John Sirgood
Encyclopedia
John Sirgood was a Christian
fundamentalist lay preacher, a London
shoemaker, who founded the Society of Dependants in the 1850s. He had links with the Peculiar People
a populist sect based in Southwark
and founded by William Bridges, a Wesleyan
lay preacher who had split from orthodox Methodism
.
Sirgood was born at Avening
, Gloucestershire
in 1821. A shoemaker by trade he settled at Kennington
in south London during the 1840s, where he became a disciple of William Bridges, founder of the Plumstead Peculiars.
Travelling to Loxwood
on the Surrey
-West Sussex
border, a village not controlled by any great Anglican landowner, his evangelism
took root amongst the poor labourers and small farmers and tradesmen. At first meetings were held on common lands until the Loxwood chapel was opened in 1861.
Sirgood was openly critical of the Anglican church and of inequalities in 19th century society, causing his movement to be harassed by landowners and clergy. His followers lived in an extremely austere manner and practised a form of Christian communism
in the retail businesses and farms that they developed.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
fundamentalist lay preacher, a 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...
shoemaker, who founded the Society of Dependants in the 1850s. He had links with the Peculiar People
Peculiar People
For the book by Rodney Clapp see: A Peculiar People."The Peculiar People", is also a Quaker novel by Jan de Hartog.The Peculiar People were originally an offshoot of the Wesleyan denomination, founded in 1838 in Rochford, Essex, by John Banyard, a farm worker's son born in 1800...
a populist sect based in Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
and founded by William Bridges, a Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
lay preacher who had split from orthodox Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
.
Sirgood was born at Avening
Avening
Avening is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about three miles north of Tetbury. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,094. The village has two pubs. Nearby is Gatcombe Park, the home of the Princess Royal.-History:During the Second...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
in 1821. A shoemaker by trade he settled at Kennington
Kennington
Kennington is a district of South London, England, mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, although part of the area is within the London Borough of Southwark....
in south London during the 1840s, where he became a disciple of William Bridges, founder of the Plumstead Peculiars.
Travelling to Loxwood
Loxwood
Loxwood is a small village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, within the Low Weald. The Wey and Arun Canal passes to the East and South of the village....
on the Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
-West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
border, a village not controlled by any great Anglican landowner, his evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
took root amongst the poor labourers and small farmers and tradesmen. At first meetings were held on common lands until the Loxwood chapel was opened in 1861.
Sirgood was openly critical of the Anglican church and of inequalities in 19th century society, causing his movement to be harassed by landowners and clergy. His followers lived in an extremely austere manner and practised a form of Christian communism
Christian communism
Christian communism is a form of religious communism based on Christianity. It is a theological and political theory based upon the view that the teachings of Jesus Christ compel Christians to support communism as the ideal social system...
in the retail businesses and farms that they developed.