Octavius Winslow (1 August 1808 – 5 March 1878), also known as "The Pilgrim's Companion", was a prominent 19th-century evangelical preacher in England and
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. A
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister for most of his life and contemporary of
Charles Spurgeon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher.
Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He wa ...
and
J. C. Ryle
John Charles Ryle (10 May 1816 – 10 June 1900) was an English evangelical Anglican bishop. He was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool.
Life
He was the eldest son of John Ryle, private banker, of Park House, Macclesfield, M.P. for Maccles ...
, he seceded to the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church in his last decade.
Historical family information
Winslow was a direct descendant of
John Winslow and
Mary Chilton
Mary Chilton (May 31, 1607 – May 16,1679) was a Pilgrim and purportedly the first European woman to step ashore at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Biography
Mary Chilton was baptized on May 31, 1607 in Sandwich, Kent, England and was the daughter o ...
who braved the Atlantic to travel to America on the
Mayflower
''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...
in 1620. Legend has it that Mary was the first female of the little band to set foot in the New World. In 1624 she married John, brother to
Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow (18 October 15958 May 1655) was a Separatist and New England political leader who traveled on the ''Mayflower'' in 1620. He was one of several senior leaders on the ship and also later at Plymouth Colony. Both Edward Winslow and ...
(1595–1655), a celebrated
Pilgrim
A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...
leader.
Early life
Octavius's mother, Mary Forbes (1774–1854) had Scottish roots but was born and raised in
Bermuda
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and was the only child of Dr. and Mrs George Forbes. On 6 September 1791, when she was just 17, she married Army Lieutenant Thomas Winslow of the 47th Regiment. Shortly after this, she came under spiritual convictions and was brought to gospel deliverance while pleading the promise, ''“Ask, and ye shall receive”''.
Mary and Thomas Winslow went on to live in England and Octavius was born in
Pentonville
Pentonville is an area on the northern fringe of Central London, in the London Borough of Islington. It is located north-northeast of Charing Cross on the Inner Ring Road. Pentonville developed in the northwestern edge of the ancient parish o ...
, a village near London, on 1 August 1808. He was the eighth of 13 children. Those children recorded in the family bible of Robert Winslow, brother of Octavius, are:
*Thomas Forbes (1795)
*Isaac Deblois (1799)
*Edward (1801)
*George Erving (1804)
*Henry James (1806)
*Robert Forbes (1807)
*Octavius (1808)
*
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
(1810)
*Emma (1813)
*Mary (1814)
Thomas and Mary had three children who died before their first birthday. They are:
*Mary (1814)
*Robert Deblois (1798)
*Mary Elizabeth (1803).
Octavius seems to have been given his name because he was then the eighth surviving child.
![Mary Winslow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Mary_Winslow.JPG)
As a child, Octavius and family would worship at Pentonville Chapel under the ministry of Rev. Thomas Sheppard. During this time of his life, he suffered from what seemed to be a life-threatening illness. While staying in
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
, a nurse accidentally administered an incorrect medicine that doctors would later say would have killed ten men.
Octavius's father was from a wealthy family but by 1815, following his retirement from the army, he suffered ill-health and the loss of his fortune due to one of several national financial disasters that occurred in this period. A decision was soon made to move to America, but before Mr. Winslow could join his wife and children in New York, he died. At the same time, their youngest child died too. Octavius was but 7 years old.
Widowed at 40, responsible for a large family, and scarcely settled in America, Mrs Winslow's entire life was turned upside down. Worst of all, spiritual darkness and despondency overwhelmed her for many months. They were a deeply religious family and Octavius later wrote a book about their experiences from his mother's perspective in a book entitled ''Life in Jesus''.
Family historian D. Kenelm Winslow recorded their plight:
Mary and her children lived in New York City until 1820. Then, after a four-month visit back to England, they would then move to
Sing Sing
Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...
, NY on the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
for "four years of congenial repose". In 1824, they would move back to New York City for a season of "special revival" where brothers Octavius, Isaac, and George would become converted and later convinced of God's calling to ministry.
Winslow was saved under the ministry of Samuel Eastman, pastor of Stanton Street Baptist Church in New York City. On Wednesday, 11 April 1827, Octavius shared his testimony and professed his faith in his Savior. He would later be baptized in the Hudson River on the Lord's Day of 6 May at 4pm. Mary would later pen this:
Education and American Ministry
It is suggested that Winslow began his ministerial training in
Stepney, London
Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appli ...
, but then moved to
Columbia College, New York. Twice he was granted the privilege of receiving honorary degrees. The first was a Masters of Arts (M.A.) by the
University of the City of New York
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
(NYU) in 1836. Secondly, in 1851, Columbia College in New York City conferred upon him the honorary degree of
Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity.
In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...
(D.D.). The second degree was given mostly because of the body and scope of his written works. Winslow's official ordination would later be on 21 July 1833 at the Oliver Street Baptist Church.
