In 1835, about forty years after his death, a volume of sermons by Benjamin Beddome was published with a memoir. The book was published by means of subscription and the 175 or so subscribers are listed in the book. Most signed up for one copy but some signed for two, three, four, six or even in two cases, eight copies. This meant that when Quaker publisher William Ball (1801-1878) of Aldine Chambers, Paternoster Row, London sent his copy off to Richard Clay (1789-1877) for printing in Bread Street Hill he could be sure that approaching 300 copies were already sold.
Understandably, most of those found on the list are by now to us mere names. Some can be traced, however - people such as the many ministers, the two MPs, various members of Beddome's family and at least two medical doctors.
Ministers
Unsurprisingly, among the ministers, Baptists are in the majority. Perhaps the best known of these is William Steadman (1764-1837) from Bradford, pastor of Westgate Baptist Church and president of the academy there. It is no surprise to see the name of Thomas Coles (1779-1840), then minister in Bourton and Benjamin Snook Hall (1787-1859), a former Bourton member who became pastor at nearby Burford.
Other Baptist ministers include Steadman's long lived son-in-law, John Aldis (1808-1907) father of the inventor of the aldis lamp, who, in a 47 year long ministry, served in Manchester, Maze Pond in London, Reading and Plymouth; George Cole (1798-1857) at Leamington at this time but previously in nearby Kenilworth and later in Evesham, Blackfriars in London, Exeter and, finally, Naunton, Gloucestershire; James Hoby (1788-1871) Birmingham; Richard Pryce (1780-1865) Cote, Oxfordshire; Edward Steane (1798-1882) Camberwell, one of the founders of the Evangelical Alliance, and William Stephens (1765-1839) West Street church, Rochdale.
The Independents or Congregationalists are John Burder MA (1785-1867) Stroud; John Addison Coombs (1788-1856) Manchester; John Herbert, Long Itchington, Warwickshire; Thomas Jackson (1770-1837) Bamford Independent Chapel, Heywood, Lancashire and Robert Stephens McCall LLD (1782-1838) Moseley Street, Manchester. Another Coombs also listed is W H Coombs, a Baptist minister in Taunton.
There are also several Anglicans - Thomas Blundell (1786–1861) All Cannings, Wiltshire, eldest son of the Baptist minister, Thomas Blundell (1752–1824); Isaac Bowman, Formby (whose brother John is also listed); Henry Gwyther (1815-1844) Yardley, Worcestershire and William Renton (1788-1857) Tilstock, Shropshire. Also, John Charlesworth (1782-1864) Flowton near Ipswich. His wife Elizabeth is also listed. She was one of Beddome's grand daughters.
There is also an H H Jones, another Manchester minister and a J Watts from London.
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