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Rochdale Unitarian Church came into being in 1890, after the amalgamation of Clover Street Chapel and Blackwater Street Chapel. Both chapels had a history of non-conformity, and over time it was realised that the two congregations shared a similar Unitarian faith, leading to their amalgamation, after which Sunday worship was held at Blackwater Street while Clover Street functioned as the Sunday school. From 1886 the Revered Thomas P. Spedding was minister of the church, and it was under his inspiration that the Van Mission was initiated in 1906, initially under the auspices of the Missionary Conference and later under the British and Foreign Unitarian Association. Spedding resigned his ministry in 1907 as the Van Mission took off, in order to work as the permanent 'missioner'. The Van Mission's aim was to spread knowledge and information about Unitarianism as far as possible, as there was a general assumption that the general public had very little knowledge of the faith. The vans toured the UK giving open air meetings and various ministers would tell the crowd what Unitarianism had to offer, usually remaining around three days in each location. The Mission continued until 1918, when it was formally shut down and the vans disposed of.
John Roberts worked as a Unitarian minister in both Rochdale and Southport, having studied at the Manchester Unitarian College. He conducted much research into the Van Mission for an article for the Unitarian Historical Society.
These papers were collected by the Rev John Roberts for his research project on the Van Mission. They were donated to the archive by Alexandrina Buchanan, who was entrusted with the collection by Roberts in order to find a suitable repository.
Alexandrina Buchanan
This collection consists of the papers of the Unitarian Van Mission, Rochdale Unitarian Church, and other related historical documents. The papers are grouped together as part of a research project conducted by Rev John Roberts on the Unitarian Van Mission, written for the Unitarian Historical Society. Most of the papers are related to the Van Mission, for example newspaper cuttings and journal articles concerned with the Mission, as well as transcripts of speeches given during meetings held during the Mission and pages of information about the Unitarian faith. There are also pamphlets and circulars discussing various issues debated at the meetings, for example the question of women's place within Unitarianism and how formal theology and doctrine are considered within the faith. Roberts placed an advertisement in
The collection includes papers on the Rochdale Unitarian Church itself, as well as papers pertaining to the Blackwater Street and Clover Street chapels, from which it was created. These papers are mostly pertaining to the activities and ongoing development of the church and the community, for example there are several annual reports recording recent and future events held at the church, as well as documenting significant events in the lives of the congregation. There is the journal of the Sunday school, and a 'New Annals of Rochdale', which documents local social history in the first three decades of the twentieth century. These documents detail the history of the Rochdale Unitarian Chapel in the years prior to the Van Mission, detailing the development of the churches and their congregations, as well as the early ministry of Spedding and his work before he initiated the Mission. There is also a transcript from the funeral of Spedding in 1918.
There is a large number of photographs included with the collection. Some are print-outs of digital photos, but the majority are on photographic paper or backed onto card. Many of the photos are of the Van Mission: of the vans themselves, of the people involved, of the crowds who gathered to hear them speak, or of locations they visited. Others are photos of the Blackwater and Clover Street chapels, of the Rochdale Church or of various sites in the area which are relevant to Unitarianism or to the Van Mission. There are several glass photographic slides, showing images of a man (possibly Spedding) and churches and locations (possibly locations the Mission visited).
The research notes of Rev John Roberts can also be found within the collection, along with various handwritten pieces detailing his thoughts and opinions on various topics and issues within Unitarianism or on the Mission. There is his correspondence with people who were involved with the Mission and with the editor of the Unitarian Historical Society, as well as interview notes.
None expected
The original order of the collection has been maintained, and it has been sorted into two series, as follows:
Unitarian Van Mission, UVM/1 (etc) The University of Manchester Library.
The collection is open to any accredited reader.
Photocopies and photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.
A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.
Prior written permission must be obtained from the Library for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. Please contact the Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.
Unitarian College Collection
John Roberts, 'The Van Mission',
H. Bodell-Smith,
These are papers pertaining to the Rochdale Unitarian Church and its minister 1886-1907, T.P Spedding. Included are several annual reports on the church, summarising the events and developments of the last year and the plans for the next, as well as updates on the lives of its congregation and on the financial state of the church. There is a pamphlet on the history of the church, along with 19 photo negatives. An envelope of newspaper cuttings with articles related to the church is also included, and these articles are concerned with the Van Mission as well as other events in the church's calendar, its history and the work of Spedding. There is a pamphlet and several papers related to the well-being and the maintenance of the church, for example meetings concerned with its financial state. Other pamphlets deal with questions of doctrine or with the place of certain issues within Unitarianism, such as one on the role of women in the faith. Further papers are concerned with the history of the church and of Unitarianism in the area. The diary of T.P Spedding is also included, and contains much information about the history of the church and of Unitarianism in Manchester, as well as material pertaining to the Van Mission.
