Bath Baptists

Bath Baptists – A group of Baptists began meeting at Bath around 1744, when John Clark, a Baptist from Frome, and Robert Parsons, a member of the Baptist congregation at Broadmead, Bristol, began meeing in a room in Marchant’s Passage, Bath. It seems likely that during Anne Steele’s visit to Bath in May of 1751, she worshiped with this small group of Baptists. The next year, Parsons and several other members at Broadmead were dismissed to assist in forming a Baptist church in Bath. A few years later, a chapel was built between Southgate Street and Corn Street. Later the church moved to a new chapel in Somerset Street, and eventually to Manvers Street, where it remains an active church to this day. Robert Parsons was the first pastor and remained in that capacity until his death in 1790.  Parsons had his own business, for he did not receive any remuneration during his tenure as pastor.