A short History of New Mill Baptist Church
August 31, 2005

Our Church celebrates its 350th anniversary this year and, as you walk around and view the lovely flowers, perhaps you will also reflect a moment on all of the history that has made it into the Church that you see before you today.

In the mid 16th Century, a re-discovery of the Bible as the basis for the Christian faith had led to the Reformation.  By the late 17th Century, small non-conformist groups were breaking away from the Protestant national churches in Western Europe.  Dissenting churches, partly because they were associated with potential rebellious elements in the country, were outlawed.  Some visiting preachers to New Mill were even imprisoned.

In 1655 six persons formed themselves into a Baptist fellowship and me in a mud-walled cottage at New Mill.  Before this they had met in the woods.

In 1676, the General Baptists at Berkhamsted decided to form a distinct Church in Tring with Daniel Field as pastor.  New Mill sent a representative to a meeting of the General Assembley in 1689.  The first recognised pastor at New Mill was Richard Sutton of Dunstable, then Thomas Peake (1715-1717).  The next pastor was Jonas Thurrowgood, who lived at Bendish (1719-1733).

The Church closed for a short while when it went into decline until Henry Blaine (whose memorial can be seen in the Church on the right end of the wall) revitalised it.  In his remarkable ministry a new chapel was built and twice enlarged.  He brought the membership to over one hundred.  He baptized people in the stream in front of the building (the stream was later diverted by the Canal Company into the feeder).  He died in 1788 and his successor was John Clement, the watchmaker, from Tring.  The old building was demolished and a completely new Meeting House was made at the rear and people came from many villages around.

Membership declined because other Baptist chapels opened in Tring and surrounding villages but New Mill was the Mother Church to many of them.

There has always been a loyal core of Christians here.  The Sunday School was always large and in 1897 a school room was built by J Honour of Tring.  This holds many fond memories for many local people.  Many social activities, besides the teaching of wise Sunday Schools teachers, took place.  On Whit Sunday there was a parade around the village with the Sunday School banner and an egg and flower service. Now, over a hundred years later, much work is needed to bring the school room up to standard.

We are committed to keeping the large church building in good repair as a listed building.  The new sash windows, doors and a new kitchen have been expensive and the need for a disabled toilet is a must.

Last year we were very saddened by the sudden, early death of our Pastor, Peter Lewis; he was a Pastor in the old sense.

Please take the time to look around the Church:  The seating was renewed in 1913 in pitched pine, with money donated by Lady Emma Rothschild.  Read the memorials on the walls – the longest living pastor lived to the ripe age of 63 years!

We thank the generous sponsors for the flowers and decorations in this building – one of the oldest Baptist Churches in the country.

Pray for us in our way forward in the coming years.

Barbara Smith