Trowbridge, Wiltshire, Baptist Churches

Trowbridge, Wiltshire, Baptist Churches. The following account is taken from W. Doel, Twenty Golden Candlesticks! A History of Baptist Nonconformity in Western Wiltshire (Trowbridge: B. Lansdown & Sons, 1890).

After the ministry of John Davisson, the church became largely Arian and Unitarian, led by a Mr. Lucas and after him, by M. Waldron, and then by Thomas Twining (formerly pastor of the General Baptist church at Downton) who came to Trowbridge in 1777. He died in July 1799. He began a Calvinist and ended a Unitarian, with many of his sermons published by Toulmin. He was succeeded by Daniel Jones, who studied at Bristol Academy under Evans and in 1792 pastored in Swansea. Here he adopted Unitarian sentiments and would later wage war against the Particular Baptists. He died in 1810, aged 41. He was replaced by a Mr Gisburne, who also began as a Particular Baptist (pastor at Soham) before becoming a Unitarian. He left Trowbridge for Soham in 1822, and died there in 1826, aged 49. Concerning the meeting at Back Street, Trowbridge, Nathaniel Rawlings ministered there from 1769 to 1771 (when he went to Broughton) and from 1778 to 1806, when he died at 75.  After the death of Rawlings, Richard Davis of Liverpool came and remained as pastor until 1814, when he removed to Devonport. The church split in 1812, with 49 members (he provides a list of the names) forming a new church, what became Zion Chapel, Trowbridge. One of the chief deacons at Backstreet was William Dunn (115-6). Davis was succeeded by a Mr. MacFarlane until 1821, when the church split again with MacFarlane leading the new group to form Bethesda Chapel. A Mr. Walton preached at Back Street from 1823 to 1843. Salters were members at Back Street for many years, so this may be where Ann Salter, live-in companion to Maria Grace Saffery, may have originated.