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

Joseph Carpenter, on accepting <strong>the</strong> invitation to leave Warwick for
<strong>the</strong> ministry <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Angel Street Society, Worcester-
expressed surprise that <strong>the</strong> Congregation should invite so old a man, but
said, if <strong>the</strong>y grew tired and wished a change, <strong>the</strong>y would not have much
trouble in getting rid <strong>of</strong> him. . . . His removal to this place [Worcester]
gave him, in <strong>the</strong> review, great satisfaction, and in a letter, dated October
3, 1752, he says, ' Surely, if ever any one was under a particular direction,
I was in that affair."
At Warwick he-
used to catechise <strong>the</strong> children publicly by teaching and explaining <strong>the</strong>
Assembly's Catechism.?
Joseph Kettle removed from Dorchester to Warwick. Here he remained
for <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong> his life, being minister <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> society just 40 years, and a
resident in it for 60 years. An anecdote <strong>of</strong> him, honourable to his memory,
is preserved by Abel Edwards, minister at Dorchester, 1772-1813, in his
account <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Old Meeting, Pease Lane.$ While Kettle resided in Dor-
chester, he was, it seems, much noticed by a gentleman living in <strong>the</strong>
neighbourhood, who, among o<strong>the</strong>r marks <strong>of</strong> regard, made him a liberal
<strong>of</strong>fer <strong>of</strong> preferment in <strong>the</strong> Established Church, provided he ~vould conform.
But <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>fer was respectfully declined, and, says Edwards-
in so acting he exhibited a laudable instance <strong>of</strong> religious integrity, and <strong>the</strong>
more to be esteemed, as by all accounts he was a person who could not
be supposed to be indifferent to those accon~n~odations which <strong>the</strong> emoluments
<strong>of</strong> an Establishment would enable <strong>the</strong> possessor to procure.
An orthodox secession took place about 1750, which laid <strong>the</strong> foundation
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Independent society in Brooke Street, <strong>of</strong> which, in 1759, John New-
ton, afterwards <strong>of</strong> Olney-who had not <strong>the</strong>n taken Anglican orders-was
one <strong>of</strong> its supplies for six weeks. Many references in his letters <strong>of</strong> later
life testify to his pleasant remembrances <strong>of</strong> his Warwick ministry. Twenty-
two years afterwards he writes :-l <strong>of</strong>te~e think <strong>of</strong> that time with pleaszcre.
There <strong>the</strong> Lord opened ny nrozcth.
Benjamin Kingsbury was a native <strong>of</strong> Warwick, and settled here as
minister on legving Daventry Academy. A very singular difference <strong>of</strong>
XUrwick's Nonconformity in Worcester, p. 100.
JrM.S.C., p. 167.
$M.R., 1826, p. 630.
taste, rat he^ than <strong>of</strong> opinion, occasioned his abrupt dismissal.*
The question in dispute was <strong>the</strong> propriety <strong>of</strong> returning in a public assembly
special thanks to <strong>the</strong> Almighty for preservation in child-birth. The minister's
taste revolted from this practice, and his refusal to con~ply with it, or to
render his reasons for his refusal, led to a separation.
In 1791, he contracted, under somewhat romantic circumstances, a marriage
with <strong>the</strong> daughter <strong>of</strong> an eminent hardwareman in London, and, having
been minister to <strong>the</strong> Evesham society, in Oat Street, 1790-1791, he -left
<strong>the</strong> ministry to succeed his fa<strong>the</strong>r-in-law in business. He was author <strong>of</strong>
several publications, both when in <strong>the</strong> ministry and after he quitted it.
Walter Wilson, in his M§§. , says he was aztthar <strong>of</strong> a voZz~7/~e <strong>of</strong> fanzio prayers
[17go], and <strong>of</strong> a Lreatise on razor strops, <strong>of</strong> which he is now a dealer in London.
The full title <strong>of</strong> this, <strong>the</strong> more popular <strong>of</strong> ICingsbury's productions, was "A
Treatise on Razors, in which <strong>the</strong> Weight, Shape, and Temper <strong>of</strong> a Razor
are considered," 1797. He was a Dudley lecturer in 1790.
Field's life has recently been told by A.G. in <strong>the</strong> Dictionary <strong>of</strong> National
BioRYaphy; to it <strong>the</strong> author is indebted for <strong>the</strong> following extracts :-
John Field, his fa<strong>the</strong>r, a London medical practitioner and founder <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
London Annuity Society, was a man <strong>of</strong> property, who married Anne, daughter
<strong>of</strong> Thomas Cromwell, and sister <strong>of</strong> Oliver Cromwell (1742?-1821). Field got
a good classical trairiing, while at school he correspoilded with his fa<strong>the</strong>r
in Latin. . . . Field succeeded James Kettle in 1789 as minister <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
Presbyterian congregation at Warwick, where he was ordained on 12 July,
1790. On this occasion Belsham gave <strong>the</strong> charge and Priestley preached.
Dr. Parr, who <strong>the</strong>n first met Priestley, attended <strong>the</strong> service and <strong>the</strong> ordination
dinner. Thus began Field's close intimacy with Parr, a connection
fostered by <strong>the</strong>ir common devotion to classical studies. Field at once (1791)
started a Sunday school (<strong>the</strong> first in Warwick). This led him into a squabble
with some local clergy. Field, who was always ready for a pamphlet war,
issued <strong>the</strong> first <strong>of</strong> many productions <strong>of</strong> his incisive pen, in which <strong>the</strong> dignity
<strong>of</strong> style, and <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>~~sion <strong>of</strong> literary and classical illustration contrast
curiously with <strong>the</strong> pettiness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> disputes. . . . Field kept a boarding
school for many years at Leam, near Warwick. This led to his publishing
some educational manuals, <strong>of</strong> which <strong>the</strong> most valuable was <strong>the</strong> Questions ogz
GosjeZ <strong>History</strong>, recommended in <strong>the</strong> ' Critical Review' (June, 1794) to <strong>the</strong>o-
logical students in <strong>the</strong> two universities. His history <strong>of</strong> Warwick, and his
life <strong>of</strong> Parr are important works. He died at Leam, on 16 August, 1851.
A marble slab to his meinory was placed in High Street Chapel, Warwick.
. . . Field was <strong>of</strong> diminutive stature, with a noble head ; his portrait