Midland Churches: A History of the Congregations on - General ...

was <strong>the</strong> successful establishment <strong>of</strong> religious worship in that village.
From 1807 until his death he was secretary to <strong>the</strong> Monthly Meetikg <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> Protestant Dissenting Ministers <strong>of</strong> Warwickshire and <strong>the</strong> neighbouring
counties, which held its first recorded Cradley meeting on <strong>the</strong> occasion
<strong>of</strong> his ordination in May, 1790, and its second meeting <strong>the</strong>re on g Novem-
ber next, when Richard Amner, <strong>of</strong> Coseley, preached from St. Luke xvi.,
I, and <strong>the</strong> assembled brethren afterwards discussed <strong>the</strong> question-
Whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>re is sufficient evidence that <strong>the</strong> gift <strong>of</strong> inspiration was given
to a person <strong>of</strong> a bad character?
For many years past <strong>the</strong> kfo;lzthZy fieting has been regularly held at
Cradley on Easter Tuesday. In recording Scott's death in <strong>the</strong>ir minute
book <strong>the</strong> ministers express <strong>the</strong>ir sense <strong>of</strong> his disti~tgztished excelle?zcies as a
Christian and a Christian pastor, and hope <strong>the</strong>y shall never forget his kzizdness
and candour to <strong>the</strong>m personal&, his faith which wroztght by lose to God and
man, and his ferve~zt and perseverfig, his well-regulated and well-directed zeal.
Scott was a born antiquary and historian, he never seems to have let
" even <strong>the</strong> most trivial events in his congregations' histories pass unrecorded,
with <strong>the</strong> result that as time goes on his manuscripts and records become
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> greatest value. Had all old and modern societies been so fortunate
as to own great, heavy, substantial volumes such as are <strong>the</strong> priceless
treasures <strong>of</strong> Cradley in its MS. <strong>History</strong> <strong>of</strong> Cradley Presbyterian Church, by
James Scott ; <strong>of</strong> Stourbridge in its 3 MS. vols. <strong>of</strong> Records <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Presbyterhn
Church, by James and William Scott ; <strong>of</strong> Liverpool in <strong>the</strong> Orzgin and Nistory
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Society <strong>of</strong> Unitarian Chrktians assembliizg in <strong>the</strong> Chapel in Refzshaw Street,
by Henry Taylor; and <strong>of</strong> Whitchurch in <strong>the</strong> Record Book, containing a
copy <strong>of</strong> nigh everything printed or issued <strong>the</strong>re by <strong>the</strong> Church <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Savioztr,
<strong>the</strong> task <strong>of</strong> historians would be far easier than it generally is.
The extremely valuable volume, owned by <strong>the</strong> Cradley society and
deposited in <strong>the</strong> care <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> minister for <strong>the</strong> time being, is enriched with
water colour drawings, engravings and portraits, as well as containing
important notes by Scott on <strong>the</strong> histories <strong>of</strong> neighbouring societies.
The volumes containing <strong>the</strong> register <strong>of</strong> Cradley baptisms, 1789-1817,
and <strong>the</strong> first portion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> register, 1818-1837, bear silent testimony like-
wise to Scott's minute care and exactness. From <strong>the</strong> first <strong>of</strong> his entries
on 23 May, 1790, to his last on 12 December, 1827-but one week before
his death-he records <strong>the</strong> baptisms <strong>of</strong> some 1,930 infants at his hands.
His Remarks on Ancieat Registers are here transcribed from <strong>the</strong> first page <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> earlier <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> two registers :-
Registers were fist ordered to be kept in Great Britain and Ireland in <strong>the</strong>
year 1538, ziz <strong>the</strong> re&n <strong>of</strong> Henry V/l% Their utilzty is mangest. They great0 ,
assist at any time in ascertaining <strong>the</strong> population <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Kingdo~z, or <strong>of</strong> any particglar
district, They are in many cases appealed to as valz~abk evidcnce i ~ z
courts <strong>of</strong>
Jzt dicature ; and frepuently contribzrte to tAe satisfaction <strong>of</strong> indiviu'dals. It must
indeed be acknowledged that in some parishes and dissenting co?zgregatio;rzs <strong>the</strong>se
Records have not been unzj"or~zly kept with that regularity azd exactness which
<strong>the</strong>ir iwortance demands.
This remark is exenzplzjfed i?z <strong>the</strong> hfitory <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Presbyterian Chapel in Cradley.
Mr. Basset, <strong>the</strong> jrst stated minister, settled A.B. 1707, and died 1735. No
Register during this period has yet been found. Mr. Isbwnes succeeded him in
1736; on his ren~oval to Shrewsbury, Mr. Jones setz'ded at Cradley in 1748, who
was succeeded by Mr. Baker in 1762. During <strong>the</strong>se ~?zinistrations nzost <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
children belonging to <strong>the</strong> society were baptized by <strong>the</strong> Dissenti~zg Ministers <strong>of</strong>
, \
Stou rb ridge.
[Between 1736 and 1777 inclusive, 63 Cradley children, 37 m.
and 26 f. are entered in <strong>the</strong> Stourbridge Register. G.E.E.]
It appears that <strong>the</strong> numbcr nctz~al@ registered is very inco?zsiderabZe, and that
for several lo?zg intervals rzo baptisms are recorded. Rronz <strong>the</strong> year 1777 to
1790 a chasm remains, which cannot yet be jlled up. But it is ako a fact that
during <strong>the</strong> whole <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> period under consideration <strong>the</strong> ministers <strong>of</strong> CradZey baptized
many children, and i?zserted <strong>the</strong>ir names on detached papers. Should any <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong>se be rescued franz obZivio?z <strong>the</strong>y will be tra?zscrz'bed in <strong>the</strong> following pages.
-- Scott.
I
The interval between Scott's death and William Bowen's settlement as
minister was filled by Alexander Paterson, whose entries in <strong>the</strong> register
extend from 6 January to 14 Segtember, 1828 ; John Sinclair Hyndman
(minister at Billingshurst, 18-30), whose first entry in <strong>the</strong> register is dated
28 September, 1828, and his last on 20 September, 1829 ; and by Robert
Kell, <strong>the</strong>n resident without charge in Birmingham, from 20 September to
27 December, 1829. Hyndman was first preacher at <strong>the</strong> Dudley Double
Lecture, on Tuesday, g June, 1829, his subject being " On Man's Intellectual
and Moral Resemblance to God," James iii., g.