rachelstakes

Devonshire Square Baptist Book.

Bishopsgate 1761

In 1761, the Church Book contains a most fascinating few pages of description of a Mr Butler’s charge against Pastor Stevens. Mr Butler accused Pastor Stevens of sexual assault which is described in surprisingly graphic terms, and which Mr Butler initially put down to ‘it might be the Devil in Mr Steven’s sleep.’ An answer to Mr Butler’s charge from Pastor Stevens was read before the Church Meeting in 1761 and recorded in the Book. Pastor Stevens stated that Mr Butler had given ‘a Very fake representation of things.’ The Pastor produced letters from Mr Butler written in 1749 (when the alleged assault took place), where Mr Butler wrote phrases such as ‘I feel my heart more united to you’ and ‘I long to see you.’

At a later meeting it appears that Pastor Stevens had confessed to some of the charges but that the accounts from himself and Mr Butler were so different, it split the congregation, with some of them still being ‘violently attached to Mr Stevens.’ At the next meeting, the congregation voted to accept Stevens’ resignation due to ‘the great confusion’ and messengers were appointed to demand the return of books that were in ex-Pastor Stevens’ hands. I do not imagine that Baptists’ records generally hold such descriptive accounts, as they were all self-governing, but it is an example of the individual nature of Baptist records.