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In 1787, William Carey received ordination into his first pastorate, the Moulton Baptist congregation, later named Carey Baptist Church. At Carey’s ordination, John Ryland Jr. asked the questions, John Sutcliff preached the charge, from 2 Timothy 4:5, and Andrew Fuller preached a challenge to the members. The congregation was soon compelled to reconstruct and enlarge their small brick building to thirty feet Read more...
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Sutcliff’s neighbors in Olney included the local minister of the Church of England, John Newton (1725-1807), author of “Amazing Grace.” Hymn writer and poet, William Cowper (1731-1800), was a member of Newton’s parish, and, at the time of Sutcliff’s arrival, Newton and Cowper were composing their popular “Olney Hymns.” Visit John Newton’s church and tombstone, and the Cowper and Newton Museum and Gardens. Read more...
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In 1775, John Sutcliff (1752-1814) commenced his pastorate at Olney Baptist Church, which continues to the present day. In 1785, young William Carey placed himself under the tutelage of Sutcliff and under the watch-care of the Olney church where he held membership. After Carey preached his first sermon to the Olney congregation, the unanimous conclusion was that the young man needed Read more...
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In one of the rooms of Carey Baptist Church, in Hackleton, one can see the pulpit from which William Carey once preached in a thatched cottage. In 1809, when the thatched cottage could no longer accommodate the growing congregation, the church moved to a nearby site and erected a “24 feet by 36 feet” chapel. (The thatched cottage eventually suffered Read more...
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The Church of St. John the Baptist (Anglican), in Piddington, is where William Carey and Dorothy (“Dolly”) Plackett were married in 1781. (See Chapter 10.). copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Practices From Wikipedia: Several residents of Piddington and neighbouring village Hackleton were part of the dissenter church movement Read more...
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In the porch of St. James Church (Anglican), a plaque commemorates William Carey, missionary to India and father of Baptist foreign missions. A few feet away, just to the right of the porch, the grave of William’s father, Edmund Carey, carries this inscription: “Reader, time is short, prepare to meet thy God.” The Carey cottage, William Carey’s birthplace, stood on what is Read more...
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At the University of Cambridge, Christ’s College graduates included Francis Johnson of the Ancient Church and John Smyth of Gainsborough. John Lathrop, second pastor of London’s J-L-J Church, was a Queens’ College graduate. Lathrop’s successor, Henry Jessey, earned his BA and MA degrees at St. John’s College. London Baptist, Hanserd Knollys, received his training at St. Catherine’s Hall. Roger Williams, Read more...
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In 1810, the London Baptist Education Society (est. 1752) led in the founding of Stepney Academy, in East London. Moving to the center of Regent’s Park, London, in 1855, Stepney Academy became Regent’s Park College, a constituent College of the University of London. In 1927, Regent’s Park College moved to Oxford, and since 1957, it has been a Permanent Private Read more...
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Bunhill Fields, at 38 City Road, was the Burying Ground for Dissenters. Here stand the tombs of key players in Baptist history: John Rippon, Joseph Ivimey, John Gill, and John Bunyan. Important Baptists whose tombstones here have been destroyed over time include Henry Jessey, Hanserd Knollys, William Kiffin, and Vavasor Powell. See also the tombstones of notable non-Baptists, such as Read more...
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On London’s Clink Street, the Clink Museum stands at the ruins of this infamous prison, where John Greenwood, Henry Barrow, and Francis Johnson (of the “Ancient Church”), along with Henry Jacob, and John Lathrop (forerunners of Particular Baptists), all suffered incarceration, during 1587-1634. copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Practices Read more...
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Inside the Church of St. Sepulchre without Newgate, at Holborn Viaduct, a hand bell known as the Execution Bell, resides in a glass case, situated near the entrance of a blocked-up tunnel that once connected the church with Newgate Prison. At midnight prior to execution days, the church’s bellman would walk through the tunnel and into the prison. Standing outside Read more...
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Luther Rice preached his final sermon at Pine Pleasant Baptist Church (est. 1831). His remains were laid to rest here in the churchyard, at 457 Pine Pleasant Road. Under a distinctive canopy, his tomb has a marble slab with a biographical inscription. copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Practices Photo By Read more...
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“I determined never to rest until it pleased God to show mercy or cut me off … I hasted into a neighbouring wood, and dropped on my knees before God, to beg for mercy. In an instant, I felt my heart melt and a sweet application of the Redeemer’s love to my poor soul.” John Waller was somewhat of Read more...
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Siloam Baptist Church, 2409 Siloam Church Road, was founded by John Waller. The historical marker at the church offers valuable information. copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Practices Photo By Cindy Bullard, January 20, 2010 HMDB Read more...
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Founded by Shubal Stearns, in 1755, Sandy Creek Baptist Church is located at 4765 Sandy Creek Church Road, Liberty. Stearns’s obelisk tombstone stands in the church cemetery. Historical monuments on the grounds provide fascinating glimpses into the Sandy Creek heritage. The year 2005 marked the 250th anniversary of Stearns’s organization of the church. IN 2015, Sandy Creek Baptist erected a new, Read more...
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The grave of Virginia Governor Patrick Henry, a friend of persecuted Baptists, is at Patrick Henry National Memorial, 1497 Red Hill Road, Brookneal, VA 24528. This beautiful plantation is called Red Hill. copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Practices Patrick Henry (1736-1799) loved freedom – risking his life and Read more...
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The Chesterfield County Museum, at 6813 Mimms Loop, is a replica of the 1749 courthouse where magistrates, during 1770-74, sentenced seven Baptist preachers to jail for preaching Christ without state-church approval. See the section, “Virginia Baptist Preachers Imprisoned in Chesterfield Jail 1770-74,” in Chapter 15. copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, Read more...
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In 1774, Baptists in Tappahannock established the earliest Baptist church in Essex County-Piscataway (now Mt. Zion) Baptist, on Dunbrooke Road. On that same day, inside the local Essex County Courthouse, which is now the oldest courthouse building in Virginia, officials sentenced fines and imprisonments to the three men who preached the church’s opening service – John Waller, John Shackleford, and Read more...
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Marked by a tall obelisk at 1500 Washington Avenue, is the grave of George Washington’s mother. Near the obelisk, an inscription on Meditation Rock says of her, “Here Mary Ball Washington prayed for the safety of her son and country during the dark days of the Revolution.” Mary’s home is at 1200 Charles Street. copyrighted and used by permission from David Read more...
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A bronze statue of Bunyan stands at the north end of High Street. copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Personalities, Positions, and Practices Photo By Simon Speed, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2103478 Read more...