and the story of Baptist Mission in Plymouth and Cornwall during the 1790’s
Most English Baptist churches are encouraged to give 5% of their income to what is now BMS and a further 5% to Home Mission; and while most Baptists ministers are taught about the formation of the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792, the teaching of the formation of the “society for the encouragement and support of itinerant preaching “[1] in 1797 has been less well documented. In Roger Hayden’s “English Baptist History and Heritage” for example several pages are given to telling the story of how Fuller, Carey and Ryland etc came together to form the Baptist Missionary Society[2] only a few lines are given to the foundation of what became the Home Mission society[3].
Even in his history of the Home Mission “the Home Mission story”, Douglas Sparkes dedicates just two pages to the story[4] and Peter Shepherd used that history in his recent article in the Baptist Together Magazine[5] where he simply states that the Society was formed in 1797 in London. And yet Home Mission is an essential part of Baptist life, and crucial to associating together, Paul Beasley-Murray describes Home Mission as the “Family Purse”[6]
But there is a much broader story to be told, and it starts in Plymouth in 1749 when Philip Gibbs was ordained to be the Minister of the Plymouth Baptist Church that met in the Pig Market.
Phillip Gibbs (1749-1800)
In his two books on the history of George Street Baptist Chapel[7], Nicholson gives us a full account of the life of Philip Gibbs. He was born in Kingsbridge in Devon, a few miles along the Devon coast from Plymouth, his parents dies was he was 18months old of small pox, and he was lucky to have survived[8] and was converted through the preaching of George Whitfield who came to the town in July 1744, when Gibbs was a teenager[9]. It appears Gibbs climbed a tree to hear Whitfield, and Gibbs declared that “in that single sermon I saw both my disease and remedy” while it was also a memorable encounter for Whitfield himself who seeing a boy in a tree “I spoke to him to imitate Zacchaeus, and come down and receive the Lord Jesus…he heard, came down, believed and now adorns the Gospel”[10].
In 1745 Gibbs was Baptised in Kingsbridge by Mr Curtis, minister of the Kingsbridge Baptist church, after attending for three months[11] and was soon exercising the gift of preaching at the church, so much so that the church set aside a day to consider whether he might be called to ministry, the decision was unanimous that he was called and he was soon accompanying Mr Curtis to assist with the Plymouth church[12], he saw Gibbs as his student[13] and because he was busy Gibbs did most of the Sunday preaching[14]. He preached his first sermon on 23rd April 1748. During three-four week series of preaches he was asked to spend a year with the church with a view to becoming their minister, he agreed only he was able to preach widely among the local villages as well as at the Plymouth church[15] and was ordained by them as their minister on the 20th September 1749.[16]
Gibbs was a controversial figure, according to Nicholson. The Plymouth church building in the Pig Market was run down and his desire to renovate the building met with an objection by an elderly deacon, who argued that the congregation was too small, but Gibbs got his way. There was also a complaint made against Gibbs at the meeting of the Western Association about his use of the Lord’s Prayer, but the Association indicated that it was not their job to interfere with how ministers led their services[17].
The church renovation came just two years into his ministry, and despite the objection by the deacon, was approved by the majority of the church. Gibbs travelled around the country, including in London and Bristol to raise some of the short-fall from the cost of the renovation[18].
It was during this period that Gibbs started to preach in and around Cornwall, which may have been where the first seeds of Home Mission began. He travelled as far south-west, including Penzance and Falmouth as an itinerant preacher, even getting the support of the mayor of Penryn.[19] So successful was he in his preaching that a congregation in Truro tried to call him to be their pastor, but after taking advice from the Western Association, he declined.[20]
At the same time a few of his Plymouth congregation had started to meet in the nearby town of Plymouth Dock, which became known as Devonport[21]. Initially this was just for occasional visits but soon the services became more regular, including the sharing of bread and wine, until both congregations were concerned equal[22]. The result was that in 1781 they purchased a small amount of land in an area then known as Liberty Fields, but subsequently [23] known as Pembroke Street.[24]
His ventures into Cornwall and his move to plant a second congregation would soon become templates for what would later become the inspiration for what would become the home mission society. But things seem to accelerate when in 1784 Isaiah Birt became a co-pastor with Gibbs at the Plymouth Church.
