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The Millerite Adventists in Great Britain, 1840–1850

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2009

Louis Billington
Louis Billington
Affiliation:
University of Hull
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Extract

Millenarianism was an important element in early nineteenth-century Evangelical Christianity. The majority of British and American Evangelicals favoured a post-millennial Advent, and looked forward to a thousand years of heaven on earth which were to precede Christ's Second Coming. The great religious and benevolent societies—tract and Bible societies, foreign and domestic missionary societies and the like, whose progress in Britain and America was closely linked—were sustained by the hope that their work and even their very existence were signs of the approaching Millennium. Within the major Evangelical denominations as well as the smaller sects, there were also ‘students of prophecy’, who took a closer interest in the allegorical and prophetic books of the Bible than the majority of their contemporaries, but this interest was by no means limited to the fanatical or eccentric. These ‘students’ read their Bibles with the extreme literalism common to Evangelicals at this time, and in their exegeses disputed the time and circumstances of the Second Advent. Many supported the idea of a post-millennial Advent, while others argued that Christ's return had already taken place at the destruction of Jerusalem. Some favoured a pre-millennial Advent; that is, that Christ would return before the thousand years of heaven on earth.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of American Studies , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , October 1967 , pp. 191 - 212
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1967

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References

page 191 note 1 For the importance of the millenarian tradition in Britain and America see Sanford, Charles L., The Quest for Paradise: Europe and the American Moral Imagination (Urbana, 1961), pp. 74–93Google Scholar; Brown, Ira V., ‘Watchers for the Second Coming: the millenarian tradition in America’, Mississippi Valley Historical Review, 39 (1952), 441–58CrossRefGoogle Scholar; and Drummond, A. L., Edward Irving and His Circle (London, n.d.)Google Scholar. The Christian Observer, the most influential Anglican journal, reviewed ten works on prophecy in the issues of July and August 1825 alone, and this was not unusual. In 1828 the American W. B. Sprague reported from London: ‘The attention of many of the ministers of this country has of late been particularly directed towards the subject of prophecy’ (Sprague, W. B., Letters from Europe in 1828 Originally Published in the New York Observer (New York, 1830), p. 74Google Scholar). For an important survey of millennial movements and the need for further research into nineteenth-century millennial sects see Thrupp, Sylvia L. (ed.), Millennial Dreams in Action: Essays in Comparative Study: Comparative Studies in Society and History, supplement 2 (The Hague, 1962)Google Scholar, especially the essay by George Shepperson, ‘The comparative study of millennial movements’, pp. 44–52.

page 192 note 1 For a good account of nineteenth-century millennial thought by a contemporary see Wellcome, I. C., History of the Second Advent Message (Yarmouth, Maine, 1874)Google Scholar.

page 192 note 2 See Nichol, F. D., The Midnight Cry: A Defence of William Miller and the Millerites (Washington, D.C., 1944)Google Scholar; and Cross, W. R., The Burned Over District: The Social and Intellectual History of Enthusiastic Religion in Western New York, 1800–1850 (Ithaca, New York, 1950)Google Scholar. Probably the most frequently cited source for stories of Millerite ‘fanaticism’ has been Sears, Clara E., Days of Delusion, A Strange Bit of History (Boston, 1924)Google Scholar.

page 192 note 3 Cross, op. cit. p. 291.

page 192 note 4 Almost any issue of the Advent Herald and Signs of the Times Reporter, the principal Millerite journal published in Boston from 1840, will confirm the anti-Catholicism of the Millerites. The Advent Herald will henceforth be cited as A.H. For the Evangelical Alliance see below.

page 193 note 1 Smith, Timothy L., Revivalism and Social Reform in Mid-Nineteenth Century America (New York, 1957), esp. pp. 228–9Google Scholar; ‘Temperance and the Millennium’, Journal of the American Temperance Union (New York), 02 1839Google Scholar. In 1828 the great British Nonconformist leader John Angell James wrote to an American friend of the dangers of ‘prophetic studies’: ‘I am afraid that evil will arise from the prevalence of the study, in as much as religious people will be taken off from labouring to bring on the millennium, to watch the signs and calculate the times of its approach …’ Dale, R. W., The Life and Letters of John Angell James (London, 1861), p. 245Google Scholar.

