Roger Hayden 1936-2016

I had not realised that Roger Haydn had died in March. I move in different circles. He wrote important books on Baptist history and served as a voluntary archivist at Bristol Baptist College Library. I only met him once but was impressed by his historical and more contemporary knowledge of the Baptist scene and his concerns for the future of the Baptist cause. There is an obituary here.

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On pages 91 and 92 Hayden concludes his main section on Beddome thus:

Beddome is representative of the Foskett tradition who in his own ministry echoed much that Foskett held important. The close family tie with John Beddome also underpinned the relationship. However, Beddome is typical of the students trained by Foskett who encourged the use of the 1689 Confession, used a catechetical approach towards religious instruction within the congregation, developed the area of hymn singing to match the changing mood brought about by the Evangelical Revival, and sent further students to train for full-time ministry from within his own congregation. He had an interest in the American Revival and was eager to learn what advanced Baptist work in America.

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On pages 89-92 Hayden looks at who went into the ministry through Beddome. We have a post on this here. He does add a little information.

1. Richard Haines - Hayden says his death was on May 17, 1767. He was baptised May 15, 1741. He gives the 1747 note about calling him. Haines pastored in Bradford-on-Avon 1750-1767. Hayden gives the note from the Bourton church book on his death mentioning a work started by him in Bath in 1755.

2. John Ryland Senior is only mentioned in passing.

3. Richard Strange (Stratton, Wiltshire). Not mentioned by Hayden.

4. John Reynolds (1730-1792). There is quite a bit on him. Hayden quotes the Bourton church book but can cast no light on the period before the call to Cripplegate 1766 and ordination, which involved Gill and Stennett, with Benjamin Wallin the preacher (no Bristol men involved). Hayden mentions the unfortunate accidental swallowing of his shirt studs that impaired his voice forever after. He mentions a friendship with former Bristol student John MacGowan and says that Reynolds one published sermon was a 1782 address to the annual meeting of the Bristol Education Society.

5. Nathanael Rawlings (1733-1809) was baptised March 24, 1750. Hayden gives some further background on this man who ministered in Trowbridge and Broughton (Broughton Gifford near Melksham or Borughton in Hampshire?).

6. William Wilkins. Hayden mentions Beddome's Bristol trained assistant from Horsely here.

7. Alexander Paine. Not mentioned by Hayden.

8. Thomas Coles, Beddome’s eventual successor. Not mentioned by Hayden.

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On page 88 Hayden also quotes the Bourton church book of April 20, 1781, referring to Turner of Abingdon at the double lecture in Abingdon speaking of revival among Baptists in South Carolina. Some 851 had been baptised.

Hayden goes on to write about the double lecture established among the churches (Abingdon, Fairford, Wantage, Cirencester, Co(a)te and Bourton) 1774-1788. In the six summer months there would be a double lecture (an older and a younger minister preaching) at each of the churches in turn. He gives a typical list for 1774

Fairford: [James] Biggs [Wantage] and [Daniel] Turner [Abingdon] [April]
Wantage: Caleb Evans [Bristol] and Joseph Stennett [London] [May]
Co(a)te: Beddome and Biggs [June]
Cirencester: [Samuel or Thomas] Dunscombe [Cheltenham or Coate] and Turner [July]
Bourton: Biggs and Turner [August]
Abingdon: [Thomas] Davis [Fairford] and Beddome [September]

He gives other details and says that Beddome was usually preaching twice a year at these meetings.

Hayden 05 (Samson Occom)

On page 88 Hayden notes from the church book that in April 1767

 

Having previous notice, the Revd Messers Whittaker and Occam came when we had a meeting at which they both preached ... after which there was a collection taken for the support of the Indian schools under the care of Mr Wheelock of Lebanon, Connecticut, also New England. The collection amounted to £30.

