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

It was filled both parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> day ; not iess than 1000 people attending
in <strong>the</strong> morning and about 1200 in <strong>the</strong> afternoon."
Mr. Mat<strong>the</strong>ws says-
The register <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> New Meting-house having been lost <strong>the</strong> society could
not recover damages from <strong>the</strong> Hundred; but, after much delay, obtained
;G2,ooo from <strong>the</strong> Government towards <strong>the</strong> erection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> new building, which
was opened July 22, 1802, to accommodate 1,200 persons. [The preacher
was Thomas Belsham, <strong>the</strong>n minister <strong>of</strong> New Gravel Pit, Hackney.] The strip
<strong>of</strong> land in New Meeting Street, adjoining <strong>the</strong> Meeting-house, was purchased
in 1808, for a term <strong>of</strong> 500 years, for ;G400 ; here <strong>the</strong> school buildings were
subsequently erected. Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> congregation desiring
<strong>the</strong> place <strong>of</strong> worship and <strong>the</strong> schools to be removed nearer Edgbaston,
several meetings were held in 1857 and 1858 to decide upon <strong>the</strong> subject, and
in this latter year, on October 12, at a meeting <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> seat-renting members,
held at twelve o'clock at noon, it was determined that <strong>the</strong> chapel and schools
should be removed to Broad Street. By a vgry small majority <strong>the</strong> resolu-
tion was cawied :--That <strong>the</strong> Trustees be 1-eyztestect to taLe such ?/zeasures for dis-
posing <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> prtsent chapel, schools, and property in Nc'w Meetins Street as may
appznl- to <strong>the</strong>m expedient ; and that <strong>the</strong> Conz?rtittee now rcppointed be aztthorized to
give szrch consent, on <strong>the</strong> part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> congl-egation, to all legnL vtenszrres fir eftcting
such salt., 02, for appropriating <strong>the</strong> purchase nzonies to accrzle <strong>the</strong>refr<strong>of</strong>~z, towards <strong>the</strong>
new chnpel and schools, as may be deemed necessary 6y <strong>the</strong> Trustees, 07. 6y <strong>the</strong> Cozdrt
<strong>of</strong> Chcrncery, zyit shall 7(e found expedient to apply to that Court.
The New Meeting-house was privately sold to <strong>the</strong> Roman Catholic congre-
gation [St. Michael's] in or about August, 1861, for 63,500, and <strong>the</strong> last
unitarian service was conducted <strong>the</strong>re on Sunday, December 29, 1861. The
site in Broad Street consists in <strong>the</strong> right <strong>of</strong> building over <strong>the</strong> canal at <strong>the</strong>
corner <strong>of</strong> St. Peter's Place, and <strong>the</strong>re an elegant Gothic church and school-
rooms have been built, which were duly opened on New Year's Day, 1862,
[The preacher was Thomas Madge] under <strong>the</strong> name, ' Church <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Messiah.'
To this building <strong>the</strong> memorial tablets <strong>of</strong> Priestley and o<strong>the</strong>rs have been
removed.
A drawing by P. H. Witton, Jr., giving-
an accurate representation
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ruins <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> New Meeting-house is included in <strong>the</strong> Views <strong>of</strong> thz
Ruins <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> princ@crZ houses destroyed during <strong>the</strong> 1-i4t~ at Bimztnghar~z, r79r7
and reproduced by Mr. Mat<strong>the</strong>ws ; and a representation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Meetiilg-
house prior to its pillage and burning appears on a local trade token now
*Mrs. Beale's Memorials, p. $3.
in <strong>the</strong> possession <strong>of</strong> Charies Fenton esquire, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> India Ofice, one <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> National Conference secretaries. .
'The foundation stone <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH was laid by Timothy
Kenrick esquire, on Saturday, I I August, 1860. The following document
was deposited in <strong>the</strong> foundation stone, toge<strong>the</strong>r with some coins, local
papers, and a plan <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> church and schools :-
This Building, <strong>of</strong> which <strong>the</strong> Foundation stone is this day laid, is dedicated
to <strong>the</strong> worship <strong>of</strong> Almighty God by <strong>the</strong> congregation <strong>of</strong> Christian worshippers
now assenibling in <strong>the</strong> New Meeting-house,,Moor Street, Birmingham ; once
under <strong>the</strong> pastoral care <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> iilustricus Dr. Priestley throughout <strong>the</strong> entire
term <strong>of</strong> his residence in this town ; and from <strong>the</strong> year 1803, for fifty years,
under that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> late eminently learned and pious, <strong>the</strong> Reverend John
Kentish. The present Members <strong>of</strong> this Congregation address <strong>the</strong>ir worship
to God <strong>the</strong> Fa<strong>the</strong>r alone ; honouring, but not worshipping His Son, Jesus
Christ, by acknowledging that through Him <strong>the</strong>y have access to <strong>the</strong> Fa<strong>the</strong>r.
Desirous <strong>of</strong> maintaining inviolate <strong>the</strong> Christian liberty which <strong>the</strong>y <strong>the</strong>mselves
enjoy, and <strong>of</strong> transmitting it unimpaired to <strong>the</strong>ir descendants, <strong>the</strong>y leave
this House <strong>of</strong> IVorship free and unfettered. Avowing and exercising <strong>the</strong>ir
own distinct pr<strong>of</strong>ession <strong>of</strong> belief, <strong>the</strong>y prescribe no pr<strong>of</strong>ession whatever for.
o<strong>the</strong>rs, but have faith in truth, and in <strong>the</strong> God <strong>of</strong> truth, that if His Word
have free course it will be glorified.
The cost was about L12,ooo; <strong>the</strong> architect being Mr. J. J. Bateman,
<strong>of</strong> Birmingham.
Mr. Bache founded his last sermon in <strong>the</strong> New Meeting-house, Moor
Street, on Sunday evening, 29 December, 1861, on St. John X., 16-
And o<strong>the</strong>r sheep I have, which are not <strong>of</strong> this fold: <strong>the</strong>n1 also I must briny,
and <strong>the</strong>y shall hear My voice ; and <strong>the</strong>re shail be one flock and one shepherd ;
from which he insisted on <strong>the</strong> ground <strong>of</strong> Christian unity, as founded on
principles and spirit, a& not on opinion ; and in reference to <strong>the</strong> New
Meeting-house being about to pass into <strong>the</strong> hands <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Roman Catholics,
read Dr. Priestley's dedication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> last treatise on which he was en-
gaged, viz. :-
The Doctrines <strong>of</strong> Hea<strong>the</strong>n Philosophy compared with those <strong>of</strong> Revelation,
to <strong>the</strong> Rev. Joseph Berington, Catholic priest, in England, and <strong>the</strong> Rev.
William White, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Protestant Episcopal Church <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States,
as most appropriately illustrative <strong>of</strong> his subject ; it being well known also
that, when minister <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> New Meeting-house, Dr. Priestley had, in 1790,
asked Mr. Berington, <strong>the</strong>n Catholic priest at Oscot, to preach <strong>the</strong> New