Isaiah Birt (1758-1837)
Isaiah Birt was born in 1758, the son of a Baptist minister[25], and was himself called to ministry after initially being seen as a high riser, he had a set back and considered giving up the idea of ministry[26] but In 1779 he started studying at Bristol Baptist College. It was during this time that he began preaching at College Lane Baptist Church in Northampton, the church of John Ryland, while Ryland was away. Ryland was being considered to replace Caleb Evans[27] as pastor of Broadmead Baptist Church (Bristol) and principal of the Bristol Baptist Academy.
Broadmead had issues several calls for Ryland to become their pastor, but College Lane had refused to release him. During his preaching stint[28], he was asked about whether they should release Ryland. Birch felt that Ryland was indeed the best man for the role and told them
“Had it been merely the call of the church at Broadmead inviting him there…it was by no means his duty to go in that case. But it was the seminary for the educating of young men for the ministry which was the great and urgent call for his removal, as this must have an extensive influence upon the churches of the Baptist denomination”[29]
With this Ryland was released in November 1793 and moved to Bristol[30]. It was during a Birt sermon that Samuel Pearce was converted, he would later attend the Bristol Academy, become pastor of Canon Street in Birmingham and became an important figure in the creation of the Baptist Missionary Society[31].
Birt moved to Plymouth after his time at Bristol to assist Gibbs in 1784[32], and in 1785 he was sent as a messenger to the Western Association meeting held in May 1785[33]. Initially as co-pastor of the Plymouth church, but soon the opportunity in Plymouth Dock opened up and they both ministered there[34], however within a few years the Pembroke Dock church had grown sufficiently for them to establish themselves in their own right, and in December 1789 they formerly separated from the Plymouth Church and Birt was called to be their pastor[35].
But in the same way that Gibbs had started to exercise an itinerant ministry in Cornwall, Birt stated visiting the nearby town of Saltash, just across the Tamar River in Cornwall. From 1782 Baptists from Plymouth Dock travelled in boats to preach in Saltash[36]. This ministry was not well received and they were initially stoned by the locals, on one occasion this nearly resulted in Birts death[37],
but eventually he was able to acquire some land in Silver Street in Saltash, this eventually became Saltash Baptist Church[38]
From these early attempts as mission and evangelism the idea grew to start something more strategic. In the same year that William Carey and Dr John Thomas sailed to India, 1793, John Ryland, now the principle of Bristol Baptist Academy, wrote to Andrew Fuller, after a conversation with Gibbs and Birt about mission at home[39], from this the Baptist Missionary Society sent two Salisbury ministers to conduct a preaching tour of Southern Cornwall, they were John Saffery and William Steadman[40]
William Steadman (1765 – 1837)
Saffrey and Steadman[41] left Salisbury in Tuesday 28th June 1796, arriving in Plymouth on the Sunday, supported by the Baptist Missionary Society[42]. They then travelled the southern coast of Cornwall travelling back via Launceston. They preached wherever they could, sometimes to between 500-1000 people.[43]
Steadman, in particular, was puzzled by the lack of attempts to reach people in this part of Cornwall, there was also a question mark as to the effectiveness of settled pastors to reach people, and whether itinerant preaching was more suitable[44]. Hayden says that after this experiment there was a “change in emphasis”[45]
Saffrey and Steadman returned in 1797 for a second tour. It was during this period that Birt approached Steadman[46], to become Pastor with him in the Church in Plymouth Dock[47]. According to the minutes of Pembroke Street Baptist Chapel, Steadman was asked to spend six weeks with them discerning a call, but instead he stayed twelve weeks and eventually agreed to become the co-pastor, but the congregation had now out grown the Pembroke Street building, and Birt had secured an out of use Methodist church a few minutes’ walk from Pembroke Street in Morice Square. The initial idea was that they would share preaching duties across both churches but in January 1800 the two churches divided, with Steadman was given the choice of church and opted to take charge of Pembroke Street[48], also known as Liberty Fields or Street[49], while Birt took on the congregation at Morice Square[50]
Formation of the “Society for the encouragement and support of itinerant preaching”
It is true, that in 1797 in London a society to support itinerant preaching which became the Home Mission Society was formed by the several Baptist ministers. Their primary aim was to support itinerant preaching financially and each promised an annual gift of 1 guinea or 10 guineas for life membership[51]. Within a few years support for this type of mission had grown, so that by 1810 every English county had an itinerant society of “some sort”[52].
