James Hoby

James Hoby (1788-1871) was the son of George Hoby, a boot maker and deacon at Andrew Gifford’s congregation at Eagle Street in London. The younger Hoby was trained at Bristol Academy, after which he served as assistant pastor at Maze Pond, Southwark, and as pastor at Weymouth, Birmingham (Graham Street), and Twickenham. Along with F. A. Cox, Hoby traveled to America in the 1830s to promote Baptist causes and the abolition of slavery, a trip that resulted in the publication of The Baptists in America (1836). He was actively involved with the BMS and served as chairman of the Baptist Union in 1851 and 1854.