The Rev. James Sherman (21 February 1796 – 15 February 1862), was an English Congregationalist minister. He was an

abolitionist 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 ...

, and a popular preacher at The Castle Street Chapel in Reading from 1821 to 1836. He and his second wife Martha Sherman made a success of

Surrey Chapel The Surrey Chapel (1783–1881) was an independent Methodist and Congregational church established in Blackfriars Road, Southwark, London on 8 June 1783 by the Rev. Rowland Hill. His work was continued in 1833 by the Congregational pastor R ...

, Blackfriars,

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 ...

from 1836−54. Martha died in 1848. Sherman was successor at the Surrey Chapel to

Rowland Hill Sir Rowland Hill, KCB, FRS (3 December 1795 – 27 August 1879) was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his solut ...

. Although he was subsequently became known as a Congregationalist, Sherman was originally ordained to the

Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion is a small society of evangelical churches, founded in 1783 by Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, as a result of the Evangelical Revival. For many years it was strongly associated with the Calvinist ...

Early life

The son of an officer in the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...

, he was born in Banner Street, St. Luke's, London, on 21 February 1796. After some education from dissenting ministers, he spent three years and a half as apprentice to an ivory-turner. Sherman entered, on 6 November 1815, the Countess of Huntingdon's

Cheshunt College Cheshunt ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London on the River Lea and Lee Navigation. It contains a section of the Lee Valley Park, including much of the River Lee Country Park. To the north lies Broxbourne and Wormley, Walth ...

. He preached his first sermon in London in Hare Court chapel,

Aldersgate Street Aldersgate is a Ward of the City of London, named after one of the northern gates in the London Wall which once enclosed the City. The Ward of Aldersgate is traditionally divided into Aldersgate Within and Aldersgate Without, the suffix den ...

, in 1817, and on 26 Nov. 1818 he was ordained to the ministry in Sion Chapel,

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

. After preaching for some time in the Countess of Huntingdon's chapel at

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, he was appointed permanent minister of her chapel at Bristol, where he made the acquaintance of

Hannah More Hannah More (2 February 1745 – 7 September 1833) was an English religious writer, philanthropist, poet and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, who wrote on moral and religious subjects. Born in Bristol, she taught at a ...

and of

Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck (née Galton, 25 November 1778 – 29 August 1856) was a British writer in the anti-slavery movement. Early life Born at Birmingham, she was eldest child of Samuel "John" Galton and his wife, Lucy Barclay. Both parent ...

. In April 1821 he moved to Castle Street chapel,

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway serve the town. Reading is east ...

Association with the London Missionary Society

James Sherman was a prominent supporter of missionary work, principally the work of the non-denominational

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...

. The missionary Rev. Samuel Oughton was sent to Jamaica from Sherman's

in 1836; an arrangement on behalf of the

Baptist Missionary Society BMS World Mission is a Christian missionary society founded by Baptists from England in 1792. It was originally called the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen, but for most of its life was known as th ...

, a body that worked closely with the LMS, and practiced congregational principles of church governance.

Founding of Abney Park Cemetery

Shortly before 1840, James Sherman became a founding trustee and director of the Congregationalist's new non-denominational enterprise -

Abney Park Cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

. All parts of the grounds were to be open for burial to everyone, regardless of denomination, without ''invidious dividing lines''. It became the first garden cemetery in Europe to be wholly non-denominational in this respect whilst also having just one chapel, to be shared by everyone.

Published books

James Sherman's earliest works were devotional, but in the 1840s he developed his writing skills as a biographer. In 1848 James Sherman wrote ''The Pastor's Wife'', a biography of Mrs Sherman in memory of her death that year from consumption on 18 May. He later completed a biography of

and the Quaker philanthropist and abolitionist William Allen.

Work towards slavery abolition

Of political significance in the 1850s was a semi-fictional book written on one side of the Atlantic, to which James Sherman contributed an introduction written on the other. This was ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U ...

'', by the American Congregationalist

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel '' Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the har ...

, with Sherman's introduction from London. The number of copies of the work sold was unprecedented in American literature. It was written in serial form for ''

The National Era ''The National Era'' was an abolitionist newspaper published weekly in Washington, D.C., from 1847 to 1860. Gamaliel Bailey was its editor in its first year. ''The National Era Prospectus'' stated in 1847: Each number contained four pages of ...

'', an abolitionist newspaper, in 1851. When it appeared as a two volume work by March 1852, with Sherman's introduction, it quickly became a historic work. For the book's promotional tour in London in the early summer of 1852, Stowe, her husband, and her brother

Charles Beecher Charles Beecher (October 1, 1815 – April 21, 1900) was an American minister, composer of religious hymns and a prolific author. Early life Beecher was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, the fifth child of Lyman Beecher, an abolitionist Con ...

, stayed at Sherman's house. At the same time he invited the African-American escaped slave and Congregational minister

Samuel Ringgold Ward Samuel Ringgold Ward (October 17, 1817 – ) was an African American who escaped enslavement to become an abolitionist, newspaper editor, labor leader, and Congregational church minister. He was author of the influential book ''Autobiograph ...

, and assisted his stay in Britain for nearly a year, helping him raise funds for the

Canadian Anti-slavery Society Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

at a time when many escaped slaves from the USA were trying to reach freedom in British Canada.

Later life

Sherman became minister at Blackheath Congregational Church 1854-62 and was succeeded at

Christopher Newman Hall Christopher Newman Hall (22 May 1816 – 18 February 1902), born at Maidstone and known in later life as a 'Dissenter's Bishop', was one of the most celebrated nineteenth century English Nonconformist divines. He was active in social causes; sup ...

. Hall continued Sherman's abolitionist cause by visiting America during the Civil War, and publishing books and making speeches to enlist British support on the side of the north: ''England should side with the North'', he wrote, ''particularly because emancipation of the slaves is just''.

Death and memorial

Rev James Sherman memorial at Abney Park

James Sherman died at his home in The Paragon, Blackheath, and was buried in a plain stone chest tomb at

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

, London - the Congregationalist's novel non-denominational garden cemetery of which he was a founder director and trustee. His memorial stone is visible amongst the undergrowth from the westmost path. A modern marker stone has been placed in front of the original in order to distinguish the grave as seen from the path.

Books

* Sherman, James (1851) ''Memoir of William Allen'', London: Charles Gilpin * Stowe, Harriet Beecher (1852) ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or life among the lowly...with introductory remarks by J. Sherman'', London:H.G.Bohn * Stowe, Harriet Beecher (1875 edn.) ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or life among the lowly...with introductory remarks by J. Sherman'', London:George Bell & Sons * Dearing, John (1993), ''The Church that would not die'', Baron Birch * Dearing, John (2021), "Sent from Reading", JBDearing * Sherman, James (1829 edn.) ''A Guide to Acquaintance with God'', Boston: James Loring * Sherman, James (1850 edn.) ''The Pastor's Wife: a memoir of Mrs Martha Sherman'', New York: American Tract Society

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman (Minister), James English abolitionists English Congregationalist ministers 1796 births 1862 deaths Burials at Abney Park Cemetery 19th-century Congregationalist ministers Congregationalist abolitionists