Baptists in Blunham

About the Baptists

The Baptists| were a church based on the teachings of 16th century reformer John Calvin. There are two chapels in Blunham, representing two strands of Baptist worship which differ in regards to membership and communion. Towards the end of the eighteenth century Andrew Fuller modified some aspects of Baptist teaching around membership and communion. This occasioned a split between his new General Baptists and the original Particular Baptists, now often referred to as Strict Baptists. The two came together in the Baptist Union of Great Britain (formed in 1813) in 1891, although some General Baptists remained outside the Union.

 

The Old Meeting in March 2007

Baptist Old Meeting: High Street

William Abbott, the pastor, wrote a history of the Old Meeting in 1854 [X525/1] in which he stated that the first mention of Baptists in Blunham was in 1709 when Rev.Thompson of Bedford was appointed to visit the parish one Sunday in a month. The first record of Baptist in Blunham is in 1724 and is recorded in the church book [X525/1] thus: "We do In the presence of God and of His holy Angels give up our selvs unto the Lord and unto one Another as A distinct Church of Christ To walk with God and one Another In the Faith of the Gospel and observation of all gospell ordinances and the Discharg of All Relative Dutys In this House of God end Else where as the Lord shall Enable us in token of which I Lift my Right hand This 19th of June 1724" a list of 21 names follows. The first settled pastor was Charles Usley and the first deacons Thomas Aspinall, Joseph Farr and Thomas Hubbard.

William Abbott notes that the Baptists had met in a barn in the village which later became the Old Meeting. It was a copyhold property, that is to say, it formed part of the Manor of Blunham and was owned at the pleasure of the Lord of the Manor, a tenure not very dissimilar from leasehold and the deeds are with Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service [X525/2-22]. Joseph Ravens was tenant of the Manor in 1726 and surrendered it to a fellow Baptist, Thomas Aspinall, who in turn surrendered it to trustees in 1731 at which point it is first referred to as a "meetinghouse set apart for divine service".

The building has a date stone of 1751 with the initials TC and IH - the initials are those of Thomas Craner and John Hubbard, the former joining in 1738, becoming pastor the following year, the latter joining in 1732 and becoming deacon in 1743. William Abbott notes that it was in 1751 that it was decided a new meeting house was needed and this was done on the site of the old barn.

In 1832 it was decided that further improvements were necessary, as a new pastor refused to accept unless the roof was raised and the house repaired. William Abbott records that the pastor did not, in the end, go to Blunham, but the improvements continued anyway resulting in three new galleries and general repairs, which were completed in January1833. The meeting continues to be used down to thw time of writing [Mar 2007]

Providence Meeting in March 2007

Providence Strict Baptist Meeting: Park Lane

The Strict Baptists in Blunham split from the General Baptists in 1842, it is recorded in notes on the Park Lane Chapel [CRT170/3/33] that the cause of the split was a man called Thompson, who was invited to preach by the pastor Joseph Hinds (who himself left that year due to disagreements with the congregation), the notes say of Thompson "He was very unwilling to come but God was pleased to bless his labours to the comfort of many Souldrop. When they saw that the minds of the people was very much for Mr.Thompson they would not let him come any more. This we believe was the means in the hand of God of making a separation the second sabbath of May 1842".

The break-away group met in the house of John How and this was registered with the Archdeaconry of Bedford [ABN2]. However, How's landlord objected to the meetings and so William Judd built a new meeting house in Park Lane which was licensed and opened in December 1842, with Thompson as pastor. The meeting continues to be used down to the time of writing [Mar 2007]