Ridley Haim Herschell (7 April 1807 – 14 April 1864) was a Polish-born British minister who converted from
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
to
evangelical Christianity
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
. He was a founder of the
(1842) and of the
Evangelical Alliance
The Evangelical Alliance (EA) is a national evangelical alliance, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. Founded in 1846, the activities of the Evangelical Alliance aim to promote evangelical Christian beliefs in government, media and societ ...
(1845),
Life
Herschell was born in the city of
Strzelno
Strzelno (german: Strelno) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. The town is located south of Inowrocław. According to the June 2005 Census, the population numbered 22,486. It is located in the historic region of Kuyavia.
...
in the
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...
, a French
client state
A client state, in international relations, is a state that is economically, politically, and/or militarily subordinate to another more powerful state (called the "controlling state"). A client state may variously be described as satellite state, ...
in Poland that had previously been under
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n control. His parents were pious
Polish Jews
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lo ...
, and Haim Herschell decided at a very early age that he wanted to be a
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
. He left home and studied under various teachers. Later, encouraged by his parents, he moved to Berlin to study literature and lived a decadent life, "like a Christian". He visited England for the first time on vacation but returned to Berlin to finish his studies before moving finally to London via Paris.
In France he experienced a dramatic
religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...
to Christianity and struggled with his Jewish background. He sought help from Roman Catholic clergy, but eventually turned to English evangelical contacts he had discovered in Paris through a mysterious letter of introduction he had been given before his conversion. Reconciled with his Jewish roots, but not his family, he left for England,
He entered an institution for converted Jews in the
East End
The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...
of London and was baptised by
Charles Blomfield, the Bishop of London in 1830, sponsored by high-society evangelical Christians, He married Helen Skirving Mowbray, a woman ten years older than himself from
Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
whom he met apparently by a chance introduction in London. They had a shared interest in the fashionable Scottish preacher
Edward Irving
Edward Irving (4 August 17927 December 1834) was a Scottish clergyman, generally regarded as the main figure behind the foundation of the Catholic Apostolic Church.
Early life
Edward Irving was born at Annan, Annandale the second son of Ga ...
. She had taken a deep interest in Judaism and the restoration of Israel and had already learned
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
. They were both ostracised by their families, moved to the poor districts of
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...
and
Camden Town
Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...
and experienced hard times in spite of their upper class connections. They had the first of five children, two of whom would die young,
![RidleyHaimHerschellKensalGreen01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/RidleyHaimHerschellKensalGreen01.jpg)
Having financial problems caused by a wayward brother who left for America, they planned to go to
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
where they could live less expensively in a Jewish community but were invited by
Lady Olivia Sparrow
Lady Olivia Sparrow (née Acheson) (1776–1863) was an Anglo-Irish landowner and philanthropist, widowed in 1805. She was a prominent evangelical, belonging to 29 societies engaged in related causes, and a friend of both Hannah More and William ...
, a wealthy landowner, to manage her schools in
Leigh-on-Sea
Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011, it had a population of 22,509.
Geography
Leigh-on-Sea is on the northern ...
, Essex and
Brampton
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...
, Cambridgeshire, But Ridley was more and more used as a preacher and pastor to the local people, He felt called to be an evangelist, which was supported by reports of amazing conversion experiences as a result of his preaching in the violent fishing village. One of the fishermen who heard him preach, Michael Tomlin, would eventually become a full-time Methodist minister in the town and a church bears his name to this day.
From 1846 he was minister of Trinity Chapel, in John Street/Newnham Street, off the
Edgware Road
Edgware Road is a major road in London, England. The route originated as part of Roman Watling Street and, unusually in London, it runs for 10 miles in an almost perfectly straight line. Forming part of the modern A5 road, Edgware Road undergoes ...
in West London, which could accommodate 1,200 people, was built and opened for Herschell by Sir
Culling Eardley
Sir Culling Eardley Eardley, 3rd Baronet (''né'' Smith; 21 April 1805 – 21 May 1863) was a British Christian campaigner for religious freedom and for the Protestant cause, one of the founders of the Evangelical Alliance.
Early life
Born in Lon ...
and other rich supporters. But his faith was to be tested many times, especially after the death of his much loved wife and his second son. In 1855 he remarried to a rich heiress, Esther Fuller-Maitland, who had been in the wings for many years and was a friend of the family. Ridley died 14 April 1864, while resting in the seaside resort of
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, After his retirement to Brighton he was succeeded by
Carl Schwartz
August Ferdinand Carl Schwartz DD (1817–1870) was a Hebrew Christian clergyman and minister of the Free Church of Scotland serving in Amsterdam and London.
