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Kensworth and St Albans Baptist Church Books 1675-1810

Elaine Tyler        Order a copy 

The earliest known reference to Baptists at Kensworth in Hertfordshire occurs in the Records of the Abingdon Association of Particular Baptists. This Association was formed in the belief that Churches ought to associate together, to share mutual cares and concerns, to deliberate on difficult issues, or give help and advice where it was needed.

At some point a Baptist Church was formed at Kensworth, possibly in 1652, possibly a little earlier. In 1675 a List was drawn up of the members of the Kensworth Baptist community. They came from a wide area; from St Albans and South Mimms, from Brickhill and Leighton Buzzard, from Luton and Dunstable, from Codicote and Berkamsted. The largest number came from Houghton Regis but strangely only four are listed in Kensworth.

An exact copy of the 1675 List was made in 1688 to become the Church Book of the Kensworth Church which removed to Dunstable in the early 1700s. The original book was to serve as the Church Book of the newly formed St Albans Church. The two books contain entries through to just after 1800.

Both books have now been transcribed, using original spelling, punctuation and capitalisation. Every effort has been made to make a faithful transcription, but some doubtful places remain. In the St Albans book where the pages have been overwritten the original records has been transcribed as well as possible and only a list of names and places within the accounts and briefs has been provided. A page of accounts and one example of the ‘briefs’ have been reproduced to give an impression of the whole.

Kensworth Book

Kensworth Area

Published by Hertfordshire FHS (Special Publication No. 9) in association with The Strict Baptist Historical Society

Orders can be placed with the society, Order a copy

140pp; Paperback £8.00, Prices exclude delivery.