Halstead Baptists

Baptists began meeting in Halstead in the late 1600s. Their congregation drew members from other towns, such as Sudbury, where they didn’t have a meeting house of their own at the time.^[1]Klaiber, Ashley J. The Story of the Suffolk Baptists. London: Kingsgate, 1931, pages 39 and 42.

I have struggled to find records for them. Some births for members were presumably lodged at Dr Williams’ Library.

Essex Archives holds a Sessions Bundle from 1777 which includes the following document from Halstead Baptists, or Anabaptists as they called themselves at the time. They were petitioning for their minister, William Hollowbread, to be allowed to take their oaths. Twelve members of the church signed their names to the document, which gives us a snapshot of a portion of their membership at the time. Presumably women were among their membership at the time, but none of them signed or marked the petition.

The Anabaptists’ petition

Jan the 10^th 1777

This petition sheweth that William Hallowbread, humbly beseech you the worshipful bench of justices of the peace, to grant him the favour of taking the oaths, and making the declaration, and subscribing to the Articles required in the Statute – as a protestant dissenting minister; – according to the law; – And a Certificate

And that we the Church of Christ of South-Halsted in Essex (whose names are here under written) of the protestant perswation, commonly called Anaptists: do approve of William Hallowbread to be minister of Jesus Christ; and do believe that he is a true protestant.

Witness our hands:

• David Wilkin
• Antho Bentall
• William Bentall
• John Wickee [for Wicker?]
• John Heard
• Joseph Goss
• Joseph Harrington
• John Cable
• Matthew Hume
• John Wicker sener
• John Mullens
• Thomas Hayward