Life
He was born on 20 January 1817 in Meseritz in Prussia, now Międzyrzec Podlaski in ...
who attempted to unite a
Hebrew Christian movement
The Hebrew Christian movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries consisted of Jews who converted to Christianity, but worshiped in congregations separate from denominational churches. In many cases, they retained some Jewish practices and litur ...
in London from 1865.
[Dan Cohn-Sherbok ''The image of the Judaeo-Christians in ancient Jewish and Christian ...'' ed. Peter J. Tomson, Doris Lambers-Petry 2003 Page 287 "In 1865 an attempt was made by Dr. C. Schwartz, minister of Trinity Chapel, Edgware Road, London to unite all Jewish Christians" reprinted/revised from chapter in Messianic Judaism 2000 Page 16]
He is buried in
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...
in London, on the main path, very close to the main entrance.
Ridley and Helen had five children:
*
Ghetal (1833–1909), who married
John Scott Burdon-Sanderson
Sir John Scott Burdon-Sanderson, 1st Baronet, FRS, HFRSE D.Sc. (21 December 182823 November 1905) was an English physiologist born near Newcastle upon Tyne, and a member of a well known Northumbrian family.
Biography
He was born at Jesmond ...
in 1853
*Esther (1834–1840)
*Mary (1836–1899)
*
Farrer Herschell, 1st Baron Herschell
Farrer Herschell, 1st Baron Herschell, (2 November 1837 – 1 March 1899), was Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain in 1886, and again from 1892 to 1895.
Life
Childhood and education
Herschell was born on 2 November 1837 in Brampton, Hampsh ...
(1837–1899)
*Ridley Judah (1839–1862)
References
Bibliography
By Herschell
*Herschell, R. H. (1842) ''Reasons Why I, a Jew, Have Become a Catholic, and not a Roman Catholic. A Letter in Reply to The Rev. R.W. Sibthorp.''
*— (1843a) ''The National Restoration of the Jews to their Fatherland, and Consequent Fulfilment of the Promise to the Patriachs. A Sermon on Hebrews 11:16 with a Preliminary Address by H.I.D.''
*— (1843b) ''A Visit to my Father Land, Being Notes of a Journey to Syria and Palestine in 1843''
*— (ed.) (1845–47) ישראל לקו ''The Voice of Israel. Conducted by Jews who Believe in Jesus of Nathareth as the Messiah'' 2 vols
*— (ed.) (1846) ''Psalms and Hymns for Congregational Worship''
*— (ed.) (1848a) ''Jewish Witnesses; That Jesus is the Christ''
*— (1848b) ''The Mystery of the Gentile Dispensation, and the Work of the Messiah''
*— (1856) ''A Visit to my Father Land, Being Notes of a Journey to Syria and Palestine. With Additional Notes of a Journey in 1854''
*— (1858) ''The Golden Lamp: An Eexposition of the Tabernacle and its Services''
*R. H. H.
idley Haim Herschell(1834) ''A Brief Sketch of the Present State and Future Expectations of the Jews: In a Letter Addressed to his Christian Friends''
*— (1860) ''Strength in Weakness. Meditations on Some of the Psalms''
About Herschell
*Binfield, C. (1997) "Jews in evangelical dissent: the British society, the Herschell connexion and the pre-millenarian thread", in M. Wilks (ed.) ''Prophecy and Eschatology'' Brewer,
*Burdon-Sanderson, G. (1891) "Herschell, Ridley Haim (1807–1864), dissenting minister", in S. Lee (ed.) ''
Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''
*
*
*Jacobs, J. & Lipkind, G. (1906) "Herschell, Ridley Haim", ''
Jewish Encyclopedia
''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...
'', vol.VI, ''p.''363
*Stunt, T. C. F. (2004) "Herschell, Ridley Haim (1807–1864)", ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', Oxford University Press
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herschell, Ridley Haim
1807 births
1864 deaths
People from Strzelno
British evangelicals
British people of Polish-Jewish descent
Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery
Converts to Anglicanism from Judaism
Converts to Evangelicalism from Judaism
Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom
Polish evangelicals
Hebrew Christian movement
Ridley