Part 3
JOHN CHURCH, better known as the Obelisk Parson, it appears, was abandoned by his parents, when he was scarcely six weeks old, and left exposed in a basket, with little covering to protect him from the inclemency of the weather, on the steps of St. Andrew’s Church, Holborn. In this pitiable state he was found by the overseers of the parish, and sent to the Foundling Hospital; and it was from this circumstance he derived the name of CHURCH. Here he remained until he was nine years old, when a complaint to the Governor’s having been made against him by the nurses that he was addicted to improper and disgusting practices, it was thought prudent to apprentice him out at that early age, in order to prevent the morals of the boys being corrupted from so dangerous an example. He must have quitted the hospital at an earlier age than usual, from his evident illiteracy, and the badness of his writing. In general the boys from this institution are distinguished as good scholars. Church was accordingly placed out as an apprentice to a carver and gilder, in the neighbourhood of Blackfriar’s Road; but before his time of servitude had expired, he married, and abruptly quitted his master. For a short period he followed his business, and worked for a composition ornament maker, in Tottenham-Court-road; but being of an artful disposition, of lazy habits, and with much hypocritical cant, he at length succeeded in imposing upon several religious persons his great anxiety and desire to become a minister of the Gospel. It appears, he commenced his _pretended_ religious career, by taking upon himself the office of a teacher of a sunday school, at that time established in Tottenham Court-road. Thinking that preaching was a more lucrative employment than that in which he was engaged, this hypocritical wretch, together with two other young men, who were also candidates for the gown, hired a garret in Compton-street, Soho, in order to acquire the method of addressing a congregation with confidence. He made a rapid progress in dissimulation, and even at this early period of his religious studies, he laughed in his sleeve at the credulity and ignorance of those persons who were induced to listen to his _pious_ harangues. An old chair was the substitute for the pulpit. He now began, as he termed it, “to gammon the old women.” Good luck procured him the notice of old Mother Barr, of Orange-street, who being interested in his behalf, allowed him the use of a room of her’s, in which he treated her and a few choice labourers in the field of piety, with his rapturous discourses. From this he used to hold forth more publicly. He became acquainted with one GARNET, of notorious memory, who procured him the situation of a preacher at Banbury. It was at this place that he first became obnoxious. But before we proceed further, it may be necessary to inquire by what authority such a man as CHURCH presumed to take upon himself the functions of a minister of the gospel. A man so profligate—so notoriously criminal—come forth to instruct others in religion. It seems, the practice among Dissenters is, that when any man feels a strong desire to become a preacher, he communicates the same to several ministers, who make a strict inquiry into his qualifications as to piety, learning, morals, &c. and if they find these established on satisfactory evidence, they then confer on the candidate a sort of ordination, without which he can have no authority to officiate as a minister of the Gospel. It is evident he must have played the hypocrite in a masterly style, as he did receive an _ordination_ at Banbury, in Oxfordshire. But his _real_ character soon made its appearance, from his having made several violent attempts upon some young men while at the above place, he was driven out from thence, by the trustees of the chapel in which he preached, and the magistrates, and ordered never to shew his face there again. He hastily decamped, leaving behind him his wife and children, and the police-officers having been sent in pursuit of him, their searches proved fruitless, and it was a long time before he was heard of. He then threw off all controul, and acted _in defiance of all the ordinances of the Dissenting Church_! preaching doctrines tending to encourage licentiousness, and foster the worst of passions. At Colchester he turned the whole congregation against their minister. The mode of healing the consciences of profligate men was practised by the Romish Church before the Reformation, and when it flourished in its rankest state of corruption—when indulgences for sins to be committed, and pardons for sins past, were openly sold for money. The manner in which the Obelisk Preacher conducts the affairs of his chapel bears some resemblance to this practice. He has filled his pockets, it appears, from the money which he has raised by inflaming the passions, and exciting hopes and fears; this _pretender_ of piety has even administered the sacrament to persons who were nearly intoxicated with gin! It is said that Church belongs to that sect called ANTINOMIANS, which is thus described by the Rev. John Evans, in his “Sketch of the Denominations of the Christian World:”—“The Antinomian derives his name from ANTI and NOMOS; simplifying, against, and a LAW, his favourite tenet being, that the law is not a rule of life to believers. It is not easy to ascertain what he means by this position, but be seems to carry the doctrine of imputed righteousness of Christ and salvation faith, without works, to such lengths, as to injure, if not wholly destroy, the obligation to moral obedience. Antinomianism may be traced to the period of the Reformation, and its promulgator was John Agricola, originally a disciple of Luther. The Papists, in their disputes with the Protestants of that day, carried the merit of good works to an extravagant length; and this induced some of their opponents to run into the opposite extreme.”