The Eighteenth Century

On some loose and damaged papers are the names of some of the preachers at Eastgate Chapel around the turn of the century.¹ Thomas Croucher, John Court, James Austen, Abraham Mulliner, Icabod Chaxfield (or Ichabod Chatfield), who came from Ditchling in 1696 in answer to an appeal to the Assembly for help.

Thomas Croucher adopted the Caffinite position; Abraham Mulliner opposed. This led to Mulliner being called away in 1703 to London as Elder of White’s Alley, Moorfields (thought to be the original Baptist Church in London) and James Austen was Elder at Chichester.² The Church Book has an entry in 1763 which states “It appears from the best accounts we are able to collect that Mr. James Austen was the first Pastor of the Baptist Church in Chichester.” It is not known whether they had lost all record of James Sicklemore and George Smith, or whether for some reason they did not recognise them as ‘pastors’.

James Austen had been called to the office of Elder (or Pastor) in 1701, and he died in 1713. On 4th January, 1714, Mr. William Smith succeeded to the pastoral care and was ordained by Mr. Robert Norden Mr. Henry Miller and Mr. James Richardson, Messengers, and Mr. Richard Drinkwater and Mr. John Smith, Deacons at the same time.

William Smith died in 1719 and on 4th February in that year, Mr. Matthew Randall and Mr. Richard Drinkwater were ordained joint pastors by Mr. Benjamin Miller of Downton.³ Matthew Randall was sent to Virginia (or possibly Virginia Street church, London) in 1722, leaving Richard Drinkwater as sole pastor.

The minutes of the General Assembly for 1709 and 1710 give William Smith and Richard Drinkwater as ‘Representatives’ and Robert Norden as ‘Elder’; in 1715 Matthew Randall and Richard Drinkwater as Representatives’; in 1719 these are described as ‘Elders’ and in 1721 two more are added – John Smith and Matthew Austen – and in that year Chichester entertained the Assembly on 31st May and 1st June, the first time (as far as records go) when it met outside London.

Another record⁴ says that, “After Caffin’s supporters had been expelled the Assembly, they formed a rival group, and this met in 1721 at Chichester, when four Elders appear – Richard Drinkwater, Matthew Randall, John Smith, Matthew Austen.” It would appear that the same ‘Assembly’ of 1721 is being referred to, though whether it was the full General Baptist Assembly, or just the Caffinite faction is not clear.

Chichester is mentioned in 1717 as one of the churches, together with some in Kent, when missionary enthusiasm was high and missionaries were sent to Virginia in North America. Two had been sent in 1714, one died on the voyage, so three more were sent the next year. A sum of £65 was raised in 1717, for their support. It was said that they were “Messengers from the home churches to minister to the scattered planters and perhaps to the ‘indentured servants’ or white slaves.”⁵

The first chapel was burnt down and all destroyed, except a few papers.⁶ It was during Richard Drinkwater’s pastorate (in 1728) that the meeting house was rebuilt, at a cost of £200, Mr. Drinkwater, surgeon and sometime pastor contributed £20, Lady Farington, five guineas and Mr. Matthew Austen (pastor) £10.

Richard Drinkwater appears to have been much respected, for in 1733 he was Moderator of the General Baptist Assembly and chosen to preach the sermon. Dr. Whitley records in his Bibliography that “Matthew Randall of Virginia Street preached a sermon occasioned by the decease of Richard Drinkwater at Chichester” in 1744. In that same year Matthew Randall wrote a remarkable letter at the request of the General Baptist Assembly of 16th May, regarding Baptist attitudes to marriage, and much of this is quoted by John Caffyn in ‘Sussex Believers.’⁷ Caffyn says that there is no record of any marriage covenant or ceremony in the surviving records of the Chichester Chapel.

When Richard Drinkwater died the Church was not only without a pastor, but apparently John Smith was the only remaining deacon. The minute contained in the Church Book, of the Church Meeting held on May 20, 1744 is an interesting insight into Church life in General Baptist Churches at that time. It reads, “Reflecting on the loss of our late worthy Pastor and Messenger of the Churches, Mr. Richard Drinkwater, deceased, and it appearing necessary to increase the number of Deacons, our good brother John Smith being alone in that office, we proceeded to enquire who among us might be agreed to serve as a Pastor and Deacons, and difficulties arising occasioned by 4 brethren being proposed for Pastor, it was thought proper to adjourn our Church Meeting to the day following; and then it was agreed to choose our good brother Matthew Austen our Pastor, and our kind brothers James Dearling, Thomas Geare and James Spershott to be our Deacons in conjunction with our Brother Smith; and as our worthy Friends Brothers Pyall, Chilton and Copper have accepted the office of Messengers, and on account of his age and ill health they were obliged to attend Father Miller at Downton in order to their Ordination, we took the opportunity on their return for the Ordination of the aforementioned Brethren, and accordingly in a solemn manner, by Fasting, Prayers and Laying on of Hands, they were ordained to the respective offices above mentioned on the 25th Day of June, 1744, by Robert Pyall, and Matthew Copper, in the presence of Matthew Randall, London, John Smith, Portsmouth, and by the approbation of us the Members of the said Church.”⁸

¹William R. Estep The Anabaptist Story. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A.
²Watts, M.R. The Dissenters 1978.
³Since 1976 the Strict Baptists have been associated in the ‘Grace Baptist Assembly.’
⁴Firth C.H. and Tait R.S. Acts and Ordinances of the Interregnum 1911
⁵T. G. Willis. Records of Chichester 1928 P.293
⁶Miss Jean T. de Marney. Thoughts on an Inscription in Singleton Church – James Sicklemore, 17th Century Rector 1981 (Extracts in Appendix 1) Subsequently published in “The Sussex Genealogist and Local Historian” Vol. 2 N°. 4 March 1981
⁷Thomas Crosby. The History of the Baptists (1738-40)
⁸For accounts of the first General Baptist Church in Portsmouth (St. Thomas’s Street) see H. J. Fox ‘Pilgrimage’ 1952 and Ernest Tatford ‘Forward’ A Brief History of Tangier Road Baptist Church, Copnor, Portsmouth 1987.