Robert William Dale
Encyclopedia
Robert William Dale was an English
Congregationalist
(Nonconformist) church leader.
and educated at Spring Hill College, Birmingham
, for the Congregational
ministry. In 1853 he was invited to Carr's Lane Chapel, Birmingham, as co-pastor with John Angell James
, on whose death in 1859 he became sole pastor for the rest of his life. In the University of London
M.A. examination (1853), he came first in philosophy
and won the gold medal. The degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him in 1883 by the University of Glasgow
during the lord rectorship of John Bright
. Yale University
gave him its D.D. degree, although he never used it. He served as Chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales in 1868 and President of the International Congregational Council in 1891.
, holding that the Christian church was essentially a spiritual brotherhood, and that any vestige of political authority impaired its spiritual work. In church government he believed strongly that congregationalism was the most fitting environment for Christianity. He published lectures such as the Atonement (which is still in print), sermons, the 'Manual of Congregational Principles' (also still in print), and, at his death, he left an unfinished history of Congregationalism, revised by his son, A. W. W. Dale.
of what became known in Birmingham
as the Civic Gospel
. The health, housing, sanitation and living conditions in Birmingham had suffered from its rapid population expansion in the previous thirty years. Dale argued 'the public duty of the state is the private duty of every citizen': service on the town council to improve the wellbeing of Birmingham was advocated by Dale as having moral and religious worth. He was an advocate of free public education, social improvement, the extension of the franchise, the recognition of trades unions, and understanding the links between poverty and crime.
, Kendrick, Jesse Collings
, George Dixon
and John Bright
. In 1886 he opposed Irish Home Rule along with Joseph Chamberlain
, but this did not seem to make him less influential with other Liberals and Nonconformists who took the opposite standpoint. He played a major part in opposing the religious elements of the Forster Education Act of 1870 (see below).
Elementary Education Bill
appeared, Dale attacked it. He argued that the resulting schools would often be purely denominational institutions and the Bill's 'conscience clause' gave inadequate protection to Nonconformists. Dale criticised the way school boards
would be empowered to make grants out of the rates to maintain sectarian schools. He was himself in favour of secular education, claiming that it was the only logical solution and was consistent with Nonconformist principles. In Birmingham this controversy was ended in 1879 by a compromise.
His interest in educational affairs had led him to accept a seat on the Birmingham school board
. He was appointed a governor of Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham and served on the Royal Commission of Education. Dale took a great interest in Spring Hill Congregational College, Moseley (where he had previously studied). Largely due to his initiative, Spring Hill College, renamed Mansfield College after its founders, was moved to Oxford in 1886 and he became chairman of the council of what is now Mansfield College, Oxford
.
in 1898, was rediscovered in 1995 and is now on loan from Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
, in Carr's Lane Church Centre (his old church). The National Portrait Gallery holds two pictures of him.
There is a blue plaque
commemorating him on Carrs Lane Church, Carrs Lane, Central Birmingham. The street 'Dale End' in central Birmingham was named after Dale.
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...
Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
(Nonconformist) church leader.
Life
Dale was born in LondonLondon
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...
and educated at Spring Hill College, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, for the Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
ministry. In 1853 he was invited to Carr's Lane Chapel, Birmingham, as co-pastor with John Angell James
John Angell James
John Angell James , was an English Nonconformist clergyman and writer.-Life:He was born at Blandford Forum. After seven years' apprenticeship to a linen-draper in Poole, Dorset, he decided to become a preacher, and in 1802 he went to David Bogue's training institution at Gosport in Hampshire...
, on whose death in 1859 he became sole pastor for the rest of his life. In the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
M.A. examination (1853), he came first in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and won the gold medal. The degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him in 1883 by the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
during the lord rectorship of John Bright
John Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
. Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
gave him its D.D. degree, although he never used it. He served as Chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales in 1868 and President of the International Congregational Council in 1891.
Views and publications
He normally read his sermons, because 'if I spoke extemporaneously I should never sit down again'. He did not use the title 'Reverend'. He was a strong advocate of the disestablishment of the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, holding that the Christian church was essentially a spiritual brotherhood, and that any vestige of political authority impaired its spiritual work. In church government he believed strongly that congregationalism was the most fitting environment for Christianity. He published lectures such as the Atonement (which is still in print), sermons, the 'Manual of Congregational Principles' (also still in print), and, at his death, he left an unfinished history of Congregationalism, revised by his son, A. W. W. Dale.