These pamphlets are the annual reports for the Rochdale Unitarian Church, though the issues for 1891-1898, and for 1901 and 1902 are missing. They seem to have been circulated to the congregation or to anyone who subscribed. They summarise the progress of the church over the previous year, for example detailing events which have taken place such as social gatherings or fundraisers, and lay out the church's plans for the next year. They also provide insight into the social life of the congregation by marking significant events in the lives of its members, such as weddings or funerals or any work undertaken on behalf of the community or church, such as raising money for a particular cause. The reports give an honest insight into the struggles of the church financially or otherwise, showing how open they were with the congregation.
This report details various repairs which have been done on the church in the last year, explaining why they were necessary and how they were paid for. The report gives an overview of the expenditure over the last year and examines the debt which the church has accumulated. It expresses a desire to reduce this debt and suggests a plan to accomplish this. Also included are recent social events and hopes for similar activities over the coming year, as well as notes on certain weddings in the congregation.
This report notes that the level of membership within the church has remained stable over the last year, with hopes that it might even increase over the coming period. The report is more optimistic financially than the previous one, claiming that the financial situation has stabilised.
This report is more detailed than the previous two. It claims an increase in membership and notes the large number of social events which have taken place for members over the last year. Some events are noted in passing while others are described in detail, particularly those which raised money for the church, such as an organ recital. The work and contributions of the Ladies Sewing Society are heavily praised. It is noted that Rev Spedding went on a lecture tour, giving a lecture on Unitarianism in Hungary in 1902, and the report claims that this was positively received and also raised generous proceeds for the church. This focus on increasing membership and proceeds through speaking tours is a good indication of the preoccupations which foreshadowed the Van Mission.
This report notes the closure of the church briefly while a refurbishment was undertaken, explaining why this was needed and what was improved. It states that the church was reopened by Spedding in August 1903 and that the unveiling was a great success. It also notes that a stained glass window was broken by a burglar who broke into the church, though it does not mention if anything was stolen. The report examines the debt of the church and acknowledges that while it has been reduced, this reduction is not enough and more must be done over the next year to lessen the debt. It also criticises the 'meagre contribution' to the Poor's Fund, and challenges the congregation to be more generous, though the report praises their contributions to the Rochdale Infirmary, the British and Foreign Unitarian Association, and other charitable organisations.
This report states that the debt of the church has increased over the last year, though they hoped it would be eradicated by now. It goes into more detail as to how they plan to make more of an effort to remove the debt over the next year. It's also noted that many structural repairs have had to be made to the Sunday school, which has cost a lot of money. An improvement in the contributions to the Poor's Fund is praised. This report notes that there has been an unprecedented amount of sickness and death in the congregation this year, although due to new recruits the membership level has remained steady.
While this report doesn't focus on the debt as much as the previous ones, it does express a more general concern with the ability of the church to generate adequate income and encourages younger members of the congregation to raise money and funds through whatever means they can. It praises the efforts of the Ladies Sewing Society for raising proceeds. The report also regrets the lack of social gatherings in the last year, though it does not offer an explanation for this lack or say if it is related to the lack of income. These concerns with the need to raise money could be linked to the decision to initiate the Van Mission, although this is not inferred in the report.
By the time this report was released, Spedding had initiated the Van Mission and resigned his position as minister of the church in order to become the permanent missioner with the vans. This report thanks him for his 20 years' service and discusses his plans for the Mission. The report details his hard work for the church and praises his work for the Mission, stating that thanks to his commitment, the Mission now has several vans when it started in 1906 with just one. The report attributes the taking over of the Mission by the BFUA to Spedding's resignation. It also gives the usual overview of the social life of the church congregation, such as weddings and deaths, as well as recapping two Special Musical Services. The debt isn't mentioned in detail but an account of the church's expenses is given.
An envelope filled with newspaper cuttings, all containing articles related to the Rochdale Unitarian Church and Spedding. They all seem to be from the
These photo negatives are from a original Kodak wallet with the name T.P Spedding written on it. They are of a man, possibly Spedding but unlabelled, and some buildings.