page 193 note 2 Bliss, Sylvester, Memoirs of William Miller (Boston, 1853), pp. 1–84Google Scholar.

page 193 note 3 Dial, 3 (Boston), 07 1842Google Scholar.

page 193 note 4 Cross, op. cit. pp. 288–98, and Clark, S. D., Church and Sect in Canada (Toronto, 1948), pp. 308–10CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

page 194 note 1 Wellcome, op. cit. p. 293; Babcock, Rufus (ed.), Forty Years of Pioneer Life: Memoir of John Mason Peck, with an introduction by Paul M. Harrison (Carbondale, Illinois, 1965), pp. xxxix–lxv, 304 ffGoogle Scholar. Peck was one of the great Baptist leaders of this period.

page 194 note 2 Cross, op. cit. p. 311; Wellcome, op. cit. pp. 386–94; Andrews, Edward D., The People Called Shakers, A Search for the Perfect Society (New York, 1953), pp. 176, 221–3, 292Google Scholar.

page 195 note 1 A.H. 28 May 1845; The Time of the End or Prophetic Witness; Recognising the Israelitish Origin of the English Nation and Advocating the Pre-Millennial Coming of our Lord … (London), no. 4, 01 1845Google Scholar.

page 195 note 2 Christian Messenger and Reformer, 7 (Nottingham), 1843, 127 ff., 204–5Google Scholar.

page 195 note 3 A.H. 29 January 1845 and 10 February 1847.

page 195 note 4 A.H. 29 January and 26 March 1845.

page 195 note 5 A.H. 26 November 1845 and 4 February 1846.

page 196 note 1 A.H. 29 January and 9 April 1845. For adverse reports about the Millerites in magazines of opposite principles see the Evangelical Magazine (London), 12 1844, p. 690Google Scholar, and the Movement and Anti-Persecution Gazette (London), 20 04 and 20 07 1844Google Scholar.

page 196 note 2 F. D. Nichol, op. cit. p. 527; Wellcome, op. cit. pp. 338–9; A.H. 9 April 1845 and 17 March 1847.

page 196 note 3 A.H. 4 February 1846.

page 196 note 4 A.H. 26 November 1845.

page 197 note 1 A.H. 5 March 1845.

page 197 note 2 Midnight Cry (New York), 18 05 1843 and 4 01 1844Google Scholar.

page 197 note 3 A.H. 26 November 1845.

page 198 note 1 Midnight Cry (New York), 4 01 1844Google Scholar.

page 198 note 2 A.H. 29 January and 26 March 1845; Midnight Cry (New York), 4 01 1844Google Scholar.

page 198 note 3 Christian Messenger and Reformer, 8 (Nottingham), 06 1844, 294 ffGoogle Scholar.; Gospel Banner (London), June 1848; A.H. 17 March 1847. The Christian Messenger and Reformer was a Campbellite publication controlled by Wallis, while the Gospel Banner was also Campbellite but more sympathetic towards Millerism.

page 198 note 4 A.H. 6 January 1847.

page 199 note 1 Christian Messenger and Reformer, 8 (Nottingham), 08 1844, p. 414Google Scholar; A.H. 23 April and 26 November 1845.

page 199 note 2 A.H. 26 November 1845; Felix Farley's Bristol Journal, 2 November 1844; Christian Messenger and Reformer, 8 (Nottingham), 12 1844Google Scholar.

page 199 note 3 A.H. 8 April 1846; Western Times (Exeter), issues for 09 and 10 1845Google Scholar; Lambert, R. S., The Cobbett of the West, A Study of Thomas Latimer… (London, 1939), P. 127Google Scholar.

page 199 note 4 A.H. 26 November 1845 and 4 February 1846. The Advent Herald, 8 April 1846, reprints a large quantity of material from West Country papers for and against the Millerites; much of it, of course, was against.

