Alfred Sturge
Encyclopedia
Alfred Sturge was a Baptist missionary and minister who served in Devon
, India
and Kent
.
in London
in 1816.
Alfred came from a family among the Society of Friends from the days of George Fox
. His grandfather, Thomas Sturge, was one of the founders of the British and Foreign Bible Society
. George Sturge, one of his uncles, left £500,000 to charity, and another uncle, Thomas Sturge, was an intimate friend of Lord Macaulay. Both were active in the movement for the abolition of slavery, as was another of his paternal relatives Joseph Sturge
. On his mother’s side, he was descended from a noble French family, and Count Emerie de St. Dalmas
was his maternal grandfather, whose eldest son converted to the Protestant Christian faith, and was consequently prevented by the law of those times from inheriting his father’s title and estates.
Alfred was educated at a Quakers’ School, but found the long and sometimes silent meetings very trying, being only a small boy. The visit of some Quaker Missionaries from America seems to have been the chief factor in him committing his life to Christ. On leaving school, he sat under the ministry of Rev. George Clayton (1783–1862), and sometimes heard such men as John Leifchild (1780–1862), an independent minister, and Thomas Binney
(1798–1874), a congregational minister. Subsequently he moved to Plymouth
, where he sat under the ministry of Samuel Nicholson of the George Street Baptist Church (1845–1941), which he joined when he was about twenty-five years old.
In 1841, Alfred married Margaret Tait Stove, with several children following.
. After some hesitation he accepted the call, and finally abandoned business for the life of a Christian minister. After several years at Modbury, a Mr. Page of Plymouth asked him to become the pastor of the Baptist Church at Madras in India
. He worked there for four years, but found the climate too oppressive for his young growing family.
On returning to England
, he resided for some time with his uncle, Thomas Sturge of Northfleet
, and became known in the neighboring town of Dartford
, where he assisted the pastor of the Congregational Church
. After the death of that pastor, he established a Baptist church in that growing town on April 7, 1867 which met in the Working Men’s Institute
. The work was so successful, that a more permanent chapel was constructed in Highfield Street and dedicated on April 20, 1868. The work continued to prosper under his charge, until his retirement in 1886.
His disposition, reputation and influence recommended him to many in the community. He was a member, and for a long time chairman, of the School Board, a member of the Board of Guardians, a governor of the Grammar School
, and a helper in the local emigration society.
The last year of his life was marked by a debilitating weakness, of which he died on January 25, 1901.
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Ancestry and early life
Alfred Sturge was born at BishopsgateBishopsgate
Bishopsgate is a road and ward in the northeast part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in London Wall...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1816.
Alfred came from a family among the Society of Friends from the days of George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
. His grandfather, Thomas Sturge, was one of the founders of the British and Foreign Bible Society
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world....
. George Sturge, one of his uncles, left £500,000 to charity, and another uncle, Thomas Sturge, was an intimate friend of Lord Macaulay. Both were active in the movement for the abolition of slavery, as was another of his paternal relatives Joseph Sturge
Joseph Sturge
Joseph Sturge , son of a farmer in Gloucestershire, was an English Quaker, abolitionist and activist. He founded the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society . He worked throughout his life in Radical political actions supporting pacifism, working-class rights, and the universal emancipation of...
. On his mother’s side, he was descended from a noble French family, and Count Emerie de St. Dalmas
Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage
Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
was his maternal grandfather, whose eldest son converted to the Protestant Christian faith, and was consequently prevented by the law of those times from inheriting his father’s title and estates.
Alfred was educated at a Quakers’ School, but found the long and sometimes silent meetings very trying, being only a small boy. The visit of some Quaker Missionaries from America seems to have been the chief factor in him committing his life to Christ. On leaving school, he sat under the ministry of Rev. George Clayton (1783–1862), and sometimes heard such men as John Leifchild (1780–1862), an independent minister, and Thomas Binney
Thomas Binney
The Rev. Dr. Thomas Binney was an English Congregationalist divine of the 19th century, popularly known as the 'Archbishop of Nonconformity'...
(1798–1874), a congregational minister. Subsequently he moved to Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, where he sat under the ministry of Samuel Nicholson of the George Street Baptist Church (1845–1941), which he joined when he was about twenty-five years old.
In 1841, Alfred married Margaret Tait Stove, with several children following.
Ministry
He began to preach in the villages around Plymouth, and was eventually invited to become pastor of the church at ModburyModbury
Modbury is a town and parish in the South Hams region of the English county of Devon. It is situated on the A379 road, which links it to Plymouth and Kingsbridge...
. After some hesitation he accepted the call, and finally abandoned business for the life of a Christian minister. After several years at Modbury, a Mr. Page of Plymouth asked him to become the pastor of the Baptist Church at Madras in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He worked there for four years, but found the climate too oppressive for his young growing family.
On returning to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he resided for some time with his uncle, Thomas Sturge of Northfleet
Northfleet
Northfleet is a town in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. Its name is derived from North creek , and the settlement on the shore of the River Thames adjacent to Gravesend was known as Norfluet in the Domesday Book, and Northflet in 1201...
, and became known in the neighboring town of Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, where he assisted the pastor of the Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
. After the death of that pastor, he established a Baptist church in that growing town on April 7, 1867 which met in the Working Men’s Institute
London Working Men's Association
The London Working Men's Association was an organization established in London in 1836. It was one of the foundations of Chartism. The founders were William Lovett, Francis Place and Henry Hetherington. They appealed to skilled workers rather than the mass of unskilled factory labourers...
. The work was so successful, that a more permanent chapel was constructed in Highfield Street and dedicated on April 20, 1868. The work continued to prosper under his charge, until his retirement in 1886.
His disposition, reputation and influence recommended him to many in the community. He was a member, and for a long time chairman, of the School Board, a member of the Board of Guardians, a governor of the Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, and a helper in the local emigration society.
Retirement
In his retirement, he was a valued friend and adviser to all the neighboring churches and pastors, becoming known as the “Bishop of West Kent”. He maintained his interest in national and denominational affairs, attending the regular meetings of the London Baptist ministers' fraternal.The last year of his life was marked by a debilitating weakness, of which he died on January 25, 1901.
Sources
- Memoirs of Ministers - No 38 Alfred Sturge, pages 212-214 in The Baptist Hand-Book for 1902, edited by Rev. W.J. Avery, Council of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, London 1901.
- Chronological List - No 426 Dartford Highfield Road, page 203 in The Baptists of London, 1612-1928: Their Fellowship, Their Expansion, with Notes on Their 850 Churches, by WT Whitley, Baptist Historical Society, London ca 1928.
- Minutes of the Members’ Meeting, Ipswich Baptist Church, Ipswich (Qld) 1874.