These notes are handwritten and are concerned with opinions or thoughts on various issues within Unitarianism. Two of the notes are written in pencil on scraps of paper and so don't appear to have been intended for use as lecture notes or for debate, rather just for the personal use of the author as they developed their thoughts on the particular issues. Two others, one on Unitarian women and one on doctrine, are written out neatly in pen and seem to be more developed as opinion pieces.
These two notes are written on scraps of paper and there is no clear author. One expresses some thoughts on the roles of men and women in religion, summarising traditional viewpoints and questioning them. The other begins 'Should there be no pain?', and is more a philosophical debate than doctrinal.
These handwritten notes are entitled 'Our Unitarian Faith' and the author is labelled as 'A Spedding'. The notes are a summary account of the beliefs of Unitarians and denies the common belief that they don't believe in God, but does acknowledge that their main beliefs are in common sense, helpfulness and love to man. The piece claims that there is a Unitarian ideology but each individual must develop their own faith. Spedding asserts that there are Unitarians who want nothing to do with theology or doctrine but they disagree, and thinks that teaching doctrine encourages freedom of thought, whether the student agrees with it or not. It states that through teaching 'we can help each other think', and thinking and education are key areas of Unitarianism. The piece cites conscience as an important part of Unitarian belief, and that a good conscience connects one to God. It also discusses the Bible, and how while the Unitarians don't necessarily believe in the Bible or use it, parts of it are good for a general education and for developing sophisticated thought.
This piece is written in the same handwriting as the piece on 'Our Unitarian Faith' and so is presumably also written by A Spedding. It discusses Unitarian women and their place within the faith. The notes begin by recounting an incident at a Van Mission meeting when someone in the crowd asked why all 'great men' are against Unitarianism if it is the right faith. The missioner replied by asking how many 'great minds' Jesus had supporting him, but then went on to list many famous men and women who were Unitarians. The piece notes the significance of the noteworthy number of Unitarian women and discusses the role of Enlightenment and female education in the 19th century in this phenomenon. It goes on to give a detailed account of several, such as Mary Carpenter, Florence Nightingale, Harriet Martineau, Mary Somerville, and others. The piece gives details of their lives and work and how Unitarianism influenced both. At the back of the notes is a full list of significant Unitarian women.
This pamphlet is emblazoned with 'Rochdale Unitarian Church' and is said to be 'from the members of the church committee to the trustees of the Unitarian Church'. The pamphlet is a copy of a statement adopted at a committee meeting on the financial situation of the church. It states their desire to have a friendly conference with the trustees to discuss the financial relations of the two bodies and to consider changes in the method of dealing with grants made from the Trust Funds to the Congregational Fund, followed by a summary of the changes they wish to make.
The specific purpose of this notebook is unclear and there is no clear author. It seems to be personal, containing names and addresses, and then some brief notes on the church committee, its members and its meetings, as well as some subscriptions for the church.
This hardcover book is 'The Advance: The Journal of the Clover Street Unitarian Sunday School Young Men's Class'. It contains handwritten accounts of the work conducted at the Sunday school, the sermons given and the debates held. It also contains some newspaper cuttings related to the school and photos of the Clover Street Chapel. It gives accounts of the work conducted by the students and the aims of the teachers. It also contains a flyer for a 1937 pantomime performance of Robinson Crusoe, and a list of rules for the Sunday school for 1856-58. There is also some loose correspondence from 1975 from a lady to Cyril Smith MP, who attended the same Unitarian church in Rochdale as her parents. She shares a memory of attending the church and meeting T.P Spedding, and then discusses Smith's change of political allegiance from Labour to Liberal. There is also a letter from Smith to a man about this previous letter and about another man who wishes to join the Unitarians.