page 200 note 1 A.H. 26 November 1845.

page 200 note 2 A.H. 7 January, 4 February and 4 March 1846.

page 200 note 3 Ibid.

page 200 note 4 A.H. 3 and 10 June 1846.

page 201 note 1 This is based on A.H. for the months of Himes's visit. The European Advent Herald and all short-lived Adventist magazines are very difficult to trace even in American Adventist libraries, which have the largest holdings. For the problem see Nichol, op. cit. p. 528.

page 201 note 2 A.H. 12 and 19 August 1846, and the Christian Messenger and Family Magazine (London), 08 1846, pp. 366–8Google Scholar. This was the successor to the Christian Messenger and Reformer. A.H. 5 August 1846 and 17 March 1847.

page 201 note 3 A.H. 8 April, 26 August and 18 November 1846, and 10 March 1847. See also F. and J.

page 201 note 4 White, , History, Directory, and Gazetteer of Nottingham (Sheffield, 1844), p. 516Google Scholar.

page 201 note 5 This is based on scattered information in the A.H. for the months of Himes's visit.

page 201 note 6 A.H. 16 September 1846 and 20 January 1847.

page 202 note 1 A.H. 18 November 1846–1824 April 1847.

page 202 note 2 A.H. 18 November 1846 and 30 December 1846.

page 202 note 3 Not allthe converts to Millerism were happy with their methods of baptism, and Mickle-wood, Dealtry and other leaders were accused of keeping too closely to Campbellite practice. See Christian Messenger and Family Magazine, 11 1846, pp. 529–30Google Scholar.

page 202 note 4 A.H. 18 November and 30 December 1846.

page 202 note 5 By 1850 Micklewood was styled ‘Reverend’ in White, William's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Devonshire (Sheffield, 1850), p. 668Google Scholar.

page 203 note 1 A.H. 13 January 1847.

page 203 note 2 A.H. 4 February 1846 and 19 August 1846.

page 203 note 3 For an interesting but inaccurate account of Prince and J. H. Noyes see Dixon, William Hepworth, Spiritual Wives, 2 vols. (London, 1868)Google Scholar, and for similar activities among the Millerites see Wellcome, op. cit. pp. 357–94, and A.H. 8 April 1846.

page 203 note 4 A.H. 14 October 1846. For Begg, see Gamble, J. E. Lee and Green, Charles H., ‘The Sabbath in the British Isles’ in Seventh Day Baptists in Europe and America: A Series of Historical Papers, vol. 1 (Plainsfield, New Jersey, 1910), p. 67Google Scholar.

page 203 note 5 Himes made a study of the Southcottian movement in London and published a report in A. H. 23 September 1846. He visited their church and examined their books and manuscripts, which he thought contained ‘pretty good sentiments’, although he found it difficult to follow their method of interpretation. Letters were later received from a rival Southcottian group based on Ashton-under-Lyme who claimed to be the only true followers of Joanna Southcott and to have a membership of ‘40,000’. These were the Christian Israelites or Wroeites, followers of the prophet John Wroe, who was not without his supporters in the United States. For the Southcottian movements generally, see Balleine, G. R., Past Finding Out (London, 1956)Google Scholar, and for John Wroe see Divine Communications and Prophecies given to John Wroe … Also an Account of His Life … (Wakefield, 1834)Google Scholar, and Armytage, W. H., Heavens Below; Utopian Experiments in England 1560–1960 (London, 1961), pp. 274–6Google Scholar.

page 204 note 1 A.H. 12 August 1846.

page 204 note 2 A.H. 26 August 1846, and Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse Herald, 6 June 1846. For Stark, see Stark, Miss, A Divinely Commissioned Ministry … with a Memoir of the Author (London, 1858)Google Scholar, and Biblical Inquirer (Exeter), 03 1844–01 1846Google Scholar.

page 204 note 3 A reading of local newspapers in the Midlands has produced fewer hostile comments about the Millerites than in the South-West, and some editors reprinted West Country material while ignoring local Millerite activity. See, for example, Leicester Chronicle, 12 October 1844 and 27 September 1845.

