Rev. George Cosens (1805–1881) is the "first reported West Indian minister to hold a pastorate in Britain." He originated from Jamaica, and lived most of his life in Britain having moved to London to study and joining the

Primitive Methodists The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...

in his late teens. After working as a Primitive Methodist preacher, he joined the Baptists and from 1837 served as a minister in various Baptist churches. He died in working retirement in 1881. George Cosens married twice, Mary Burnet, 1830, and being widowed, Betsy Dancer in 1841. He is buried in the cemetery of Brierley Hill Baptist Church.

Early life

Born in 1805 He was said to have come from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

to study in a London college. In 1823, he was converted to Christianity while he and another student spent some free time in a church.

Primitive Methodist work

His first church activity was with the

Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...

s from 1824. Sailing on 7 May 1832, he was sent by the Sunderland Circuit to the Norman Isles (Jersey and Gurnsey), where he worked to the point of exhaustion in church work and ministry to cholera victims. But it is reported that he had to be recalled after being fined for tactless comments about young people in his audience. During mission work in 1835 to 1836 with the more experienced John Nelson to pioneer new work around Weymouth and Dorchester, he left the Primitive Methodists after a disagreement, and joined the Baptists. Other than the issue of baptism, the beliefs of the Baptists and Primitive Methodists were similar.

Baptist Ministry

Cosens was probably baptised in a Baptist church in Weymouth in 1836 or 37, which would mark his joining the Baptists. His first appointment with the Baptists was as an assistant pastor at the New Connexion General Baptist Church at

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

in 1837. His first pastorate at

Cradley Heath Cradley Heath is a town in the Rowley Regis area of the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England approximately north-west of Halesowen, south of Dudley and west of central Birmingham. Cradley Heath is often confused with the ...

began in November 1837.

Cradley Heath

Cradley Heath Baptist Church Cradley Heath Baptist Church, also known as Four-ways Baptist Church, was the first Church of any denomination to build a chapel in Cradley Heath, West Midlands. The first meeting was in December 1833, in Grainger's Lane. Later, land was bought ...

is notable for having had the first

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the ...

Minister in the

Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ro ...

, said to be the first known in Britain. In 1837, Rev. George Cosens was called to be minister. He was very popular, and served in various other churches in the area. His first time there was from 1837 to 1839. But he later served at Cradley Heath Baptist Church from 1869 to 1879. His second term was very successful at first, but later the health problems of old age were such that he was to be asked to resign. A meeting of the Deacons of the Church held on 2 June 1879 accepted his resignation. He moved to a less onerous pastorate at

Brierley Hill Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England, 2.5 miles south of Dudley and 2 miles north of Stourbridge. Part of the Black Country and in a heavily industrialised area, it has a popu ...

Family life

Little is known of George Cosens' Jamaican family. Idris Williams says they disowned him on his conversion to Christianity. He married twice. Firstly, Mary Burnet (18/12/1797 - 27/07/1831), on 24 June 1830, in St John's Church,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

. They had a daughter, born 17 July 1831, who died a month after Mary. In March 1841 he married Betsy Dancer (b. 13 January 1813), a member of the Brierley Hill church where he was then Minister. Cosens died on 16 August 1881, and was buried in the cemetery of Brierley Hill Baptist Church (DY5 2RR) where he was then the Minister. The life of George Cosens is becoming celebrated in Britain's black community.Lecture notice in Dudley for Black History Month, October 2008
(accessed 03/02/2009) The variant spelling George Cousens is found in the 1933 Centenary Souvenir history by Rev. Idris Williams. The spelling Cosens is found in the minutes in the Secretary's Book from 1876 to 1889 and on the inscription on the 1876 photograph.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosens, George Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom 1805 births 1881 deaths Methodist ministers Converts to Christianity English Baptist ministers