John Scott Lidgett,
CH (10 August 1854 – 16 June 1953) was a British
Wesleyan Methodist minister and educationist. He achieved prominence both as a
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and reformer within British Methodism, stressing the importance of the church's engagement with the whole of society and human culture, and as an effective advocate for education within
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 ...
.
He served as the first
President of the Methodist Conference
This is a chronological list of presidents of the Methodist Conference of the Methodist Church of Great Britain and its predecessor churches.
John Wesley, founder of Methodism, organised and presided over the first Methodist Conference, which was ...
in 1932–33.
Life
He was born in
Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
, the son of John Jacob Lidgett, a shipowner, and Maria Elizabeth Scott.
His maternal grandfather John Scott (1792–1868) was a prominent Wesleyan Methodist, a founder and first Principal of
Westminster Training College.
Lidgett was educated at
University College, London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = Â ...
, entering in 1873, taking his
BA in 1874 and his
MA in 1875; he was awarded a
DD by the
University of Aberdeen
, mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research universityAncient university
, endowment = £58.4 million (2021)
, budget ...
on the strength of a book published in 1902, ''The Fatherhood of God''.
In later life Lidgett was closely involved with the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, serving on its
Senate from 1922 until he retired in 1946 at the age of 92. He served as deputy vice-chancellor and as
vice-chancellor
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system.
In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...
from 1930 to 1932. He was active in supporting the development of women's colleges and, through his support for the university's relations with teacher training colleges, was instrumental in the foundation of its
Institute of Education
IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to ...
.
Lidgett died in a nursing home at
Epsom
Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
on 16 June 1953.
He was buried at
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.
One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...
.
Theology
By the standards of 19th-century British Methodism, Lidgett's theology was liberal. He rejected the
penal substitution
Penal substitution (sometimes, esp. in older writings, called forensic theory)D. Smith, The atonement in the light of history and the modern spirit' (London: Hodder and Stoughton), p. 96-7: 'THE FORENSIC THEORY...each successive period of history ...
doctrine of the
atonement
Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ...
, and wanted to move his denomination away from its inherited tendency to a narrow
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
stance, towards a
social gospel. He founded the
Bermondsey Settlement, the only Methodist foundation among the 19th century
settlements in the East End of London. Like the secular settlements such as
Toynbee Hall, it aimed to bring into the neighbourhood middle-class activists who could provide social and educational facilities for the poor, rather than concentrating narrowly on evangelism like the Church's more traditional "Missions" located in poor areas of London.
Within the Church, Lidgett founded the "Wesley Guild", a social organization aimed at young people but also offering activities to adults, which claimed over 150,000 members by 1900. He was
President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference (the ruling body of the denomination) in 1908–09. He was also an early supporter of the
ecumenical movement
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
and a key architect of British
Methodist Union
Methodist Union was the joining together of several of the larger British Methodist denominations. These were the Wesleyan Methodists, the Primitive Methodists, and the United Methodists. In 1932 a Uniting Conference met on 20 September in the R ...
in 1932, and was the first President of the newly united church's conference. He remained in the active work of the ministry as chairman of the London South-West Methodist District until he was 94.
Lidgett was active in London politics for much of his career. He served as an alderman of the
London County Council
London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...
, and was leader of the
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to:
Active parties
* Progressive Party, Brazil
* Progressive Party (Chile)
* Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus
* Dominica Progressive Party
* Progressive Party (Iceland)
* Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...
on the council from 1918 to 1928. He was prominent on the LCC Education Committee. He was appointed a
Companion of Honour in 1933.
Family
Lidgett married Emmeline Davies in 1884. They had a son (John Cuthbert Lidgett, b.1885, killed in action 1918) and a daughter (Lettice Mary Lidgett, b.1887, m. Gerald H. Davy 1911, d.1980). Emmeline died in 1934.
Memorials
Lidgett is remembered in the name of Scott Lidgett School, a comprehensive school built in Drummond Road,
Bermondsey
Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham ...
in the 1960s and closed in 1991, and in that of the road Scott Lidgett Crescent and Scott Lidgett Road in Longport, Stoke-on-Trent.
[http://www.southlondonblog.co.uk/top-5-in-south-london/5-things-south-londoners-miss/] Both Drummond Road and Scott Lidgett Crescent lie near
Jamaica Road
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 Hispan ...
.
Published works
*''The Spiritual Principle of the Atonement'' (the 1897 Fernley lecture)
*''The Fatherhood of God'' (1902)
*''The Christian Religion, its Meaning and Proof'' (1907)
*''God in Christ Jesus'' (1915)
*''Sonship and Salvation'' (1921)
*''The Victorian Transformation of Theology'' (the 1934
Maurice Maurice may refer to:
People
* Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr
* Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor
*Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
lectures)
*''My Guided Life'' (1936)
*''The Idea of God and Social Ideals'' (1938)
See also
*
List of Vice-Chancellors of the University of London
*
List of British university chancellors and vice-chancellors
This following is a current list of the chancellors, vice-chancellors and visitors of universities in the United Kingdom. In most cases, the chancellor is a ceremonial head, while the vice-chancellor is chief academic officer and chief executi ...
References
Bibliography
* Turberfield, A. F. (2002). ''John Scott Lidgett: Archbishop of British Methodism?''. Peterborough:
Epworth Press
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is a Protestant Christian denomination in Britain, and the mother church to Methodists worldwide. It participates in the World Methodist Council, and the World Council of Churches among other ecumenical a ...
. .
External links
Lidgett and the Bermondsey Settlement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lidgett, John Scott
1854 births
1953 deaths
People from Lewisham
Alumni of University College London
Alumni of the University of Aberdeen
English Methodist ministers
English educational theorists
Presidents of the Methodist Conference
Members of London County Council
Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
Vice-Chancellors of the University of London
Burials at West Norwood Cemetery
Progressive Party (London) politicians