However, the background story of these Plymouth based pioneers needs to be told, because without their efforts, their enthusiasm for the Gospel, their willingness to take a risk, even with their own lives, the Home Mission society may never have been formed in this way, and many churches that rely on Home Mission, may never have been sustainable.
Sadly Gibbs passed away in November 1800[53], the Plymouth church he pastored has been through many different names but still exists in Plymouth and is now know as Catherine Street Baptist Church.
Birt stayed at Morice until 1813[54] and preached at his old friend John Ryland’s funeral in 1825[55], passing away in London in 1837[56], his wife is buried in the graveyard of Saltash Baptist Church[57]. Sadly Morice Square Baptist Chapel was destroyed during the war, and the church was moved out of Devonport to Ham, where is still serves under the name Morice Baptist Church[58]
Steadman stayed at Pembroke Street until 1805, until he was called to become the first principle of Horton College[59], which is now Northern Learning Community. Pembroke Street Baptist Church also survived until the Second World War, when it was cleared away for redevelopment and a new building found in Crownhill[60]
Bibliography
(n.d.). Retrieved from McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia: https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/B/birt-isaiah.html
Beasley-Murray, P. (2006 (2nd)). Radical Believers. Didcot: Baptisy Union of Great Britain.
Bliss, B. (n.d.). Church History. Retrieved from Saltash Baptist Church: https://saltashbaptist.co.uk/more-info/church-history/
Cheetham, J. K. (2001). On the trail of the Pilgrim fathers. Edinburgh: Luath Press Ltd.
Christopher W. Crocker. (2018, June). The Life and Legacy of John Ryland Jr. (1753–1825). Bristol: A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol and Bristol Baptist College.
Hayden, R. (2005 (2nd Ed)). English Baptist History and Heritage. Didcot: Baptist Union of Great Britain.
Minutes, P. S. (1797-1812). Devonport, Pembroke Street Baptist Church, Minute Book. Held at Cottonian Room, The Box, Plymouth.
Moseley, B. (2018). Retrieved from Old Plymouth: www.oldplymouth.uk
Mosely, B. (2018). Old Devonport. Retrieved from Old Devonport: http://www.olddevonport.uk/
Nicholson, H. M. (1904). A History of the Baptist Church now meeting in George Street, Plymouth from 1620. London: The Baptist Union Publication Dept.
Nicholson, H. M. (c1870). Authentic records relating to the Christian church now meeting in George Street and Mutley Chapels, Plymouth, 1640-1870. London: Elliot Stock.
Shepherd, P. (2019). The Home Mission Story. Retrieved from https://www.baptist.org.uk/: https://www.baptist.org.uk/Groups/328996/The_Home_Mission.aspx
Sparkes, D. C. (1995). The Home Mission Story. Didcot: Baptist Historical Society.
[1] Which became the Baptist Home Mission society in 1822; (Sparkes, 1995, p. 3)
[2] (Hayden, 2005 (2nd Ed), pp. 121-126)
[3] Ibid pp. 126-127)
[4] (Sparkes, 1995, pp. 1-2)
[5] Available on the Baptist Together website https://www.baptist.org.uk/Groups/328996/The_Home_Mission.aspx (accessed 21/10/20) (Shepherd, 2019)
[6] (Beasley-Murray, 2006 (2nd), p. 100)
[7] Now known as Catherine Street, but it has had many names over the years, and locations. Early Baptist, who formed the church were said to be among those who welcomed the Pilgrim Fathers during their time in Plymouth (Cheetham, 2001, p. 69); (Moseley, 2018). Nicholson said this “(The Church) was probably founded very early in the seventeenth century, but the exact date of its formation cannot be certain. It was then the only Congregational Church in the town, and was composed of Paedobaptists as well as Baptists” (Nicholson, A History of the Baptist Church now meeting in George Street, Plymouth from 1620, 1904, p. 9)
[8] (Nicholson, c1870, p. 68)
[9] About 13 years old, up until this time he had attended a Church of England Church, and was not aware of any “Dissenters”; Ibid p68
