Talk by Nick Prince to Newbury Branch, 9 April 2025
The Baptist faith emerged from seventeenth-century Puritanism, distinguishing itself from Anglicanism in the autonomy of each congregation over governance, record-keeping, finance and appointment of ministers.
Ministers often needed a second job, which typically was teaching.
Baptist records are still mostly held by the individual congregation, but there is a movement to gather them together in the Angus Archive, a central depository at Regent’s Park College, Oxford, which now holds 70,000 items.
Post-Restoration (1660), various acts of parliament established Anglicanism firmly as the state religion, and excluded dissenters such as Baptists from public office, university entrance, and the armed forces. Inheritance was conditional upon Anglican marriage, and thus it was not uncommon for one member of a Baptist family to appear to be Anglican to secure family property.
After the Glorious Revolution (1688) freedom to worship was granted, but Baptists were still barred from public office. There was no active persecution, but preaching and practice declined until the advent of the Wesley brothers and Methodism revived it.
By 1640 Baptists were established in Newbury, Reading, Wantage, Abingdon and Faringdon. Berkshire’s Baptist chapels number at least 25 today. Three authors have chronicled the local movement’s history:
James Bicheno (1741)
W J Lewendon (1940)
David H Brazier (2003)
The latter two books are in Newbury Library, and the last is excellent for detail on people.