The Civic Gospel
Dale's integrity, intelligence, moral passion and oratory soon made him a national figure in an age when the strength of non-conformity was at its highest. He welcomed social improvement and was an advocate, with George DawsonGeorge Dawson
George Dawson may refer to:* George Dawson , American author, learned to read at age 98* George Dawson , English cricketer in the 19th century* George Dawson , English preacher of the 19th century...
of what became known in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
as the Civic Gospel
Civic Gospel
The Civic Gospel was a philosophy of municipal activism that emerged in Birmingham, England in the mid- to late- 19th century. Tracing its origins to the preaching of George Dawson, who preached that "a town is a solemn organism through which shall flow, and in which shall be shaped, all the...
. The health, housing, sanitation and living conditions in Birmingham had suffered from its rapid population expansion in the previous thirty years. Dale argued 'the public duty of the state is the private duty of every citizen': service on the town council to improve the wellbeing of Birmingham was advocated by Dale as having moral and religious worth. He was an advocate of free public education, social improvement, the extension of the franchise, the recognition of trades unions, and understanding the links between poverty and crime.
Politics
Although Dr Dale did not preach politics, he was a keen Liberal and worked with other Birmingham reformers and radicals including Joseph ChamberlainJoseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
, Kendrick, Jesse Collings
Jesse Collings
Jesse Collings was Mayor of Birmingham, England, a Liberal member of Parliament, but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform.-Background:...
, George Dixon
George Dixon
George Dixon may refer to:*George Dixon , Canadian boxer*George Dixon , Canadian Football League Hall of Fame player*George Dixon , sea captain and explorer...
and John Bright
John Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
. In 1886 he opposed Irish Home Rule along with Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
, but this did not seem to make him less influential with other Liberals and Nonconformists who took the opposite standpoint. He played a major part in opposing the religious elements of the Forster Education Act of 1870 (see below).
Work in Education
When Forster'sWilliam Edward Forster
William Edward Forster PC, FRS was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman.-Early life:...
Elementary Education Bill
Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...
appeared, Dale attacked it. He argued that the resulting schools would often be purely denominational institutions and the Bill's 'conscience clause' gave inadequate protection to Nonconformists. Dale criticised the way school boards
School board (England & Wales)
School boards were public bodies in England and Wales between 1870 and 1902, which established and administered elementary schools.School boards were created in boroughs and parishes under the Elementary Education Act 1870 following campaigning by George Dixon, Joseph Chamberlain and the National...
would be empowered to make grants out of the rates to maintain sectarian schools. He was himself in favour of secular education, claiming that it was the only logical solution and was consistent with Nonconformist principles. In Birmingham this controversy was ended in 1879 by a compromise.
His interest in educational affairs had led him to accept a seat on the Birmingham school board
Birmingham board schools
__notoc__The Birmingham board schools were set up very rapidly after the Forster Elementary Education Act 1870 was enacted, covering England and Wales...
. He was appointed a governor of Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham and served on the Royal Commission of Education. Dale took a great interest in Spring Hill Congregational College, Moseley (where he had previously studied). Largely due to his initiative, Spring Hill College, renamed Mansfield College after its founders, was moved to Oxford in 1886 and he became chairman of the council of what is now Mansfield College, Oxford
Mansfield College, Oxford
Mansfield College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Of the colleges that accept both undergraduate and graduate students Mansfield College is one of the smallest, comprising approximately 210 undergraduates, 130 graduates, 35 visiting students and 50...
.
Iconography
The statue of R. W. Dale sculpted by Edward Onslow FordEdward Onslow Ford
Edward Onslow Ford , English sculptor, was born in London. He received some education as a painter in Antwerp and as a sculptor in Munich under Professor Wagmuller, but was mainly self-taught....
in 1898, was rediscovered in 1995 and is now on loan from Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England.Entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery is free, but some major exhibitions in the Gas Hall incur an entrance fee...
, in Carr's Lane Church Centre (his old church). The National Portrait Gallery holds two pictures of him.
There is a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
commemorating him on Carrs Lane Church, Carrs Lane, Central Birmingham. The street 'Dale End' in central Birmingham was named after Dale.