URC History Society

1. The Convent of All Hallows, Ditchingham provided an excellent venue for the Study Weekend held from 19 to 21 September – Indian Summer temperatures to explore chapels and churches in Suffolk and Norfolk under the guidance of Ronald Bocking and Eamon Duffy, comfortable accommodation and good food. Members were also able to enjoy a feast of stimulating papers and shorter communications. Professor Patrick Collinson gave the Annual Lecture on ‘Dissent before Dissenters’. Appropriately, much of his evidence focussed on East Anglian communities. Thirty six members and friends attended. Morning worship at Emmanuel Church Bungay also provided an opportunity to meet the Moderator of General Assembly, Alasdair Pratt.

2. The completion of the task of distributing congregational records to local Archives and Record Offices has allowed the Council to refocus attention on the Presbyterian General Assembly material in the Society’s care. This is of national interest and requires dedicated accessible space. The conversion of an attic area at Westminster College may supply a solution. Thirty years after union, material is still being deposited, in this case papers from Presbyterian Housing Ltd. Work has continued, thanks to the assistance of Mr and Mrs Richard Potts, in listing and sorting ministerial papers and sermons.

3. In the Library change is more apparent. Duplicate stock has been disposed of, making shelving and access more convenient. Following the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Society and Westminster College, the proceeds will be shared between the two bodies. In addition the future of the collection is safeguarded should either party cease to exist. Dr Marian Foster has continued her part time work as cataloguer, coming across such C17 gems as Faithful Teate’s Scripture map of the wilderness and way to Canaan (1655), possibly an influence upon John Bunyan.

4. The communications revolution initiated by the World Wide Web means that queries come more often by email than by a personal visit. The Administrator, Mrs Margaret Thompson, (01223 741300 / mt212@cam.ac.uk) may be contacted at Westminster College, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0AA on any weekday save Wednesday. Family History, where a relative has been a missionary or a minister is often requested, but the most intriguing enquiry in 2003 concerned an aboriginal boy, George Van Diemen, who was placed in the care of the Revd George Greatbatch, itinerant preacher in the Liverpool area and then minister at Southport in the early years of C19. (A fictional account of the boy may be found in English Passengers by Matthew Kneale).

5. The Journal issues for the year contained the usual eclectic mix, ranging from Philip Doddridge and Children, via the history of Barton Chapel in Cheshire to English Congregational reactions to the Spanish Civil War. Would-be contributors are asked to contact the Editor, Professor Clyde Binfield. He can offer practical advice on ‘house style’ as well as historical insight.

6. At the General Assembly in Portsmouth a useful consultation took place on a document prepared by the Council, ‘What local churches should preserve’. Members’ contributions were incorporated in the version that could appear in The Manual eventually. In the meantime single copies may be obtained from the Administrator.

7. The Administrator is pleased to receive church histories produced for significant anniversaries, the most recent being One Hundred Years of Trinity [St Albans]. Any material connected with the partnership between the Congregational Union of England and Wales and the Church of the Palatinate will also be very welcome at Westminster, as it is hoped to produce an account of the relationship in time for the Jubilee of the Covenant of Table and Pulpit Fellowship in 2007.

8. Leaflets explaining what the Society can offer were sent to every minister and church secretary in the autumn mailing. All who have an interest in the history of the United Reformed Church, whether academic or local, specialised or general, are welcome. Membership remains good value at £13 and students may claim a reduction.