The Peculiar People, now officially known as the Union of Evangelical Churches, is a Christian movement that was originally an offshoot of the
Wesleyan
Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...
denomination, founded in 1838 in
Rochford
Rochford is a town and civil parish in the Rochford (district), Rochford District in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish had a population ...
,
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, by
James Banyard
James Banyard (14 November 1800 – 31 October 1863) was a Wesleyan Methodist local preacher and founder of the Peculiar People. By trade he was a farmer and shoemaker.
Early life
James Banyard was born in the market town of Rochford, Essex. His ...
, a farm-worker's son born in 1800. They derive their name from a term of praise found in both the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
and the
New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
of the
King James Bible
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...
, in
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament.
Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...
, in
1 Peter
The First Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament. The author presents himself as Peter the Apostle. The ending of the letter includes a statement that implies that it was written from "Babylon", which may be a reference to Rome. The ...
, and in the
Epistle of Titus.
In the
King James Version
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...
of the Bible, first published in 1611, Deuteronomy 14:2 includes the verse "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth"; 1 Peter 2:9 reads "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light"; and Titus 2:14 reads "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
The Peculiar People is also a phrase used to describe the
Quakers
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...
, which they adopted with some pride. The same has also been true of the
Amish
The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
.
Foundation and spread
Banyard was frequently drunk until his wife asked him to attend a service in the local Wesleyan Methodist chapel. The preacher's message had a profound effect on Banyard, to the extent that he became
teetotal
Teetotalism is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler (US) or teetotaller (UK), or said to be ...
and regularly attended the church. Before long he became a reputable preacher on the Wesleyan circuit. In 1837 he and
William Bridges took a lease on an old workhouse at Rochford which became the first chapel of their new group, which Banyard and Bridges called the Peculiar People, a name taken from Deuteronomy 14:2 and 1 Peter 2:9.
The grave of James Banyard can still be seen in the churchyard of St Andrew's Rochford.
In the mid-1850s the Peculiar People spread deeper into Essex, much of which was agricultural land occupied by a naturally conservative population. The Peculiar People preached a puritanical form of Christianity which proved popular, and numerous chapels sprang up throughout rural Essex. They also practised faith healing.
There is an account of the Peculiars in 19th-century
Plumstead
Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich.
History
Plumstead has been settled since ancient times, and London's earliest timber structure has been found here. ...
in ''Unorthodox London'' by
Charles Maurice Davies
Charles Maurice Davies (1828–1910) was an Anglican clergyman, writer and spiritualist.
Early life
Charles Maurice Davies was born in 1828 in Wells, Somerset. He entered University College, Durham in 1845, graduating with a second-class BA in ...
. In
Blunt's ''Dictionary of Sects and Heresies'' (1874), the Peculiars were described as 'a sect of very ignorant people'.
The Peculiar People practised a lively form of worship and considered themselves bound by the literal interpretation of the King James Bible. They did not seek medical care in cases of sickness, instead relying on
prayer
File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''
rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
as an act of faith. This led to judicial criticism when children died due to lack of treatment. In 1855 Banyard's fifth child Josiah was born in Rochford. When the boy became seriously ill, Banyard "agonised" at length but eventually a doctor was called in. From this time on, Banyard began to advise the use of prayer ''and'' medical attention. This matter led to the first doctrinal schism within the church of the Peculiar People when Banyard was deposed as Bishop. Because he owned the Rochford chapel he continued to preach there to "a loyal minority". Banyard was replaced by Bishop Samuel Harrod (who was deposed himself in 1890 following a sex scandal).
In response to the concern about refusing medical care, which led to some parents being imprisoned after a 1910
diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...
outbreak in Essex, the sect split between the 'Old Peculiars', who still rebuffed medicine, and the 'New Peculiars', who somewhat reluctantly condoned it. The split healed in the 1930s, when in general the New Peculiar position prevailed. During the two world wars, some Peculiar People were
conscientious objectors
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or freedom of religion, religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for ...
