Blaby, Leicestershire, Baptists

Blaby, Leicestershire, Baptist Church – [The following history is taken from “History of the Baptist Churches in Connection with the Leicestershire Association,” Baptist Magazine (1866), 12-13.]  

The church at Blaby grew out of a Sunday-school, established nine years before. As there was no Dissenting place of worship in the village, and the gospel was not preached in the Established Church, some poor men were accustomed to go on the Lord's-day to the neighbouring places to hear the Word of God, some to Arnsby, others to Foxton, and others to Leicester. Seven of them had families; and finding that their children were neglected during their absence, they resolved to stay at home alternately, gather their children together in one house, and give them the best instruction they could. Upon this the neighbours requested that their children also might be taught, which request was acceded to, and on Sunday, December 8th, 1798, they met in the cottage of one of them, John Vale, fifty children being present on the first day of meeting. The house in which they met being small and inconvenient, they sought in their perplexity Divine direction, the result of which is recorded in their own words as follows: - 

“Finding that house not convenient, prayer was made, and the Lord answered our prayer, and provided a place, only we must pay £1 10s. per year for the same.”

These good men pursued their work under many difficulties, the difficulty of straitened circumstances not being the least, having occasional preaching and prayer-meetings until their palace of meeting became too strait for them, when they again sought Divine guidance, the result of which is thus chronicled: –

“The Lord put it into the heart of Mr. Joseph Simpkin to give them a piece ofr ground on which to build a chapel, and also L50 towards its erection, he becoming also responsible for the whole cost, £138 17s 6d.”

The chapel was opened in October, 1807. The school prospered, and the pulpit was supplied by various local preachers until November, 1808, when Mr. Iliff of Leicester, became the minister. He resigned in the autumn of the following year, when a stranger, of Hyper-Calvinistic tendencies, preached for several Sundays; but as his doctrinal teachings were not favourably received, he was dismissed.

A short time before, seven persons formed themselves into a church, on what they called an “open-bottom communion,” two of them being chosen as deacons. At the end of the year, Mr. Simpson, of Leicester, a General Baptist, became pastor; but as his theological opinions did not harmonize with those of the people, he resigned his charge. On his resignation, the church sought counsel of the Rev. Robert Hall, of Leicester, and by his advice they resolved to have a fixed creed; and as the opposite extremes of Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism were offensive to them, they formed themselves into a Particular Baptist church, holding the same faith and order as the denomination generally. At this time Mr. Evans was recommended to them; and, after probationary labours, was ordained pastor in 1812. The following year the chapel was enlarged to its present dimensions. Mr. Evans was pastor for twenty-eight years, and in the early part of his ministry was very successful. He baptized between eighty and ninety persons. On the resignation of Mr. Evans in 1839, the Rev. John Barnett, the present devoted and highly esteemed pastor, commenced his ministry. In the beginning of 1840, by the advice and liberal aid of the Association, the minister's house was erected; and in the following year the chapel was entirely renovated, and the vestry and school-room built at a cost of about L700. When Mr. Barnett began his ministry at Blaby, there were only thirty members enrolled in the church book, and several of them did not attend. About 150 persons have since been baptized. Ten or twelve years ago the chapel at Whetstone, built by the General Baptists, was purchased, when repairs were made and a new school-room erected.