[10] (Nicholson, 1904, p. 81)
[11] (Nicholson, c1870, p. 69)
[12][12] The previous minister Mr Binnick had left and Bristol Academy had no student to fill the vacancy do Mr Curtis was asked to assist (Nicholson, c1870, p. 70)
[13] “His child”; ibid, p70
[14] Ibid, p. 70
[15] Ibid, p. 71
[16] (Nicholson, 1904, p. 82)
[17] Ibid, p. 83
[18] (Nicholson, c1870, p. 71)
[19] (Nicholson, 1904, p. 83)
[20] (Nicholson, c1870, p. 72)
[21] Devonport is now a suburb of Plymouth, having become part of the city of Plymouth in 1914
[22] (Nicholson, c1870, p. 74)
[23] And to this day
[24] Or Liberty Street; (Nicholson, 1904, pp. 83-84)
[25] His father was the minister of Kingstanley, Gloucestershire (Nicholson, c1870, p. 79)
[26] Ibid, p79-80
[27] Who had died suddenly of a stroke (Christopher W. Crocker, 2018, p. 143). Evans was one of Birch’s tutors (McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia, n.d.) and a good friend (Nicholson, c1870, p. 80)
[28] Which he shared with Benjamin Francis, also a Bristol Student
[29] (Christopher W. Crocker, 2018, p. 151)
[30] Crocker says that the selection of Birch was not accidental and may have been a deliberate attempt by Ryland to engineer a move; ibid. p. 150 (footnote 271)
[31] (Nicholson, c1870, pp. 75-77)
[32] (McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia, n.d.) he briefly explored an opportunity at Bovey Tracey (Nicholson, c1870, p. 80)
[33] (Nicholson, 1904, p. 84)
[34] (Nicholson, c1870, pp. 80-81)
[35] (Nicholson, 1904, p. 84)
[36] There is a Photograph in the collection of Saltash Heritage, which has written on it “Cause started in wood hut between Silver Street and Tamar Street in 1782, preachers in open boats from Plymouth Dock.”
[37] (Nicholson, 1904, p. 84)
[38] (Bliss, n.d.) https://saltashbaptist.co.uk/more-info/church-history/ (accessed 21/10/20); (Nicholson, A History of the Baptist Church now meeting in George Street, Plymouth from 1620, 1904, p. 84)
[39] (Hayden, 2005 (2nd Ed), pp. 126-127); (Sparkes, 1995, p. 1)
[40] (Hayden, 2005 (2nd Ed), p. 127); (Sparkes, 1995, p. 1)
[41] Along with a Bristol student Francis Franklin (Hayden, 2005 (2nd Ed), p. 131), and also Joseph Webb, also from Broughton, who went to the Bristol Academy and studied under John Ryland (Christopher W. Crocker, 2018, p. 470)
[42] (Christopher W. Crocker, 2018, p. 318)
[43] (Sparkes, 1995, p. 2)
[44] (Sparkes, 1995, p. 2)
[45] (Hayden, 2005 (2nd Ed), p. 131)
[46] Under the advice of Ryland (Christopher W. Crocker, 2018, pp. 318-319)
[47] (Nicholson, 1904, p. 84)
[48] (Nicholson, c1870, p. 81)
[49] Steadman is the first name on the membership role
[50] (Minutes, 1797-1812); (Nicholson, A History of the Baptist Church now meeting in George Street, Plymouth from 1620, 1904, pp. 84-85); (Christopher W. Crocker, 2018, pp. 318-319); (Mosely, 2018) http://www.olddevonport.uk/Morice%20Square%20Baptist%20Chapel.htm (accessed 21/10/20)
[51] (Sparkes, 1995, p. 2)
[52] Hayden states that not all were Baptists, but all were dissenters (Hayden, 2005 (2nd Ed), p. 131)
[53] (Nicholson, 1904, p. 98)
[54] https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/B/birt-isaiah.html (accessed 21/10/20) (McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia, n.d.) ill health ended his ministry in Birmingham (Nicholson, c1870, p. 82)
[55] From a private email with Rev Dr Chris Crocker
[56] https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/B/birt-isaiah.html (accessed 21/10/20) (McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia, n.d.)
[57] Which is still a thriving church in the edge of Cornwall
[58] http://www.olddevonport.uk/Morice%20Square%20Baptist%20Chapel.htm (accessed 21/10/20)
[59] He announced to the church he was leaving in September 1804, and left in January 1805 to Bradford (Minutes, 1797-1812), see also (Sparkes, 1995, p. 1)
[60] http://www.olddevonport.uk/Pembroke%20Street%20Baptist%20Chapel.htm (Accessed 21/10/20) (Mosely, 2018) Crownhill Baptist Church no longer exists