, believing as they still do that war is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
From 1901, the elected Bishop of the church was William Heddle, a Scotsman who had moved to
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
1870 and had opened a credit drapery business in Park Street. Heddle had joined the church in 1873 and served as the Supreme Bishop of the Peculiar People until he stepped down in 1942, dying in 1948 at the age of 101.
Union of Evangelical Churches
Church membership had peaked in the 1850s, and at its greatest extent the movement had 43 chapels;
but it declined until 1956, when the Peculiar People changed their name to the less conspicuous Union of
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
Churches. In 1979, 27 chapels were reported as being active.
The movement continues, and regular worship takes place at 15 remaining chapels (as of August 2024) in Essex and London.
Some of the traditional distinctive features mentioned have been abandoned, so that UEC churches today are similar to other Evangelical churches.
The UEC maintains its structure as a connection of churches, but is associated with the
Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches
The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) is a network of 661 independent evangelical churches in the United Kingdom. FIEC exists to help "Independent churches work together to reach Britain for Christ".
Governance
The FIEC st ...
and
Affinity
Affinity may refer to:
Commerce, finance and law
* Affinity (law), kinship by marriage
* Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique
* Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union
* Affinity Equity Pa ...
. Its central office was originally at Eastwood Road Evangelical Church in Rayleigh, which opened in 1923. After that closed in 2019,
the registered office became Stanway Evangelical Church in Colchester.
The 15 UEC churches are in
Camberwell
Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross.
Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...
and
Canning Town
Canning Town is a town in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, north of the Royal Victoria Dock. Its urbanisation was largely due to the creation of the dock. The area was part of the ancient parish and County Borough of West Ham, ...
in London, and
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
,
Corringham,
Cressing
Cressing is a village and civil parish in the Braintree district of Essex, England. Within the parish is the village of Tye Green and the hamlet of Hawbush Green.
Cressing Temple is south from Cressing village, and less than 1 mile east fro ...
,
Daws Heath
Daws Heath contains a large area of woodland in eastern Thundersley, part of Castle Point near Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. It is traversed by the Daws Heath Road and St Michael's Road. Daws Heath provides a semi-rural escape for local towns ...
,
Eastwood,
Great Wakering
Great Wakering is a village in the Rochford District in Essex, England. It is approximately four miles east of Southend. Great Wakering consists mainly of two roads: the High Street, which runs from the junction of Star Lane, and New Road, whic ...
,
Little Totham
Little Totham is a village in Essex, England, with a population measured at 400 in the 2011 Census. The parish extends from the extensive common and heath-land of Tiptree down to the River Blackwater. The village lies about 6 miles 10 km ...
,
Shoeburyness
Shoeburyness ( ), or simply Shoebury, is a coastal town in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England; it lies east of the city centre. It was formerly a separate town until it was absorbed into Southend in 1933.
I ...
,
Southend
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
,
Stanford-le-Hope
Stanford-le-Hope is a town, former civil parish and Church of England parish in the unitary authority area of Thurrock, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Often known locally simply as Stanford, the town is located 24 miles (38.4&nbs ...
,
Stanway,
Wickford
Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county (England), county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the orig ...
and
Witham
Witham () is a town and civil parish in the Braintree district, in the county of Essex, England. In the 2011 census, it had a population of 25,353. It is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands on the Roman road between the ...
in Essex.
Although services had previously been discontinued at Shoeburyness and Stanford-le-Hope and the churches temporarily closed, all three are now home to regular worshipping congregations once again. Services had similarly been discontinued at Rayleigh but resumed, only for the chapel to close permanently in 2019. It was acquired by a congregation of the
Celestial Church of Christ
The Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) is a Pentecostal church in the Aladura movement, which was founded by Samuel Oshoffa on 29 September 1947 in Porto-Novo, Benin. It has spread from West Africa to countries in Europe, such as Belgium, Franc ...
, a
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
group.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
{{EB1911 poster, Peculiar People
Union of Evangelical Churches website
Churches in Essex by denomination
Methodism in the United Kingdom
1838 establishments in England
Religious organisations based in England
Religious organizations established in 1838