page 205 note 1 A.H. 8 April and 5 August 1846, and Western Times issues for September and October 1846.

page 205 note 2 A.H. 12 August and 25 November 1846, and Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse Herald, 29 August 1846.

page 205 note 3 A.H. 16 April and 22 July 1846.

page 206 note 1 A.H. 23 September 1846 and 14 October 1846.

page 206 note 2 A.H. 30 September and 4 November 1846, Abstract of the Proceedings and Final Resolutions of the Conference of the Evangelical Alliance Held in Freemasons' Hall, London on 19th. August and following days (London, 1846)Google Scholar, and T. L. Smith, op. cit. pp. 42–3.

page 207 note 1 This is based on much scattered material in the A.H. for 1846.

page 207 note 2 A.H. 16 September 1846.

page 207 note 3 A.H. 9 September 1846.

page 207 note 4 See Campbell, 's own account in the Millennial Harbinger (Bethany, Va.), 08, 1847–08 1848Google Scholar.

page 208 note 1 This is based on the numbers for different congregations given in the A.H. during the years 1845–7.

page 208 note 2 The details of the cost of Himes's mission are in the A.H. for 3 and 10 June 1846, and the quotation is from the issue for 2 September 1846.

page 208 note 3 A.H. 5 August 1846.

page 208 note 4 A.H. 26 November 1845.

page 208 note 5 This is based on the A.H., the Christian Messenger and Gospel Banner cited above. See also a letter from the New Radford Congregation in Roberts, Robert, Dr Thomas, His Life and Work (Birmingham, 1884), pp. 251–3Google Scholar, and the short-lived Campbellite magazine, the Bible Advocate and Precursor of Unity (London), 05 1849Google Scholar. See also Shepperson, in Thrupp, op. cit. pp. 44–9.

page 209 note 1 A.H. 1 May 1847.

page 209 note 2 Ibid.

page 209 note 3 A.H. 3 July 1847; and see also Micklewood, E., Key to the Chronological Arrangement of the Apocalypse… (London, 1847)Google Scholar; Hutchinson, R., The Kingdom of God… (London, 1847)Google Scholar, and Jones, H., Modern Phenomena of the Heavens, reprinted … with a Sermon on the Signs of the Times by W. C. Burgess (Exeter, 1847)Google Scholar. The question of the relationship between the wider society and the nature of the sects within it is discussed in Wilson, Bryan, ‘An analysis of sect development’, American Sociological Review, 24 02 1959Google Scholar. When the American Campbellites sent a mission to Great Britain after the Civil War, its leaders were alarmed by the excessive narrowness of the British Campbellite congregations compared with their American counterparts. See Brown, John T. (ed.), The Churches of Christ. A Historical, Biographical and Pictorial History… (Louisville, 1904), pp. 130 ffGoogle Scholar.

page 210 note 1 Bible Advocate, April and May 1848; Gospel Banner, March 1848.

page 210 note 2 Gospel Banner for 1848, and issue for September 1851. See also Roberts, op. cit. pp. 250–80.

page 210 note 3 Roberts, op. cit. pp. 250 ff.; Gospel Banner, August 1851; Millennial Harbinger, March 1853.

page 210 note 4 Census of Great Britain, 1851: Religious Worship England and Wales: Report and Tables (London, 1853), pp. cxiii–cxivGoogle Scholar.

page 211 note 1 Some Campbellites did use their American connexions to emigrate. See Gospel Banner, February 1848, May and August 1849, and March 1851.

page 211 note 2 King, David, a British Campbellite leader in the 1850s, hated ‘costly entertainment, dancing, novel reading, concerts, bagatelle and other trifling games’, and thought the church-going public excessively worldly (Millennial Harbinger, 02 1855)Google Scholar.

page 212 note 1 A.H. 7 January and 18 November 1846. For another view of the connexion between millenarianism and the working class see Thompson, E. P., The Making of the English Working Class (London, 1963), pp. 116–29, 382–9, 799 ffGoogle Scholar.