Whitchurch Baptist Church 

Whitchurch Baptist Church – Charles Cole (1733-1813) came to Whitchurch in 1759 and remained until his death in 1813 (5).  While there he became a successful hymnwriter, many of which were published in Cole’s A Three-fold Alphabet of New Hymns in 1789 (6).  A new meeting house was built in 1764, with William Steele of Broughton holding the deed; also involved was Thomas Dyer, another Baptist preacher and later colleague of a Baptist evangelist, William Steadman. James Dyer was converted under Cole’s ministry, and his son was John Dyer, later first full-time secretary of the BMS (6-7). Cole was succeeded by James Millard, who came from Hartley Row. He remained until 1818 (7), when Millard removed to the church at Lymington (8). He was succeeded by Philip Davies, from Wokingham, assisted by R. Townsend. Davies served until his death in 1838. See Walter Fancutt, Whitchurch Baptist Church 1652-1952  (Andover, 1952).