 

This is a reference to Eleazar Wheelock (1711-1779), Nathaniel Whitaker (1730-1795) and native American Samson Occom (1723-1792). Eventually Wheelock founded Dartmouth College. In a history of the college (available here) it is revealed that the £30 donation was made up of £10 10 00 from William Snooke, Esq. and only the other £19 10 00 was "collected at the Rev. Mr. Beddom's".
The Angus Library has Wheelock's printed receipt from London, which he has dated April 29th 1767. The letter is signed by Robert Keen, secretary, a London gentleman who died in 1793.
It is a marginal note that reveals the make up of the £30.
Another marginal note apologises for a previous acknowledgement being possibly misdirected.
Occom preached his way across England from February 16, 1766, to July 22, 1767. He delivered in total between 300 and 400 sermons, drawing large crowds wherever he went. By the end of his tour he had raised over twelve thousand pounds for Wheelock's project.

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Hayden has a section on Beddome (pages 80-92).

He suggests that he was involved in medical studies with Foskett (always writing prescriptions for people) first before switching to theology. Hayden calls him "witty and vivacious". He then gives the story, as found elsewhere on this blog, of Beddome's conversion, baptism, call and settling at Bourton. He gives the date for the building of the manse as early as 1741. He also mentions how early on the Stow church (23 members) officially disbanded and Beddome agreed to supply once a month with the Lord's Supper once a quarter.

He then spends some pages on the London call.

On page 87 he says that Beddome discovered Jonathan Edwards early on and may have been the one who introduced Ryland to him. The distinguishing marks of 1741 was in his Library by April 1742.

Referring to the church books, he mentions the strong Association involvement and visits from other ministers. As examples he mentions

July 12, 1752 Collection for Bro Whitewood of Reading

May 11, 1760 Collection for Bro Hall and Arnsby people

November 9, 1766 For fire in Montreal, Canada

June 3, 1770 For Joshua Andrews of Abergavenny (prompted by Joshua Thomas Leominster)

He also mentions fast days

June 18, 1756 French War

August 13, 1756 War and harvest

April 22, 1757 French War

November 13, 1776 American War

The last a recurring theme.

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We have included the quote referring to Beddome from Ryland's diary, April 1 1745, before here

Hayden quotes it (page 76). He also includes (page 77) this very interesting extract from May 25, 1745, a Saturday,

... at 2 I rode with Mr Benja Beddome about 9 miles onward of his journey to Horsely, it was very wet. he told me substance of his sermon, Rev 19:8 .... He writes 5 sides 8vo - for a morning sermon and about half so much for an afternoon. Mr Benja Beddome told me the following texts to think up, viz. Jer 1:6, Job 36:22 - and he advis'd me to go to Jesus the great Prophet of the Church ...

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Hayden quotes from Rippon (pages 71, 72) who says on John Ryland (to quote Rippon himself)

Many years pastor of the Baptist Church at Northampton, was well known, and highly esteemed, by his acquaintance, both in London, which he often visited, and in most parts of the kingdom. He was born Oct 14, 1723. When a youth he was proverbially gay, and spent his early days in folly and sin: but in the spring of 1741, the Lord met with him in mercy, at a time of general awakening in the Baptist congregation at Bourton on the Water, then under the pastoral care of the Rev Benjamin Beddome, MA. when about 40 persons were brought under serious impressions at the same time Mr Beddome baptised him, Oct 14, 1741, (Hayden has Oct 2) received him into the church, and, observing an uncommon sprightliness in his genius and animated piety, gradually led him forward to the work of the ministry, with the fostering hand of a wise and kind parent; laying laying a plan, without his knowledge, for his going through a course of academical studies in the Baptist seminary at Bristol, then under the presidency of the Reverend Bernard Foskett.

When the intention was fully made known to Mr Ryland, he felt an unusual degree of concern and retlessness; as his private diary of that and of subsequent life sufficiently evinces.

Hayden quotes Ryland's diary

"At 6 went with Mr Benja Beddome towards Mr Thompson's and he told me what I had never before heard that I should go to Bourton for Mr Beddome and the church to prove me and if they thought me capable and worthy of the Ministerial work - to call me out - and then for Mr Foskett - (after I returned) to correct and instruct me in the composure of sermons"

Bourton called Ryland in the Spring of 1746.

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Bristol trained ministers who served in Midland Association churches (See footnote page 44).

