Devizes, Wiltshire, Baptists

Devizes, Wiltshire, Baptists – The following account is taken from John Hurley, Two Hundred Years New; The New Baptist Church, Devizes (Devizes, 1996). 

The church in Devizes was organized in 1796, but Baptists were meeting before that date in houses. The early leaders were Benjamin Sloper, John Anstie, Richard Knight, and Isaac Freme. The Presbyterian meeting at that time was led by John Ludd Fenner, He was replaced in 1796 by James Biggs, a Calvinistic Baptist born in Somerset and trained at Bristol Baptist College. The Baptists came to his meeting and they church was formed into a Baptist meeting, most likely the Presbyterians that were left had largely adopted the Arianism of Fenner. Both groups continued to meet in the same church building under Biggs and have separate church meetings until 1823 (calling themselves the United Society). The Baptist element grew and the Presbyterian group declined, and in 1851 the Baptists built their own chapel, which opened on 9 April 1852, seating 700. The church continued ‘open communion’ (1). Beryl and Hurley include a detailed membership list of both congregations, 1796 to 1852. See Beryl and John Hurley, The New Baptist Church, Devizes. Brief History and Membership Book 1805-1945 (Devizes: New Baptist Church and Wiltshire Family History Society, 1991).

In Devizes during the 17th c. two Baptist meetings were formed, one containing strong Baptist and Presbyterian elements, the other more Anabaptist beliefs (3).  The leader of the Presbyterian (still Baptist) meeting was Benjamin Flower, son of the Rector of Castle Combe and himself the ejected Vicar of Cardiff (4).  Flower lived at Chippenham and served a number of churches in the area, and other lay leaders led more often at Devizes.  At his death in 1709, Nathaniel Chauncey, Flower’s assistant, took over as pastor.  By 1717 the congregation numbered some 500, and the old Baptist meeting at 300, though these may be inflated (7).  Chauncey died in 1750.  Rev. John Ludd Fenner, a minister with Arian leanings, became pastor in 1778 [this is Crabb Robinson’s uncle].  “Controversy over the ‘Deity of Christ’--Unitarianism--had surfaced generally in the country in the mid 18th century, and Devizes was no exception. Mr. Robert Sloper and others left the Church; they met at first in his house  . . . and in 1776 they opened St. Mary’s Congregational Chapel in Northgate Street.  Rev. Fenner is described in the Annals of Devizes as ‘ ... schoolmaster & Presbyterian Minister.  At his school was Sir Thomas Lawrence, then a lad’” (7). 

In 1792 the Presbyterian Meeting moved to Sheep Street into a chapel built during the final period of Fenner’s stay in Devizes.  He left shortly after the move, the congregation reduced to 40 or 50 attenders.  “It is recorded that once again disagreements over the Deity of Christ were causing ill feeling, but Trinitarians must have been in the majority because, after the move and loss of Minister, Rev. James Biggs was asked to keep a pastoral oversight . . .” (7).  In 1796 Biggs became pastor.  The Baptist and Presbyterian elements met together for worship but held separate communion services and church meetings until 1807, when they decided to unite in all matters, styling themselves “The United Society” (9).  More disagreement arose in 1846 over the issue of the Deity of Christ again, this time the Baptists in the meeting accusing some of the Presbyterians of holding to Arian or Socinian beliefs (11-12).  The church remained intact, however, and proceeded on, calling in 1847 Charles Stanford as pastor. He presided over the official union of the two churches in 1848, becoming now a Baptist church in name (21). A new building was erected and open communion and membership established while “preaching the baptism of adults” (22).   Stanford attended Bristol Baptist College. The number of Baptists continued to grow, but the Presbyterians dwindled, so that by 1852 the numbers were 88-9, and by 1863 (151-55).