Alfred Sturge (5 May 1816 – 25 January 1901) was a Baptist missionary and minister who served in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
and
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
.
Ancestry and early life
Alfred Sturge was born to Jeanette née Emeric de St. Dalmas (b.1788 d.1874) and Nathan Sturge (b.1789 d.1864) at
Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate gave its name to the Bishopsgate Ward of the City of London. The ward is traditionally divided into ''Bishopsgate Within'', inside the line wall, and ''Bisho ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on 5 May 1816.
[''Alfred Sturge (1816-1901): Notable Baptist Minister in Dartford''](_blank)
by Philip Taylor, North-West Kent Family History Society - Online Articles, January 2014. Accessed 9 Aug 2014.
He came from a family among the
Society of Friends
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
from the days of
George Fox
George Fox (July 1624 – 13 January 1691) was an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and ...
. His grandfather, Thomas Sturge, was one of the founders of the
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.
The So ...
. George Sturge, one of his uncles, left £500,000 to charity, and another uncle, Thomas Sturge, was an intimate friend of
Lord Macaulay
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was a British historian and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster-General between 1846 and 1 ...
. Both were active in the movement for the
abolition of slavery
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
, as was his relative
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
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
Christian faith
Christianity is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism, monotheistic religion based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, life and Teachings of Jesus, teachings of Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. It is the Major religious groups, world's ...
, and was consequently prevented by the law of those times from inheriting his father’s title and estates.
[''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.]
He 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 (b.1783 d.1862), and sometimes heard such men as
John Leifchild (b.1780 d.1862), an independent minister, and
Thomas Binney (b.1798 d.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, he married Margaret Tait Stove (b.1819 d.1913), with whom he had twelve children: Esther Eliza (b.1842), Alfred Robert (b.1844 d.1904), Margaret (b.1845 d.1908), Thomas Stove (b.1847 d.1911), Lydia (b.1849 d.1908), Emily Jane (b.1850 d.1924), Samuel George (b.1852), Herbert (b.1854), Maria Frances (b.1856 d.1860), Henry Havelock (b.1858 d.1942), Agnes Ellen (b.1860 d.1951) and Ernest Brainerd (b.1862 d.1882).
Ministry
He began to preach in the villages around Plymouth, and was eventually invited to become pastor of the church at
Modbury
Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor situated in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish co ...
. 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, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
. He worked there for four years, but found the climate too oppressive for his young growing family.
On returning to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, 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 7 April 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 20 April 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 board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
, a member of the Board of Guardians, a governor of the
Grammar School
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
,
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 25 January 1901.
He was buried in the East Hill Cemetery at Dartford in Kent, where his tombstone reads:
In loving memory
of
ERNEST BRAINERD STURGE [Youngest son of Alfred and Margaret Sturge]
who fell asleep in Jesus
September 21st 1882
in his 21st year.
'As in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.' 1.Cor. XV.22.
Also
in loving memory of
the Revd ALFRED STURGE,
for nearly 40 years a faithful minister of
Jesus Christ
in this town,
founder and first pastor of the Baptist church in Highfield Road
Entered into his rest Jan 25th 1901
in his 85th year.
'He was a good man, and full of the Holy
Ghost and of faith: and much people was
added unto the Lord.' Acts.XI.24.
Also in loving memory of
MARGARET TAIT STURGE
wife of the Rev ALFRED STURGE,
a devoted wife & mother and an earnest Christian worker.
Entered into her rest on March 29th 1913,
in the 95th year of her age.
References
External links
Highfield Road Baptist Church in DartfordDartford Town ArchiveBaptist Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturge, Alfred
1816 births
1901 deaths
19th-century English Baptist ministers
English Baptist missionaries
Baptist missionaries in India
English Quakers