The Adey Family of Gloucestershire

The British Library lists a number of books published by John Adey including The Eleventh Hour (1835, 46 pages, published by Ward & Co), Hymms for Public Worship (1845, published by E F Gooch of London), Hymms original and selected (1831, published by Westley & Davies of London), The Night Cometh (1858, 16 pages, published by Ward & Co), Puritan-Gems (1850) and The Convert From Popery (1851, 32 pages, published by Snow of London).

John was a Congregationalist (according to his obituary the Adey family had been non conformists for more than 200 years) he was born in Painswick and as a boy he often accompanied the Rev Cornelius Winter in his village labours and his preaching visits to the villages around Painswick. Cornelius Winter was the Congregational Pastor, the chapel is now named after him, he was the friend of Whitefield and the tutor of William Jay. He was the leader of 6 men who started Sunday School in Gloucester and taught themselves - often regarded as the real start of the voluntary system. Although Raikes had previously started Sunday Schools they had stopped after his death. According to F C Adey in A Cotswold Methodist Heritage hundreds of sunday schools failed due to lack of funds and the trouble was threatening to become fatal until a school with unpaid teachers led by John Adey was set up in the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel in St Mary's Square, Gloucester.

While in Gloucester John was a drapers assistant, later he was engaged in business in Winslow, Buckinghamshire and spent his leisure time as an itinerant preacher. On Sundays he visited different villages in the neighbourhood and began work in Great Horwood where he founded a Sunday School for children that he found on the street. He found that adults also required instruction, he gathered them together and found friends to speak to them. On one occasion his friend did not arrive and so John preached his first sermon. Shortly after this he gave up his business interests, moved to Great Horwood and devoted himself full time to his preaching. In 1820 he was ordained after studying under Dr William Harris of Kingston, Surrey, who became a tutor at Hoxton Academy. According to West Gallery Churches website at http://www.westgallerychurches.com/Bucks/indexbucks.html the Sunday School in Great Horwood was started in about 1819 by John Adey of Winslow (Buckinghamshire) and led to the formation of an adult congregation for the increased needs of which a barn was fitted up as a schoolhouse and place of worship in 1821. A gallery was added 2 years later. The chapel, built as a barn, has brick walls and a tiled roof but the original barn enterances are still visible in the north and south walls. The interior retains its original seating with shaped ends to open benches. The gallery seats have open backs, the ends of two of which rise to slender posts serving as candle sconces. The east gallery has a plain panelled front. An ecclesiastical census from 1851 shows a general congregation of 140 for morning worship and 200 for evening worship.

In 1827 he took over from Rev James Skinner aged 78 who died after 42 years as Pastor in Cranbrook, Kent. Cranbrook Independent Chapel was at that time known as the "Chapel on the Hill". It was furnished with pews, a gallery, pulpit etc. Water colour pictures, of the outside and inside, painted by a former pastor many years ago hang in the vestry of the present day church. The church from Johns time is now three cottages which are private dwellings and one is still called "Dissenters Cottage". The church records from this period are unfortunately missing.

In 1830 he moved to Ramsgate, Kent (where he succeeded George Townsend). While in Ramsgate he often used to visit London where he preached at Surrey Chapel. This church still has a copy of his portrait signed "I am, your truly, Jno Adey".

John preached to North Sea Fisherman in Bethel and was London Missionary Society director from 1832 to 1855. He was associated with continental work of the Sunday School Union, a hymn writer and phamphleteer, also a very early advocate (possibly 2nd) of early closing of shops.

The Times on 2nd November 1836 featured a lengthy editorial/leader beginning "There has recently sprung up in the suburban district of Sloane-street a curious polemical warfare". The article discusses "irregular places of worship and unauthorised teachers" and in its conslusion the article refers to the Rev Mr Adey late of Ramsgate.

In 1836 he became Pastor of the Union Chapel, Parish Street, Horsleydown, Southwark a chapel which had been built in 1823 to replace an earlier chapel in Back Street, Horsleydown. Here he worked for 22 years, he built 2 schoolrooms, gathered a large church and congregation. He is credited with forming useful institutions, bringing hundreds of people into the church and introducing many young men to the ministry. At this time a great religious revival was taking place and Johns sermon "The Night Cometh" was published selling over 150,000 copies in the UK and colonies. Although long out of print in 2004 it is still possible to buy digital electronic reprints from at least 2 publishers in the USA. It is said that John attracted much attention by preaching to different trades often taking curious texts. To tanners he preached from "He lodgeth in the house of one Simon a tanner". On the death by accident of a carman in his congregation he took for his text "O Wheel".

The Times for Monday 11th April 1842 contains the following in the Court Circular: "The Queen held a court on Saturday afternoon at Buckingham Palace for the reception of addresses on the thorne. The general body of Protestant Sissenting Monisters of the three denominations were conducted by Sir William Martins, Gentleman Usher in Waiting, from the Library, where they had assembled, up the Grand Staircase to the Throne-room, where the Rev E Henderson, DD, read an Address of Congratulations to the Queen on the auspicious birth of a Prince. Her Majesty returned a most gracious answer. The Rev Dr. Henderson and the Rev Edward Steane had the honour to kiss hands and the latter rev. gentleman presented to the Queen the members of the body. There were present the Rev Dr Jenkyn, Rev James Matheson DD, Rev J Morison DD, Rev Professor Hoppys LL D, Rev Professor Kidd, Rev G Clayton, Rev John Burnet, Rev John Howard Clinton MA, Rev S Tomkins MA, Rev H L Berry MA, Rev Thomas Russell AM, Rev F W Gotch AB, Rev Robert Ainslie, Rev Edward Mannering, Rev Edward Alexander Dunn, Rev William Williams, Rev Charles Williams, Rev W Johnstone Hope, Rev J Raban, Rev Thomas Timpson, Rev John Pulling, Rev Thomas James, Rev John Morris, Rev Michael Angelo Garvey, Rev John Adey, Rev George Rose, Rev William Norten, Rev George Pritchard, Rev H J Crump, Rev John Peacock, Rev Joseph Mason, Rev T Binney, Rev John Blackburn, Rev John H Godwin, Rev William Smith, Rev H B Jenis, Rev George Verrall, Rev DavidDavies, Rev B Woodyard, Rev Thomas Lewis, Rev W Stern Palmer, Rev Charles Gilbert, Rev John Yockney, Rev John Robinson, Rev Joseph John Freeman, Rev William Greser, Rev Robert Ashton, Rev Israel May Soule, Rev James Mirams, Clement Dukes AM, Fox Vardy AM, John Edgecombe Richards, William Bean and S Mainmery Homerton. Addresses to the same effect were also presented from the same bodies to his Royal Highness Prince Albert."

The Times for Thursday 30th June 1842 contains the following in the Court Circular: "The Queen held a Court yesterday afternoon at Buckingham Palace for the reception of addresses on the throne. The Protestant Dissenting Clergy of the Three Denominations arrived at the Palace to present a congratulatory address, and having been ushered up the grand staircase we conducted to the presence of the Queen. The deputation consisted of the following: - The Rev J Howard Hinton AM Chairman; Rev William Stern Palmer, Secretary; Rev John Pye Smith DD FRS &c; Rev Edward Alexander Dunn, Rev John Yockney, Rev William Williams, Rev Joseph Berry, Rev H B Jenis, Rev John Blackburn, Rev Thomas Timpson, Rev John Edgcome Richards, Rev Robert Philip, Rev John Tudor Rowland, Rev Professor Hoppus LLD FRS, Rev Joseph Belcher, Rev John Hunt, Rev Joseph Mason, Rev Stephen Augustine Dubourg, Rev David Denham, Rev HenryRichards, Rev John Andrew Jones, Rev Thomas Lewis, Rev Thomas Jackson, Rev Joseph John Freeman, Rev Stephen Joshua Davis, Rev Israel May Soule, Rev William Bean, Rev Robert Ashton, Rev Daniel Curtis, Rev Charles Williams, Rev William Grosser, Rev John Adey, Rev H L Berry, MA, Rev George Verrall, Rev John Edwards, Rev George Wyard, Rev John Morris and the Rev Benjamin Woodyard. The Rev J Howard Hinton AM read the address of congratulation, and Her Majesty was pleased to return a most gracious answer. The Rev J Howard Hinton and the Rev W Stern Palmer had the honour to kiss hands, and the deputation then retired."

The May 1844 edition of The Evangelical Magazine and Missionary Chronicle contains a portrait of John by H Room.

The 1851 census shows John (aged 57) living at 19 Surrey Square, Old Kent Road with his wife Eliza (aged 43), his niece Eliza (aged 10), his nephew Alfred Dresser (aged 19, occupation architect) and Hannah Whittaker a 27 year old servant from Matlock.

The Post Office Directory for 1852 shows Rev John Adey still living at 19 Surrey Square, Old Kent Road.

In January 1858 he became pastor of Bexleyheath, a church where he had already preached on occassions and which was according to family tradition was formed by his village preaching. He fitted up the market-house for a Sunday School, erected a chapel, a gallery and enlarged the building. According to a booklet "The Church on the Heath", the church opened on 14th June 1854 and previous ministers were Mr Noble, Mr J Barfitt and Mr Gilbert. During Johns first year at Bexleyheath the church spent £80 converting the old Market House to a Sunday School and £20 purchasing a small organ, both of these expenses were paid by John himself. The Times 12th May 1858 carries an announcement of the wedding of Mr Francis Hudson of Islington and Miss Julia Anne West of Bexley married at the Congregational Chapel, New Bexley by Rev John Adey.

In 1861 the church had financial problems and the pastor was not paid, John wrote them a rather stern letter and offered to give up his fixed income in return for the pew rents.

He retired in 1868 and on resigning a testimonial was presented to him at a public meeting presided over by his relative Mr Daniel Pratt amd attended by twenty other ministers.

On 4th December 1869 he was struck with paralysis and he died 12 days later.

He was buried in grave number 006231 at Abney Park Cemetery but unfortunately the sandstone monument is badly weathered and almost unreadable although in 2004 it was possible to make out a reference to "The Night Cometh" and to "The Lord of the Vineyard" (a verse which is printed inside the front cover of The Night Cometh). According to the cemetery records and the inscription John is buried with his wife Eliza Ann. The cemetery records show that Julianna Dresser was buried in the same grave on 1st March 1851, Julianna Dresser was the wife of John Dresser, the mother of Alfred Dresser and that she was formerly Julianna Gooch, the sister of John's wife Eliza Ann Gooch. The Rev Robert Ashton officiated at Abney Park whilst funeral sermons were preached by Rev H Young at Painswick, Rev H J Bevis at Ramsgate, Rev J Moss at Horselydown and Rev E Mannering at Bexley Heath.

John's obituary was published on page 300 of the 1871 Congregational Year Book and in the February 1870 Evangelical Magazine. A favourite motto of his was "Earth for work, Heaven for rest".