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

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE MONTHLY MEETING OF
PROTESTANT DISSENTING MINISTERS OF WARWICKSHIRE
AND THE NEIGMBOURING COUNTIES, 1782-1899.
" The Monthly Meeting <strong>of</strong> Protestant Dissenting Ministers <strong>of</strong> Warwick-
shire and <strong>the</strong> neighbouring Counties " was formed in <strong>the</strong> year 1782. The
records <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> earlier years <strong>of</strong> its existence are very scanty <strong>of</strong> information.
It is considered probable that <strong>the</strong> meetings grew out <strong>of</strong> private meetings
<strong>of</strong> three ministers, viz., Samuel Clark, a minister (1756-1769) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Old
Meeting, Birmingham ; Thomas Robins, minister (1761-1776) <strong>of</strong> West Brom-
wich ; and John Cole, minister (1759-1781) <strong>of</strong> Wolverhampton, who met
once a month at each o<strong>the</strong>r's house for instructive conversation on 1.iterary
and religious subjects, but without any public service, and <strong>the</strong>y continued
to meet till Mr. Clark's death in 1769. Mr. Robins afterwards removed
to Daventry, and in 1775 succeeded Dr. Ashworth as principal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
dissenting academy <strong>of</strong> that place.
The first <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Monthly Meetings was held at West Bromwich on
7 May, 1782, "at Rev. 1Wr. [Saf;zuel] Brabrook's house," when several mini-
sters assembled, and agreed to enter into <strong>the</strong> following resolutions :- -
" That zae will meet toge<strong>the</strong>r nzouzthlj~ for <strong>the</strong> jurjose <strong>of</strong> nzzdtztal i;zstruction and
e~l'&aiion. . . . j07, pzrbric prayer and prenching ill <strong>the</strong> ~ilol lzinr at each o<strong>the</strong>r's
places res@ctiz~e@. Thnt itz <strong>the</strong> nffernoon we 7wiZl more $rivntely rEisczrss some qzrestion
<strong>of</strong> intportance zuhich was p~<strong>of</strong>osed <strong>the</strong> prececI'it~p n:eetin~. That, i3z a bo.ok to Be Kept By
V/. P?*octer, ?/zi?zzdes oj rach day's $?-ocierl'ing~ shall be entered."
Thanks to <strong>the</strong> care <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> successive secretaries-William Procter, Alex.
Paterson, William Bowen, Samuel Bache, John Gordon, David Maginnis,
Charles Clarke, Samuel Fletcher Williams, Henry McKean, Arthur Ellis
O'Connor, and Evan David Priestley Evans-minutes have been regularly
kept, and <strong>the</strong> valuable series <strong>of</strong> minute' books is in <strong>the</strong> custody <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
secretary for <strong>the</strong> time being.
It is needless to say that <strong>the</strong> Month4 Meetiqg-an Arian fraternity,
discussing topics from <strong>the</strong> first-must never be mixed up with <strong>the</strong> mucl1
older Dudley and Oldbury Double Lectures.