49
Australia, 47, 64
CHAPTER SEVEN
1. Whitley, op. cit., p. 38. Bailey, C , 71
Bailey family, 65
2. Pearce Carey, op. cit., p. 38. Baptist:
3. Whitley, W. T. (MSS.), p. 40. Building Fund, 41, 49
Missionary Society, 45, 57,
4. Whitley, W. T. (MSS.), p. 44. 62, 72, 73
Union, 44, 53, 72
CHAPTER NINE Bagge, R., 14
Bateman, W., 57
1. The Life of Dr. John Clifford Barrett, J., 14
by Sir James Marchant, p. 53. Bartram, G. T , 58
Beckwyth family, 12
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Bentall family, 65
Bentall, Anthony, 23, 47
1. Whitley, W. T. (MSS.), p. 72. Bentall, Arthur, 23
Bentall, Miss M, 39
Booth, Rev. A., 25, 30, 31, 32
Booth, Harriet, 64
Boreham, Rev. F. W., 57
Boughtell —, 14
Bowtell family, 65
Bowtell, J., 71
Brand, C , 52, 74
Brand family, 65
Bright, Mrs., 19
Britton, Rev. J. N., 56
Bunyan, John, 20
Buss, Mrs., 66
Buss, Rev. W. H., 56-59, 62, 66
Calvinism, 29, 33, 43, 44
Carey, Rev. E., 45
82 83
Carey, William, 21, 30
Carter, Rev., 49
Cartwright, J., 23, 26, 27
Cartwright, S., 23
Cartwright, W., 19, 21
"Challis's," 31
Challis, Deacon
Challis, Mrs. D., 41
Challis, J., 23, 34, 35
Challis, Mrs. J., 41
Challis, W., 34, 36
Chancery, High Court, 2, 8
Church Rate, 46, 47
Clements, F., 71
Collins, Rev. S., 15, 16, 17
Cooke, R., 13, 14
Cook, H. p . , 71
Cook family, 65
Courtauld, George, 48
Courtauld, Samuel, 46
Courtauld, W. J., 58
Courtauld, Mrs. W. J., 58
Cousins, S., 27
Cowles, —, 20
Cox, Mrs. M., 27, 28
Cromwell, 8
Curtis, Rev. A., 52-54, 65, 66
Curtis, Mrs., 53, 62, 66
Duck, Dr., 15
Davies, Rev. T. H., 60, 61, 66,
67
Davies, Mrs., 60, 66
Draper, Mr., 19, 21, 23
Dyer, J., 23
Eglise, J., 14
English family, 20
Essex Baptist Association, 30,
39, 53, 57, 68, 71, 72, 74
Faversham, 13, 56
Fenton, —, 50 Mostyn, Rev. J., 47, 48, 64 Tabor family, 20 Waters, Susan, 64
Ford, Miss M., 56 Murton, J., 8 Thomas, Dr. J., 30 Watkins, J., 21, 25, 27, 29, 31
Fuller, Rev. Andrew, 29, 30 Myxsto, —, 14 Tunbridge, J., 23 Wellin, —, 31
Tunbridge, —, 50 Whitley, Dr. W. T , 11, 14, 46,
Gibbs, Miss H., 73 Nonconformist Conscience, 46 Tyndale, Wm., 5, 6 57, 58
Gill, Dr., 32 Norton—Sheriff, 12, 14 Tyrrell, Rev. T. G. R., 62, 73 Wilks, Rev. G. W., 36, 37, 39,
Glennie, —, 57 40, 72
Goss, J., 23, 27 Oates, S., 17 Upcharde, —, 13 Wilson, Rev. J., 58
Gould, —, 31 Witard, A. W., 71
Granger, T., 23 Vincent, T., 12 Wolmere, R., 14
Passive Resistance, 53 Woodgate, Miss, 65
Hammond, Hannah, 18, 28, 43 Pastors' College, 50 Ward, E., 35 Wright, Wm., 21, 23
Hawkes, Rev. S., 49, 50, 64, 65 Patrick, Rev. N. H., 56 Warmington, —, 50
Hayes, Rev. D., 56 Perrott, Dr. J. W., 18, 25, 26,
Helwys, Thomas, 7, 8 27
High Commission, 6, 8, 16 Piggot, Wm., 6
Hicks, W., 36, 37, 38 Piper, —, 50
Hills, A., 13 Pluck family, 65
Horkley, D., 24 Pluck, J., 71
Hornblow, Rev. J., 18, 25, 26, Prior, Miss, 51, 53, 64
27, 31, 32, 38, 63, 68, 74 Privy Council, 7
Hornblow, Mrs. E., 69 Pygrinde, T., 14
Horton College, 38, 46, 47
House of Lords, 46 Ragsdell, Rev. W., 36, 38
Hughes, Dr. S. W., 62 Railing, Misses E. & R., 41
Hume, R., 21, 23 Reeder, —, 53
Humphreys, —, 19, 20 Rees, Rev. D., 46, 47, 64
Humphries, Rev. W., 18, 19, Rees, Elizabeth, 64
22, 38-43, 46, 48, 63, 64, 72 Rees, Mrs., 46, 64
Humphries, Mrs., 39, 64 Regent's Park College, 30, 49,
Hannable, Miss A., 57 51, 60
Richardson, T., 23
Jagger, J , 23 Rogers, —, 50
Jeffreys, 9 Rudkin, J., 74
Johnson, Mrs., 18, 28, 43 Rushbrooke, Dr. J. H., 58
Jones, Rev. J. A., 51, 52, 65
Samson, Isaac, 23
Kinge, — , 1 4 Slaughter, —, 21
Smee, —, 19
Lamb, Thomas, 8, 17, 29 Smyth, John, 29
Laud, Bishop, 15, 16 Spurgeon's College, 52
Legacy, 27, 28, 47, 75 Spurgeon, Rev. C. H., 50
Linfoot family, 65 Spurgeon, Rev. J. A., 50
Linsell, R. H., 71 Spurrier, Rev., 49
Lord, Dr. Townley, 58 Star Chamber, 8
Steadman, Dr., 38
Macbeath, Rev. J., 57 Steevens, —, 30, 31
Macpherson, S., 61 Stepney Academy, 30, 37
Mann, I., 38 Stock, D., 74
Marriage Licence, 45 Strypes Memorials, 12
Middlebrook, Rev. J. B., 62 Swallow, D., 34
Miller, Rev. R., 33-36, 38, 63 Sympson, —, 14
84 85