Richard Davis and Revival in Northamptonshire, by Stephen Pickles
The James Bourne Society (The Huntingtonian Press), 2015
286 pages, £13.95 (PB) ISBN: 9781901716061
A Welcome Contribution to Nonconformist History
This book is a welcome addition to the history of nonconformity outside of London in the 17th and early 18th century. In some respects, the county of Northamptonshire has been thinly represented in published histories of notable persons and congregations until the prominence of the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792.
Stephen Pickles has drawn on both surviving primary sources relating to Richard Davis and a range of secondary material (local and national) to present a complex yet balanced view of his influence.
Ministry in Rothwell and Beyond
A Welshman by birth and living in London, Davis was called to the pastorate of a Congregational church in Rothwell in 1689. He clearly had an effective ministry—something recorded in an anonymous source written by a member of the Church of England, hardly the most obvious source of support.
Yet Davis’s ministry extended far beyond his own congregation, or even the town of Rothwell (or Rowell, as it was commonly known at the time). He emerged as an influential evangelist across a wider region, supported by a network of messengers. He is credited with establishing at least thirteen satellite meetings, many of which later developed into independent congregations.
These extended as far as Leicester, Cambridge, Braintree, Hitchin and Wisbech. There were, however, variations in theological position among some of these groups when compared with Davis and the mother church at Rothwell. A notable example is College Lane Baptist (later College Street) in Northampton, which practised both open communion and mixed membership for much of its history.
Controversy and Writings
During his lifetime, Richard Davis was frequently at the centre of controversy—something that has, in turn, enriched the historical record. Alongside his surviving sermons, he authored a number of pamphlets, often defending his views against critics, as well as a substantial collection of hymns. These hymns remained popular long after his death, appearing in eight editions, the last published in 1833.
The controversies surrounding Davis involved disagreements with ministers who might otherwise have been expected to be his nonconformist allies. These centred on issues such as his hyper-Calvinist position, the use of lay preachers, and his views on baptism. On the last of these, the evidence is frustratingly incomplete: although Davis indicated that he would document his position, no such account survives, leaving the reader to infer his views indirectly.
Questions and Connections
This absence points to a broader challenge that a work of this nature can face: it risks raising more questions than it answers. For example, the author briefly suggests that the connection between Davis in London and his call to Rothwell may have been through one Thomas Cooper, a London citizen born in Rothwell.
This, however, overlooks the significant role of Nathaniel Ponder, the publisher of John Bunyan. While living in London, Ponder appears to have been well connected in Northamptonshire and the surrounding region. He had been a member at Rothwell and was a signatory to at least 67 Meeting House licences in the area, including Rothwell itself. Notably, two of Davis’s publications were issued by Nathaniel Ponder and later by his son, Robert.
Final Thoughts
Whether your interest lies in local or national Congregational or Baptist history, this book serves as a valuable introduction and may well encourage further research—something to be warmly commended.
One particularly enlightening chapter, “Connections and relations with other churches and ministers,” effectively sets the historical context for both Richard Davis’s ministry and the life of the church.
The book is also attractively produced, right down to its jacket design, which will hopefully help it reach the wide readership it deserves.
The book is usually available from The Christian Bookshop, Ossett and The Parsons Pages
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