—“This sect (says the Encyclopædia) sprung up in England during the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, and extended the system of libertinism much further than Agricola, the disciple of Luther. Some of their teachers expressly maintained, that as the elect cannot fall from grace nor forfeit the divine favour, the wicked actions they commit are not really sinful, nor are they to be considered as instances of their violation of the Divine Law; consequently, they have no occasion to confess their sins, or to break them off by repentance. According to them, it is one of the essential and distinctive characters of the elect that they cannot do any thing displeasing to God, or prohibited by law.” It may easily be inferred from such doctrine as the above, the dreadful crime men may be induced to commit, without the horrors of conscience or fear of punishment. From his retreat in the country, it seems, he was called to use his influence in town, by a man of his own disgraceful kind, designated _Kitty Cambric_; and well known at the Swan, in Vere-street. It is notorious from the public exposure of the wretches, who were detected in this street, and brought to punishment, that many of them assumed the name of women, and were absolutely married together, and it appears Church was actually the parson who performed the blasphemous mock ceremony of joining them in the ties of “_holy matrimony_,” he being nominated their _chaplain_. He now settled himself at Chapel-court, in the Borough, when his old friend _Garrett_ publicly charged him with a wicked and diabolical offence, as the law says, “not to be named amongst Christians,” and he was obliged to run away from the accusation. By some fortuitous event he, at length, got possession of the Obelisk Chapel, where he began again to deliver his abominable doctrines; and several young men were obliged to leave him, in consequence of his having used them in a manner too indecent to be mentioned or hinted at. The first document we have is letter dated March 7, 1810, from a person, at Banbury, named Hall, of which the following is a copy:—
“Honoured Sir—in reply to your letter concerning Mr. C. I can only inform you, there was a report against him of a very scandalous nature; but how far his culpability extends, it is quite out of my power to determine. He was absent from hence when the rumour first spread. The managers of our chapel took great pains to inquire into the origin of such reports, and the result was, they sent Mr. C. positive orders never, on any account, to return to Banbury again; which advice he has hitherto wisely observed. Now, sir, after giving you the above information, I beg leave to conclude the subject by referring you to your own comment hereon.
(Signed) S. HALL.
_Banbury_, _March_ 7, 1817.”
Then follows a letter from William Clark, of Ipswich, a young man between 19 and 20 years of age, which contains an account of attempts to horrid to be published. The written confession (frightful indeed it is) of this poor simple young man, whose mind was bewildered by the canting exhortations of Church; and the whole of his statements corroborated by the oral testimony of Mr. Wire, who resides at Colchester, and knows Clark very well. The circumstances related by Clark would have furnished ample grounds for a criminal prosecution had he made his complaint _immediately_ after the _assault_ was committed:—but, suffering under the influence of ignorance and fear, he kept it a secret too long, and afterwards accepted of a pound note from Church. A case was laid before two eminent barristers, to have their opinion whether such a prosecution could be carried on with any prospect of conviction. Their opinion, in writing, is, that after the long concealment of a charge, a jury would pay no attention to his evidence, unless he was confirmed in his story by other evidence.
_Extract from the confession of William Clark_, _of Ipswich_.
“Having been called by Providence to Colchester, I went to hear John Church preach in a barn, was invited to Mr. Abbot’s; was prevailed upon to sleep with John Church; I did sleep with him three nights; after being enticed to many _imprudencies_, I was under the necessity to resist _certain attempts_, which, if I had complied with, I am fearful must have ruined _both soul and body_: the crime is _too horrid_ to relate.
Wm. Clark.
Richard Patmore, J. Ellisdon, C. Wire, H. T. Wire. Witnesses.
P.S. This took place in March last, 1812.”
The peace of this poor lad’s mind is completely destroyed, so fatally has the event preyed upon him;—so far as to fill the bosom of his aged father with such a spirit of indignation and revenge, that he actually came up to London with a full determination to be the death of him who had thus ruined the peace of his beloved son, while the mother’s mind was not less distracted than that of the father’s. In consequence of this, the father entered John Church’s meeting-house, with two loaded pistols, one in each pocket; but, under the excess of agitation, he fainted away, and was carried out of the place.