After completing a short service as a moderator at a Stanton Street church, he was dismissed on 18 May 1831 and he went on to found or "plant" the 20 member Bowery Baptist Church which was organized in March 1833 and met in the Military Hall on the Bowery. After meeting in this Hall for a year, they relocated to Broadway Hall and renamed the church Central Baptist Church. These years would bring the church a "moderate degree of prosperity" and would bring Winslow trials of depression. When Winslow would later leave this flock, there would be no written records as to why he left.
He is said to have ministered in the newly started Second Baptist Church there in Brooklyn on the corner of Tillary and Lawrence Streets in 1836 and 1837, the work sadly closing in 1838 and the church was sold to the Free Presbyterian congregation. In 1839 he moved back to England where he became one of the most valued ministers of his time. This was largely due to the earnestness of his preaching and the excellence of his prolific writings.
Marriage and children
On 2 April 1834, Winslow married Miss Hannah Ann Ring, only daughter of Roland Z. Ring. They had 10 children:
*John Whitmore (1834 America)
*Hannah (1835 America)
*Mary (1837 America)
*James (1840)
*Thomas (1842)
*Emma (1845)
*Sarah Johanna (1848)
*Octavius Evans (1850)
*Georgiana Lyndhurst (1853)
*
Lyndhurst (1855) – Lyndhurst would play
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
for
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
and the
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
. His grandson and Octavius' great-grandson,
Paul Winslow, would play
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...
for
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
His son, John Whitmore Winslow, died in 1856 at age 21 and Octavius went on to publish some of the things he had written as a teenager. His daughter Sarah Johanna died on 3 July 1848. Then, years later on 3 October 1854, his beloved mother Mary died. Hannah Ann, his faithful wife, died on 9 October 1866. Octavius never remarried.
Ministry in England
Winslow spent most of his life in England. He pastored a Baptist church on Warwick Road in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire (1839–1858) where he followed Rev. D.J . East. In 1858 he became the founder and first minister of Kensington Chapel, Bath. In 1865 the church became a Union Church (mixed
credobaptist
Believer's baptism or adult baptism (occasionally called credobaptism, from the Latin word meaning "I believe") is the practice of baptizing those who are able to make a conscious profession of faith, as contrasted to the practice of baptizing ...
and
paedobaptist
Infant baptism is the practice of baptism, baptising infants or young children. Infant baptism is also called christening by some faith traditions.
Most Christianity, Christians belong to denominations that practice infant baptism. Branches ...
). This latter event probably marks a changing attitude in Winslow who in 1867 left the Baptist pastorate and in 1870 was ordained an Anglican deacon and priest by the Bishop of Chichester. For his remaining years he served as minister of Emmanuel Church, Brighton, on the south coast. In 1868 he had produced a hymn book for this very congregation. This church was destroyed in 1965 and a Baptist church erected in its place.
Ministerial Summation
Below you will find a summary of all the pastorates Winslow held throughout his ministerial career:
*Bowery/Central Baptist Church, New York, New York (1833–1835)
*Second Baptist Church, New York, New York (1836–1838)
*Warwick Street Chapel, Leamington Spa, England (1839–1858)
*Kensington Chapel, Bath, England (1858–1867)
*Emmanuel Church, Brighton/Hove, England (1868–1878)
Selected works
*
Precious Things of God'
* ''The Work of the Holy Spirit: An Experimental and Practical View''
*
Go and Tell Jesus'
*
None Like Christ'
*
The Ministry of the Home'
*
Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul'
*
Objections to a Baptist Version of the New Testament: With Additional Reasons for Preferring the English Bible as It Is' (1837)
* ''The Tree of Life; its Shade, Fruit and Repose'' (1869)
Death
Winslow died, following a short illness, on 5 March 1878, in Brighton at the age of 69. His obituary attributed his death to heart disease. He was buried in
Bath Abbey Cemetery
The Anglican Bath Abbey Cemetery, officially dedicated as the Cemetery of St Peter and St Paul (the patron saints that Bath Abbey is dedicated to), was laid out by noted cemetery designer and landscape architect John Claudius Loudon (1783–184 ...
alongside his wife Hannah Ann Winslow and his sister Emma who died on 21 December 1890 at the age of 78.
File:Winslow Grave 1.jpg, Gravesite of Octavius and Hannah Winslow along with Ann Winslow (Sister).
File:Winslow Grave 3.jpg, Detail of the Octavius portion of obelisk.
External links
The Octavius Winslow ArchiveGravesite of Octavius WinslowThe Winslow ImagesSeveral images of Winslow.
List of Winslow's WritingsCollection of Free E-Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winslow, Octavius
1808 births
1878 deaths
19th-century English Baptist ministers
English Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Clergy from London
19th century in London
British sermon writers
19th-century Baptist ministers from the United States
English Baptist theologians
19th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Columbia College (New York) alumni