Protestant Tradition in Essex
Rise of Protestantism
Before the Reformation, there was John Wycliffe (1328-1384) and his followers, the Lollards. Wycliffe was an influential professor at the Oxford University who translated the Bible into Middle English to democratize access to scripture. He questioned the wealth of the clergy in the England and argued for less pageantry in religious worship. His questioning of church practices anticipates the rise of Protestantism.
The Protestant movement in England was heavily influenced by the ideas of John Calvin (1509-1564), a reformer from France. A small portion of the Calvinists in England opposed the Church of England, and in the face of persecution, left England. The Pilgrims on the Mayflower were such Calvinists. In 1620 the Anglican Church was popular in England which explains but does not excuse the persecution of Calvinists.1
The Puritan movement, beginning in the mid-16th century, was a Calvinist longing to purify the Church of England from within. John Milton’s Paradise Lost is an expression of Puritanism. Puritanism was a powerful force that emphasized morality, discipline, and Sabbath observance. Despite its prominence, the movement never coalesced into a formal region, but instead was the soil out of which Protestantism grew in England. Presbyterians were Calvinists who wanted their ministers to have the freedom to preach according to their conscious. Congregationalists were Calvinists who wanted autonomy for local congregations. Some Baptists were Calvinists and others rejected the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination. All Baptists emphasized becoming a “saint” through adult baptism. Other groups during the mid-17th century emphasized the millennium, but died out because it did not occur. The Quakers are an example of a millennial group that did not die out. Their commitment to nonviolence and tolerance laid the foundation for modern human rights.
Meet the Protestants
The Christian Monthly Repository asserted in 1827, “Throughout England a great part of the more active members of society, who have the most intercourse with the people have the most influence over them, are Protestant Dissenters. These are manufacturers, merchants and substantial tradesman, or persons who are in the enjoyment of a competency realized by trade, commerce and manufacturers, gentlemen of the professions of law and physic, and agriculturalists, of that class particularly who live upon their own freehold. The virtues of temperance, frugality, prudence and integrity promoted by religious Nonconformity assist the temporal prosperity of these descriptions of persons, as they tend also to lift others to the same rank in society.” 2
Pre-1800 Protestants were more mobile than their peers because 1) they participated in a religious community with a large geographical footprint, 2) sometimes connected with other nonconformists in business, and 3) occasionally reached out to distant towns to find like-minded spouses for their children. In general, Prostestants were more well-to-do than their Anglican neighbors. In 1850, the local historian Thomas Lewis Wilson observed: “Our eastern counties became distinguished from all others by its great number of freeholders and smaller number of slaves,” which, in summary, he considered a reflection of the religious and political temperament of Essex. 3 Catholics and Protestants had a similar profile in briskness and society. Knowing the trade networks and social circles of nonconformists can leverage your research.
Sir Thomas Buxton
Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet Buxton of Belfield and Runton (1786-1845) is a paragon of Protestantism in Essex. He was a member of parliament, an abolitionist, and brewer. He became a partner of the brewery of Truman, Hanbury, and Buxton in 1811. He was born in Castle Hedingham. His mother was a Quaker and he married Hannah Gurney, whose extended family was Quaker. His Gurney relatives supported his efforts in parliament, including prison reform and reducing the use of capital punishment. Although not as famous of Wilberforce, Sir Buxton was one of England’s most courageous abolitionists. 4
Church Attendance
1851 Census of Religious Worship During the 18th and 19th centuries, religion was a powerful force in society. Discovering the religious sentiments of your ancestors can leverage your research. In March 1851, a Census of Religious Worship was conducted concurrently with the ordinary national Census of population. The census shows that in Essex there were 746 places of worship of which 429 were Church of England, 9 Roman Catholic and 312 Nonconformist. The numbers in attendance of all ages were 154,823 Church of England, 2,245 Roman Catholic and 110,115 Nonconformist. In rough numbers, 70% of Essex in 1851 attended church weekly, and of those who attended church 40% were nonconformist. In 1801, 120 of the estimated 300 households in Essex with the Wood surname were nonconformists, which means their baptisms, and even marriages, might not be found in Anglican records.
History Lesson
The events and conflicts of the second half of the 17th century, laid the foundations for modern British government. A good illustration is the contrast of John Locke and Oliver Cromwell. John Locke (1632-1704) was born in Somerset but resided in High Laver, Essex at the end of his life. His liberal political ideas and theory of a social contract continue to influence Western democracies. Like Oliver Cromwell, a contemporary, John Locke was a Puritan. The English Civil Wars (1642-1651) and their aftermath of social unrest, however, drove these men in opposite directions. Oliver Cromwell resolved to clean society of its errors as he saw them, leading him to support legislation to persecute Catholics. In contrast, John Locke argued that the lessons of the English Civil Wars taught the need for religious freedom and tolerance, which principles were adopted in the founding of the United States.