The following will cast some light on the preceding:—
“_Colchester_, _September_ 16, 1812.
“SIR,
“Last evening I had an interview with Clark’s father, who wishes him to comply with your wishes. I mentioned to him respecting Church’s conduct, and I find the last night to be the worst. Likewise that he would have committed the act had not Clark prevented him. The particulars I told you when in London, but find them worse than what I described to you. They are not able to be at any expense; but if the gentlemen wish to prosecute, and to pay Clark’s expenses up to London, &c. he will have no objection to come when you please to send. I need only say I wish you to inform the gentlemen, and give me a line.
I am, dear Sir, your’s, &c. C. WIRE.”
In addition to the above testimonies, a very long narrative of atrocities committed by JOHN CHURCH; while he resided at Banbury, has been written by a minister at that place; but the facts are too disgusting and shocking to be published.
In the month of April, 1813, a Mr. Webster, who was employed in the house of Messrs. Evans and Co. eminent Hop Merchants, in the Borough, having, this being the time the first public exposure of Church’s character took place, asserted his readiness to prove Church’s infamy, was immediately seized upon by a fellow of the name of Holmes, and another creature of the name of Shaw, a sort of attorney in St. George’s Fields, who had been employed by Church, and dragged to a lock-up-house in the Borough, on a charge of riot, of which the following account appeared in the Morning Chronicle.
_Riots at the Obelisk_.—Tuesday, a Mr. Webster, who is employed in the house of Messrs. Evans and Co. eminent Hop-Merchants, in the Borough, was charged at Union-Hall, by a person of the name of Shaw, with committing a riot and a breach of the peace, on Sunday morning, at the Obelisk, in St. George’s Fields, near the entrance of a chapel belonging to a preacher named John Church. The magistrate said, that as Mr. Birnie, who had, on a former day, heard another case similar to this, was absent, they wished the case might be deferred until next day, and desired Mr. Webster to attend accordingly. The prosecutor observed, that it would be dangerous to allow Mr. Webster to be at large, and desired that he might be kept in custody or held to bail. The magistrate asked if there was any person present ready to be bail for his appearance. Mr. Robert Bell, the Editor of the _Weekly Despatch_, who accompanied Mr. Webster as his friend, a housekeeper, in Lambeth, said he was ready to bail him. The prosecutor then said, he had also a very serious complaint to make against Mr. Bell, for the article which he published in his last Sunday’s newspaper, respecting Mr. Church, and he had one of the papers in his hand. Mr. Bell told the Magistrates that he was ready to meet any complaint of this kind, that he conceived it to be his duty, as one of the guardians of public liberty, and public morals, to send forth the statement in question; that he could prove the truth of every thing he had written and published. The worthy magistrate then asked Mr. Webster if he would promise, on his honour, to attend next day, which Mr. Webster assured him he would do, and retired. It is necessary to mention that Mr. Webster had been kept in a state of imprisonment during the greater part of Sunday, and all Sunday night.
April 7, 1813, Mr. Webster having appeared again before the magistrates, disclosed, in the course of the examination, the fact of Church having, some years since, made an attempt of an abominable nature, on the person of his younger brother, the magistrate, struck with horror, immediately stopt all proceedings against Mr. Webster, and desired his brother to be brought forward. The office was cleared of all persons, except the parties immediately concerned; the brother’s deposition was taken, and a warrant was issued for Church to appear there the next day.
On Wednesday, J. Church appeared, in consequence of the warrant issued the day before for his apprehension on a charge of abominable practices, attended by a number of his deluded followers. Mr. W. Webster having deposed as to his attempts on him, Church was ordered to find bail for his appearance at the next Middlesex Sessions, and Mr. Webster bound over to prosecute. The magistrate observed that from the length of time which had elapsed since the offence had been committed, he thought a jury would not feel justified in finding him guilty. Mr. Johnston, a young gentleman of the law, who attended for Mr. Webster, replied, that it was not the time for them to discuss what was likely to be the verdict of a jury;—that he had recommended Mr. Webster to prefer an indictment against Church, and Mr. Webster had come to that resolution; and whatever might be the result of the trial, the evidence relating to the conduct of Church would be of that disgusting nature as to stamp his name with eternal infamy and disgrace. Church’s attorney observed that it was a conspiracy amongst another sect to ruin Mr. Church’s character. This Mr. Johnson denied and said that it was merely a desire to bring him to merited punishment. Mr. Johnston also said that if Mr. Church acted like a man of prudence, and consulted his own interest, he would desist from preaching until the indictment had been tried, as it would be the means of preventing a breach of the peace, but this he declined; and Shaw; his attorney, said they should follow their own advice. Mr. Johnston informed Church’s attorney that it was Mr. Webster’s intention to indict, or bring an action against him for an assault and false imprisonment.
