Rushden Park Road Baptist Church is rich in history and fortunate in its historians. Twice during the present century the tale of worship and worshippers in a community dating back almost to Bunyan’s days has been told with ability, and now, as the present chapel approaches its jubilee, Mr. George E. Bayes presents a new book to amplify and continue the records.

“These Years Have Told” is essentially factual, but from its clarity and thoroughness arises the shining light of devotion and continuity – the light that glimmered in the first tiny meeting house of 1722 and still shines fixedly amid the confusion of a war-scarred era.

It was Bunyan himself who inspired the Dissenting community at Stevington in Bedfordshire. It was Stevington that appointed visitors to contact the outpost in the straggling village of Rushden, where by 1715 the Independents had their own lay pastor. Baptist causes sprang up in this county, and when a certain John Wollaston expounded his doctrines in a Little Street meeting house, the Baptist cause was well and truly established in Rushden.

Broken Windows

In the beginning, as now the Baptists had their covenant of faith. It was varied at times to encompass changes of doctrine, and although the rush candle was apt to flicker and the meeting house windows would be broken by the enemies of Dissent, the cause went steadily forward.

In village days, as in modern times, the Rushden church was ever willing to help distant causes. This often meant economy at home, and once, when meeting house and stable were thatched, the labour was voluntary and the materials cost no more than 4s 6½d.

The book reveals that Rushden, though missing the first glory of Northamptonshire missionary enterprise, came into this field quite early – to persevere until it could send its own missionary to India.

Church and Town

For the period when Little Street became “Top Meeting” and High Street had a “Bottom Meeting,” the story holds wider interest as a record of both church and town. “Top Meeting,” opening its Sunday School in 1810 had to teach reading and writing to ploughboys, apprentices, and infants. Much later, it fought with typical vigour for social and general education in the town, even supplying the man – the worthy Ebenezer Knight – to take charge of the first denominationally free day school.

There were setbacks in the church life, but as the century matured and all the energy of an industrialised nation came into play, the Baptists joined freely and often were leading in movements that took Rushden from village to town status on a wave of action and reform.

Stout Hearts

There were stout hearts and great personalities in the Baptist community – a strong line of pastors and preachers; the talented John Whittemore, who printed music and books in Rushden, went to prison for debt, and then founded “The Christian World”; and the redoubtable Robert Emms Bradfield.

The building of the present Park Road Church, and its dedication by Dr. Clifford on Feast Monday, 1901, gives the book a chapter of special moment, and Mr. Bayes has covered subsequent history with judicial balance and a flair for touching essential details. He shows the Baptist influence on Rushden in music and a hundred other facets of life and progress, but always the story fastens faithfully on to Park Road and its branches in Highfield Road and the villages. It will be of great value for the present and the future, and among its special merits is a very fine range of pictures covering both the religious and general scenes. There is also an interesting series of appendices, church covenants, addresses and petitions, a poem by Marcia Knight, a hymn by Herbert Lack, and the complete roll of deacons.

“These Years Have Told” is printed by S. L. Hunt, and sold in two editions at 6s and 7s 6d.