Arnsby Baptist Church History

Arnsby, Leicestershire, Baptist Church – [The following history is taken from “History of the Baptist Churches in Connection with the Leicestershire Association,” Baptist Magazine (1865), 711-14.]  

    The church at Arnsby, at its original formation, met at Kilby, a small village about two miles north-east nearer to Leicester. The church was formed about the year 1667 by Mr. Richard Farmer, who, according to Crosby, was a very affectionate and acceptable preacher, who applied closely to his studies with great success. He lived on terms of intimate friendship with three ministers who were ejected from their livings in the county by the Black Bartholomew Act in 1662, viz., Revs. Richard Adams, J. Shuttlewood, and Matthew Clark. Mr. Adams has been already mentioned as ejected from his living at Humberstone, and becoming some years afterwards the pastor of the Baptist church, Devonshire-square, London. Mr. Shuttlewood was a man of considerable ability and learning, as well as of deep and earnest piety, and was accustomed to preach in Leicestershire and Northampton, as opportunity offered. He educated young men for the ministry, some of whom afterwards rose to distinction. He suffered much persecution — the spoiling of his goods and imprisonment — for the sake of the Gospel. Mr. Matthew Clark, who was ejected from the living at Narborough, was an indefatigable student, and well-versed in the classics and Oriental learning, his fondness for which was such, that he learned the modern Persian after he was 66 years of age. He preached in various places throughout the county, and formed the independent churches at Narborough, Wigston and Market Harborough. He was imprisoned three times in Leicester jail. With these thee companions in labour and in suffering Mr. Farmer was accustomed to meet. They frequently kept days of prayer together at Mr. Woolaston’s, at Loseby.

    Mr. Farmer possessed a small estate; but he suffered much in the persecution which raged during the reign of the second Charles. Distress was made upon his goods, and property to the value of £100 was taken from him in a single year. Two of his violent persecutors - one of whom boasted of the gains he intended to make by informing against him - met their death under peculiar circumstances, which the people at the time regarded as a manifestation of the divine judgment, which sometimes overtakes wicked and abandoned men in this world. One of them was drowned in a very shallow brook; the other died from a swollen tongue, he having (as was believed) taken a false oath against Mr. Farmer. Mr. Farmer’s pastorate lasted about 20 years, until his death, which took place in 1687. Two of the original members of the church, Mr. Henry Coleman and Mr. Benjamin Winckles, succeeded him. About the year 1694 a division took place, in consequence of some slight theological differences, which at that time and for many years afterwards were discussed with undue warmth, as may be seen in the bitter controversy between Wesley and Toplady. The minority, adhering to Mr. Coleman, seceded; meeting for worship and communion at Mowsley, from whence they removed, and laid the foundation of the church at Foxton. The majority of the members continued under the pastorate of Mr. Winckles, at Kilby. For an account of his courtship and marriage, by which he came into the possession of property that enabled him the better to serve the church at Kilby and Arnsby, the curious in such matters are referred to the “History of the Arnsby Church,” by the late Mr. W. Bassett. After his marriage Mr. Winckles lived for some years on the borders of Huntingdonshire; but although thirty miles constituted a great distance at that time, he was constant in his ministrations at Kilby. In the year 1701, he bought a close at Arnsby, and built himself a dwelling-house, in order to be nearer the sphere of his ministerial labours. Soon after this, the church discontinued their meetings at Kilby, and began to worship in a malting at Arnsby, and in 1702, Mr. Winckles built the first chapel at Arnsby, a relic of which still exists, forming a part of the stable adjoining the chapel-house. The first account in the old church-book of their meeting at Arnsby is in May, 1702, the year in which the chapel was built. At this time the members were scattered over a wide district; and church-meetings for the breaking of bread and the reception of members were sometimes held as far off as Coventry and Northampton, as well as at Ramsey in Huntingdonshire, and other places in the Fens. The ministry of Mr. Winckles was very successful. The church was, for that time, large; and the church discipline very strict. One rule, which was rigidly enforced during Mr. Winckles’ ministry, was that of forbidding any member to be married at the Established Church. When the fierce and bitter persecutions received at the hands of the clergy and their adherents are remembered, and the then condition of that, which is acknowledged to have been but a slight improvement upon Roman Catholic times, is considered, our surprise will be greatly diminished; but our reading the sentences pronounced upon the members of the church who violated this rule, couched as they are in the Scriptural phraseology so common to our puritan forefathers, but which has now well-nigh died out, one cannot resist a smile. One instance will suffice. In 1714, a member was cut off from church-fellowship for “going to Babylon to be married,” – meaning, of course, the Spiritual Babylon, the Church of England. Mr. Winckles not only preached and ministered to the people gratuitously, but always kept bread and cheese and beer ready for the refreshment of the poor who came from a distance. A man of spotless integrity and true piety, he did justly and walked humbly with God. By will he devised the chapel to the church, and in the dwelling-house with a year-land in Arnsby field to his second wife for her life, and after her decease to the church to the support of their future minister for life. He died in 1732, in the 79th year of his age, after a pastorate of between 30 and 40 years. The number of members in the year 1706, living in 35 villages and towns, was 104, besides those at Ramsey, who in 1709, amounted to 24. The number of members received into the church during Mr. Winckles’ ministry was 128. After his death, the church remained without a settled pastor for two years. 