On that very evening (incredible as it may appear) this very man held to bail for trial on the most horrid charges, given on oath, had the impudence to go into his chapel and preach to a crowded audience.
On the 6th of June, 1813, the Grand Jury for the county of Middlesex found a bill of indictment against John Church, for his attempt, some years ago, on a lad, named Webster. On the 12th of July following, he was tried and _acquitted_.—If any surprise is manifested at this acquittal, let it be recollected, that this prosecution was ordered by the magistrates, and did not _originate_ with the prosecutor, William Webster, on whom the abominable attempt was alleged to have been made (now fourteen years ago). The very mention of the attempt was a mere incidental circumstance arising out of another proceeding then before the Magistrates. Let the reader also take notice of the following sentence:—“The magistrate observed, that from the length of time which had elapsed since the offence had been committed, he thought a Jury would not feel justified in finding him guilty.” This William Webster, therefore, must be considered, in all respects, as an unwilling prosecutor. He was supported only by one counsel, then of young standing, (Mr. Adolphus,) who had to struggle against two of the most able advocate (Messrs. Gurney and Alley) in the criminal courts. It appears also that Webster gave his evidence with embarrassment and trepidation, and that he suffered himself to fall into some inconsistencies. With this _solitary_ and confused evidence, and after a lapse—after a _silence_ of ELEVEN YEARS, was it possible to suppose that a Jury would have found any man guilty? But the verdict did not, in the slightest degree, affect any of the numerous accusations, of a more recent date, which have been made against John Church. From the reports that had gone abroad, that he was addicted to certain abominable propensities, gentlemen in the neighbourhood of the Surrey Theatre, dreading the disgrace of pollution which Christianity might suffer from the immoral character of any of its teachers, investigated these rumours, and the following fact came to light.—James Cook was released from his two year’s imprisonment, on the 21st of September, 1813, the landlord of the infamous house in Vere-street. They accidentally met and recognized each other, and a correspondence took place between these _old_ acquaintances, on the 13th of October following. A _fac simile_ of the letter has been published, in Church’s own hand-writing, offering Cook assistance to set up another house, as may be perceived:—
“Dear Sir,
“Lest I should not have time to call or converse with you, as I shall not be alone to Day, I thought it But right to Drop you a Line. I wish you all the success you can desire in getting a house _fit for the business_ in the public line; and, as you had a great many acquaintances, they ought not to fail you; if every one acted right, according to there ability, I am sure you would soon accomplish it. As I am By no means Rich, but rather embarrassed, I hope you will accept my mite towards it, 1l. 1s. and you shall have another as convenient, wishing you all prosperity,
“I Remain Your’s sincerely, J. CHURCH.”
For Mr. Cook, at Mr. Halladay’s, Richmond: buildings, Dean-street.
There is another letter bearing the two-penny post mark of the 20th of October.—It is as follows:—
“Dear Sir,
“I received your note this morning in Bed, as I have contracted such a Dreadful cold Being wet on Tuesday I am very much grieved i have not been able to comply with the request concerning Mr. C— But I shall certainly keep my eye upon him and Do him all the Good it lays in my power where ever he is he knows my Disposition too well to impute any remissness to my conduct But I cannot do impossibilities as I have Lately had and have now Got so many Distressing cases in hand Beside, I will Be sure to call on you as soon as I can—But am not able to day
“I remain Yours, J. CHURCH.
“32 hercules Buildings”
Badly directed to Mr. Oliver, (or Holloway,) No. 6, Richmond’s Buildings, Dean-street, Soho.
The following is a narrative which Cook has given of his acquaintance with _Parson Church_; and which was taken down from his own dictation by Mr. E— B—: