Guide to the Records held by the Christian Brethren Archive (as filmed by the AJCP), 1875-1976

Summary

Collection number:

M2576-M2577

Creator:

The Christian Brethren Archive

Extent:

93 items

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: John Nelson Darby, CBA 5540, The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester (AJCP ref: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-770252360/findingaid#nla-obj-798988621).

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference.

Background

Content Summary:

Papers 1875-1880 of John N. Darby, including descriptions of visit to New Zealand and floods in Motueka Valley.

Papers 1934-1937 of bible scholar, teacher and missionary Harold St John concerning lectures given in Australia and New Zealand.

Papers 1974-1975 of Ransome W. Cooper, including drafts of his poems and articles and lists of names and addresses of British World War II refugees and other emigrants to New Zealand.

Biographical / Historical:

The Christian Brethren, or simply the Brethren, had its origins in Ireland in the late 1820s when groups of Anglicans and other Christians met informally to celebrate the Lord's Supper and to discuss the Bible and prophecy. The meetings were non-denominational and there were no presiding ministers or order of service. Brethrenism soon spread to England, especially Plymouth, Bristol and other towns in the west. The leaders were Anthony Grove, an Exeter dentist, John Nelson Darby, an Anglican priest, Benjamin Newton, an Oxford scholar, and George Muller, a German-born missionary. The first meeting in Plymouth took place in 1831 and by 1845 the assembly had over 1,000 people. They became known as the Plymouth Brethren.

In 1848 there was a major schism arising from a dispute between Darby, who attempted to bring about a uniformity of ideas, and Newton and Muller, who asserted the independence of each congregation. The Darbyites were called the Exclusive Brethren and their opponents were the Open Brethren. After Darby's death in 1882 there were several subsequent splits among the Exclusive Brethren. In the years after the schism itinerant preachers brought the ideas of both the Exclusive Brethren and the Open Brethren to the British colonies, the United States and a few European countries.

It is difficult to date precisely the beginnings and spread of Brethrenism in Australia and New Zealand, mainly because it consisted of gatherings of laymen, with no centralised hierarchy. There were certainly both Open and Exclusive groups operating in Melbourne in the 1850s, while an assembly was established near Nelson in New Zealand in 1863. In the other colonies assemblies emerged in the 1870s and 1880s, or even later. In 1888, for instance, it was reported that there were eight assemblies in Sydney and three in Newcastle, while in Queensland there were three assembles in Brisbane and at least seven assemblies in provincial centres. The formation of these assemblies was often due to the influence of overseas preachers, some of who remained in the colonies for years. John Nelson Darby himself visited Sydney and Melbourne in 1876. Charles Perrin came from Dublin in 1866 and worked in Melbourne and later in Tasmania and New Zealand. Walter Douglas, an American, also arrived in Melbourne in 1866, having previously toured New Zealand. Other evangelists included William Brown and Edward Moyse in the 1860s, Harrison Ord and Thomas Manders in the 1870s, and George Grove and Frank Brewster in the 1880s.

Reference: Kenneth John Newton. A history of the Brethren in Australia, with particular reference to the Open Brethren, Brisbane, 1999.

Related

Existence and Location of Copies:

The original AJCP microfilm of the records filmed from this collection is available at the National Library of Australia [https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1070899] as well as other institutions holding AJCP microfilm.

Existence and Location of Originals:

The John Rylands Library of Manchester. University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH, England.

Collection reference: CBA.

For further information see The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester (https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/)

Conditions Governing Access:

Available for Access.

Conditions Governing Use:

Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, from The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester.

For more information contact The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/]

Preferred citation:

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: John Nelson Darby, CBA 5540, The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester (AJCP ref: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-770252360/findingaid#nla-obj-798988621).

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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