Thomas Raffles
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Thomas Raffles (1788–1863) was an English
Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
minister, known as a dominant nonconformist figure at the Great George Street Congregational Church in
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, and as an abolitionist and historian.


Early life

The only son of William Raffles (died 9 November 1825), a solicitor, he was born in Princes Street, Spitalfields, London, on 17 May 1788; he was first cousin to
Stamford Raffles Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British statesman who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816, and Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. He is ...
. His mother was a Wesleyan Methodist, and he became one at ten years of age. In 1800 he was sent to a boarding-school in Peckham, kept by a Baptist minister, and among his schoolfellows was his lifelong friend Richard Slate the biographer. While there he joined the congregation of William Bengo' Collyer. For some months in 1803 he was employed as a clerk at
Doctors' Commons Doctors' Commons, also called the College of Civilians, was a society of lawyers practising civil (as opposed to common) law in London, namely ecclesiastical and admiralty law. Like the Inns of Court of the common lawyers, the society had buildi ...
, but returned to Peckham (October 1803) to prepare for the ministry. Raffles studied at Homerton College (1805–9) under
John Pye Smith John Pye-Smith (25 May 1774 – 5 February 1851) was a Congregational minister, theologian and tutor, associated with reconciling geological sciences with the Bible, repealing the Corn Laws and abolishing slavery. He was the author of many ...
, was thought to show early promise as a preacher, and after declining a call to Hanover Street Chapel, went to George Yard Chapel, Hammersmith; he was ordained at Kensington Chapel on 22 June 1809. On the sudden death (5 August 1811) of Thomas Spencer, minister of Newington Chapel, Liverpool, Raffles was invited to succeed him. He preached at Liverpool in November 1811, accepted the call on 11 January 1812, began his ministry on 19 April, and was "set apart" on 28 May, the congregation having moved the day before to a new chapel in Great George Street.


Liverpool ministry

The prominent ministry of Raffles in Liverpool lasted till 24 February 1862—he avoided politics, though he had liberal principles. He received the degree of LL.D. from
Marischal College, Aberdeen Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...
, on 22 December 1820, when his testimonials were signed by the Dukes of Sussex and Somerset; and in July 1830 the degree of D.D. from
Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...
, U.S.A. In September 1833 Raffles declined an invitation to succeed
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 soluti ...
at Surrey Chapel in London. He was chairman of the
Congregational Union of England and Wales The Congregational Union of England and Wales brought together churches in England and Wales in the Congregational tradition between 1831 and 1966. The Congregational churches emerged from the Puritan movement, each church operating independently ...
in 1839. On 19 February 1840 his chapel in Great George Street was destroyed by fire. A new chapel on the same site was opened on 21 October. In the pulpit he wore cassock, gown, and bands.


Lancashire Independent College

With George Hadfield, Raffles was one of the main founders in 1816 of Blackburn Academy for the education of Independent ministers, where Joseph Fletcher was the first theological tutor. The move of the institution to Manchester, as the Lancashire Independent College, was largely due to Raffles. From March 1839 till his death he was chairman of the education committee, and raised a large part of the money for the existing college buildings at Whalley Range, near Manchester, opened on 26 April 1843. The first professor of biblical criticism at the College was
Samuel Davidson Samuel Davidson (September 18061 April 1898) was an Irish biblical scholar. Life He was born at Kellswater, County Antrim, the son of Abraham Davidson, into a Scots-Irish presbyterian. He was educated at the village school, under James Darrag ...
, the author of the second volume in the tenth edition, 1856, of the ''Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures'' by
Thomas Hartwell Horne Thomas Hartwell Horne (20 October 1780 – 27 January 1862) was an English theologian and librarian. Life He was born in London and educated at Christ's Hospital until he was 15 when his father died and he had to work. He then became a clerk ...
. In the controversy raised by this publication, which produced Davidson's resignation in 1858, Raffles took the conservative side. On 20 June 1861 his services to the college were acknowledged by the foundation of the Raffles scholarship and the Raffles library.


Death

Raffles died on 18 August 1863. He was buried on 24 August in the Liverpool Necropolis, Liverpool. Deaths Sep 1863 Raffles Thomas W Derby 8b 411


Works

Raffles published: * ''Memoirs … of Thomas Spencer'', Liverpool, 1813; seven editions, besides several in America. * ''Poems by Three Friends'', 1813 (anon.); 2nd edit. 1815, gives the names James Baldwin Brown the elder and Jeremiah Holmes Wiffen. * ''Klopstock's "The Messiah" … the Five last Books prepared for the Press'', 1814 (dedicated to Queen Charlotte); 1815, 3 vols. * ''Letters during a Tour through … France, Savoy'', Liverpool, 1818; five editions, besides American reprints. * ''Lectures on … Practical Religion'', Liverpool, 1820. * ''Lectures on … Doctrines of the Gospel'', Liverpool, 1822. * ''Hear the Church! a Word for All. By a Doctor of Divinity but not of Oxford'', 1839, (anon.), ascribed to Raffles. * ''Internal Evidences of the … Inspiration of Scripture'', 1849; 1864. * ''Independency at St. Helen's'', Liverpool, 1856. Posthumous was * ''Hymns … for the New Year's Morning Prayer Meeting''’ Liverpool, 1868 (edited by James Baldwin Brown the younger). Raffles edited an enlarged edition, 1815 2 vols. (reprinted 1825), of the ''Self-interpreting Bible'', by John Brown; and was one of the editors of the ''Investigator'', a short-lived London quarterly started in 1820. He contributed eight hymns to William Bengo' Collyer's ''Hymns'', 1812; these, with 38 others, were included in his own ''Supplement to Dr. Watts'', 1853. John D. Julian annotates 16 of his hymns in common use. As a historian of nonconformity, Raffles collected related original documents, of which use was made by
Robert Halley Robert Halley (13 August 1796 – 18 August 1876) was an English Congregational minister and abolitionist. He was noted for his association with the politics of Repeal of the Corn Laws, and became Classical Tutor at Highbury College and Prin ...
, and to some extent by Nightingale. These manuscripts went the library of the Lancashire Independent College. He was a major collector also of autographs, of all kinds, leaving 87 volumes of them.


Family

Raffles married, on 18 April 1815, Mary Catherine (born 31 July 1796, died 17 May 1843), only daughter of James Hargreaves of Liverpool. He had three sons and a daughter; his eldest son and biographer Thomas Stamford Raffles served as stipendiary magistrate of Liverpool.


References


Bibliography

Attribution


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Raffles, Thomas 1788 births 1863 deaths Alumni of Homerton College, Cambridge English Congregationalist ministers English antiquarians People from Spitalfields