John Ash (1724-1779) Pershore (followed Cooke)
Benjamin Beddome (1717-1795) Bourton
Edward Cooke (fl 1746-1770) Pershore
John Poynting (1719-1791) Worcester
Isaac Woodman (1715-1777) Warwick; Sutton in Elms, Leicester

Could add
Samuel Pearce (1766-1799) Birmingham
John Reynolds (1731-1792) Cirencester 1750-61, went on to London
John Ryland Jr (1723-1792) Warwick 1746-59, went on to Northampton
Elisha Smith (1754-1819) Campden and Shipston then Stow

Continuity and Change Roger Hayden

Continuity and Change is the title of Roger Hayden's 2006 book, subtitled "Evangelical Calvinism among eighteenth century Baptist ministers trained at Bristol Academy, 1690-1791. It is based on his 1991 PhD thesis. It is basically a history of Reformed Baptists between Benjamin Keach and William Carey with the focus on the Bristol Academy and the Western Association with Wales, the Midlands, London and the later Northampton Association in the background. Part of the argument is that London was not taking the lead at this time but Bristol and similar provincial cities.
The book is in three parts. First, we look at the rise of Evangelical Calvinism in the Baptist Associations (1-60). After giving some background (1-11), he covers the initial history of the western association, up to its re-formation in 1734 with an emphasis on ministerial education and what he calls "London's failure" (12-30). He also summarises the situation with the Welsh, Midland, Northern and Irish Baptist Associations (37-49).
The bulk of the book is on the Bristol Academy (61-178) looking, in turn, at its first three leaders - the pioneer Bernard Foskett (61-104) Hugh Evans (105-120) and the paternalistic Caleb Evans (121-142). This part (142-178) is completed with an interesting section on local church life (142-178) - covenant and baptism, confession and catechism and quite a bit on hymn singing (157-178).
The third section, Calvinist and missionary (179-204), steps back a little and looks at the more familiar story of the presence of hyper-Calvinism among Baptists (Hussey influenced Skepp, Brine, Gill) and its eventual demise (through Edwards influenced Sutcliff and Fuller). one would want to quibble with some of the statements here (about Beza and Perkins for example) but the basic thesis seems sound.
Of four appendices perhaps the most interesting is the list of Bristol students, 1720-1791 (222-249). Benjamin Beddome is among them. Beddome is also mentioned on several other pages as are several of his relatives. The fine bibliography and index add to the value of this well researched and interesting book.
Any thesis however well reworked is not always the most gripping of reads. I was helped to keep going by the relation of one sad but surreal incident and what appears to be one glorious typo (not very many of those here at all).
The sad surrealism - around page 90 the story of John Reynolds who suffered an impaired voice soon after moving to London "having accidentally inhaled his shirt studs while dressing".
The typo - on page 98 we are told that the Trosnant School was founded by "John Griffiths, who was at the time manager of the local iron and trepanning works in Pontypool". Trepanning can refer to creating mine shafts but is most often used to describe brain surgery through the skull. The word should be "japanning".
To get a copy check here.

Bristol Baptist College

I made me a long promised trip to Bristol Baptist College yesterday. I set out nice and early in the sunshine and headed along the familiar route west. My grandmother (nee Hazleton) was born in Bristol and I still have relatives there but I don't know the city at all and have rarely been there. My AA directions were fine and I found the way across to the college easily enough. It is in leafy Clifton near Clifton College. This is not the building that I visited as a teenager on a "Greek class outing" to see the Tyndale Testament. The Bible was sold to the British Library (1994) and they are now in premises new to them. Not an over large building, it has lecture rooms, offices, library, chapel, etc, but no accommodation (I think). The students are down now but some youth ministry students were still around.
The purpose of my visit was to consult the Benjamin Beddome materials they have (see my Beddome blog for more on that). The librarian Shirley Shire was very helpful. It was good too to meet honorary archivist Roger Hayden, author of several items on Baptist history including his book Continuity and Change: Evangelical Calvinism among 18th century Baptist Ministers trained at Bristol Baptist Academy, 1690-1791. I was glad to meet him and chat a little and buy a signed copy.

I had to pay for the privilege but given what I was getting plus lunch, free parking and what I saved on the postage with the Hayden book I was quids in except for the petrol to get there. I'll probably need to go again but it was good to see what is actually there.