    Mr. Daniel Hill succeeded him, and continued as pastor about 16 years; but, although he was an excellent and devoted man, the church dwindled away during his time, which greatly discouraged himself and the people. On his removal, Mr. Joseph Edmonds, of Coventry, supplied the church once a fortnight for two year.

    In the year 1750, a trustee for the chapel and chapel property was appointed by two persons, in opposition to the wishes of the other members. Having secured the title-deeds and church-book, he took possession of the chapel-house as his private dwelling, and devoted the proceeds of the chapel property to his own private use. On this account, some years passed away before the settlement of another pastor. In 1753, Mr. Robert Hall took the oversight of the church. At that time the church and congregation were greatly reduced, the church numbering only twenty-six members, all of whom were aged, and some of them living in other counties. For six years Mr. Hall laboured under the most painful and trying circumstances. Shut out from the chapel-house, and for a time from the chapel itself, by the trustee who had taken possession, and deprived of the profits of the chapel property, his income did not amount to £15 a year; but, notwithstanding these and other trials and difficulties, he never abandoned the field of his labours, but spent thirty-seven years at Arnsby, the whole of his ministerial life. By his bright example and devoted labours the church was greatly increased and strengthened. He was a man of considerable mental ability, but of deficient education: but, although he lacked the graces of style and diction which are sometimes induced by a classical education, he wrote various small treatises which were very useful. The little book, “Help to Zion’s Travellers,” grew out of a sermon he preached at Northampton, and passed through several editions. Until his time the Hyper-Calvinism of Dr. Gill seems to have been the standard of orthodoxy in the Denomination. Mr. Hall was the first to beat out that better way, more in accordance with the Divine word and human nature, which is generally styled “Moderate Calvinism.” He began the assault upon Hyper-Calvinism, Arianism, and Socinianism, which was so successfully carried on by his disciple, Andrew Fuller. His son, the more celebrated Robert Hall, who acquired a world-wide fame as the prince of preachers, was born at Arnsby, and in his fifteenth year, was baptized by his father. After spending about two years at Bristol College, he was set apart to the work of the ministry by the church at Arnsby in 1780.

    After Mr. Hall’s death, there was an interval of two years, at the close of which Mr. Thomas Blundell was ordained minister, and retained the office eleven years. During his pastorate the present chapel was built, which was opened for worship in 1799. During the five years that followed the removal of Mr. Blundell, the church was supplied by students from Bristol College and Olney, whose labours were successful. In 1810, Mr. William Cuttriss, from Bristol College, was ordained as pastor of the church, and remained eight years. Mr. James, a native of Wales, succeeded him, and continued until 1833. In the following year, Mr. Isaac New began his ministry there, and laboured with great acceptance and a considerable measure of usefulness until the spring of 1837. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Webb commenced his ministry at Arnsby, which was characterized by great fidelity and usefulness. In 1843, he resigned his pastorate, and was succeeded by Mr. Davis, who held the office nearly eleven years. His ministry was, during a part of this time, very successful; but, on the decline of the former prosperity of the church, he resigned his office. In the following year, the present esteemed pastor, Rev. Shem Evans, accepted the charge, and his faithful and zealous labours have been attended with a good measure of success. Several useful ministers have been sent forth from the church at Arnsby, amongst whom may be mentioned the Rev. T. Horton, of Devonport. In the year 1853, Mr. Charles Carter, a member of the church, after passing through the usual course at Horton College, was set apart for missionary work in Ceylon, where he has laboured with success as a missionary, especially in the work of translating the Scriptures into the idiomatic language of the Cingalese.