This book is entitled
This is the diary of T.P Spedding from 1886 until his death in 1918. It ends with papers from 1920 memorialising his death. The diary takes the form of a scrapbook, kept in chronological order, containing many different types of document pertaining to the Van Mission, to Rochdale Unitarian Church and to Spedding himself and others who were involved in the Van Mission. The book is a diary from 1886, and begins with a general almanac. The scrapbook style starts with papers from the 1890s, such as flyers advertising events at the church and newspaper cuttings related to the church and its activities. There are also transcripts of sermons and lectures given by Spedding and others, along with minutes of debates, opinion pieces and journal articles. The papers reflect Spedding's interest in Unitarianism general as well as in his own church. From 1906 most of the book is concerned with the Van Mission, starting with a Missionary Conference letter about the decision to undertake the Mission, stating that the object is to 'spread knowledge of Unitarian principles'. There are annual reports on the Van Mission, giving an overview of the work conducted and the meetings given, including statistics on the crowds and meetings, for example the first tour in 1906 lasted for 163 days and gave 140 meetings. The reports also list plans for the future, such as gaining more vans. There is also a lot of correspondence included in the book, mostly to and from Spedding about his plans for the Mission and for recruiting people to it, as well as letters dealing with the maintenance of the Mission and the vans. Many of the letters are Spedding updating people on the progress and achievements of the Mission. There are also photos of the vans, the missioners and the crowds, as well as newspaper cuttings on the history and future of the Mission and pamphlets on the aims of the Mission and the faith of Unitarianism. There is a pamphlet report by the BFUA on the progress of the Mission in its first year, with a list of missioners and how long they spent with the Mission, what meetings they gave, as well as an account of the finances of the project. The scrapbook ends with two copies of the
This collection consists of the papers pertaining to the establishment and progress of the Unitarian Van Mission from its inception in 1906 to its end in 1918, along with papers relating to the research project on the Mission by Rev John Roberts in the late 20th century. As such, there are original papers concerned with the Mission such as newspaper and journal articles from the time and photos of the Mission, and there are also the papers about the Mission from the later 20th century, such as letters from people who were involved to Roberts with anecdotes or later newspaper articles on the history of the Van Mission.
This book was published in 1912, and was written by H. Bodell Smith, the editor of 'The Unitarian Monthly', with a preface by T.P Spedding, in which he thanks the author for the 'first book of the Van'. The Van Mission was ongoing in 1912, and the preface notes that at this time they had four vans which were used to spread a 'reasonable and progressive Christianity' and that the Mission had been successful so far. The book gives a history of the Mission, why and how it came about, how it works, what meetings are like, the aims of the Mission and plans for the future, as well as Unitarian views on theology and the Bible. It also considers issues such as free speech and how they affect the Mission, and includes photos of vans and meetings.
A book entitled
These are journals containing articles pertaining to the Van Missions of the Unitarians and the Methodists. The article about the Methodists is suggested in a letter from the editor of the Unitarian Historical Society to provide a good comparison to the Unitarian Van Mission, and the piece contains a summary of the history of the Methodist Van Mission and its activities and successes. The other two are concerned with the Unitarian Van Mission, one being the general history of the Mission written by John Roberts in 1978 and the other being a 1918 piece concerned with the life of Spedding and his work with the Mission.
This is a copy of the Sep 1978 edition of the
Journal entitled the
This is a page from a journal article entitled 'The Late Rev T.P Spedding: A Memorial at Great Hucklow'. The journal it is from is unclear. It gives a history of his life, from his birth in Stockport in 1865 to his becoming minister at Rochdale in 1886 and then through to the Van Mission years from 1907 until his death in 1918. The article describes Spedding as minister as hardworking, energetic and popular, and notes that he believed fully in the importance of education and as such ensured that his church offered lots of classes. The article also gives a summary of the amalgamation of Blackwater Street and Clover Street chapels to become Rochdale Unitarian Church under Spedding. The article claims that it was Spedding's belief in education was his main inspiration for starting the Van Mission. It credits him with having excellent communication skills and a good ability to engage with people. The piece also gives an account of how Spedding spent the war years: visiting Home Camps and hospitals to preach to soldiers, in a position that was regularised by the Undersecretary for War in 1916, making him the first Unitarian padre appointed in the UK.
Two copies of the newspaper
This copy of
This copy of
These newspaper cuttings all contain articles related to the Van Mission, both contemporary and historical. There is a 2007 cutting from the
Typed notes by John Roberts, possibly lecture notes, on the history of the Van Mission and his own work to research it. He cites Bodell Smith's work as an important book on the Mission, which gives a great account of the day-to-day work of the Mission, while his aim is more concerned with the preservation of photos and the accumulation of statistical facts.
Handwritten notes by John Roberts on the Van Mission. These are his research notes for his article for the Unitarian Historical Society and they contain much secondary research as well as primary. There are also interview notes with people who were involved with the Mission, either as missioners or as witnesses.
A calendar for the year 1976 for the Cross Street Chapel, Manchester.
Two circulars, distributed through the Unitarian community in Manchester and Rochdale. One is from the early 20th century and encourages people to attend Van Mission meetings in Manchester. The other is from 1975 and has been written by Unitarian College, Manchester, as an appeal for funds, as the college has overspent on its upgrades and now requires financial help.
These letters are responses to John Roberts' advertisement seeking information about the Van Mission. The letters are from people who were involved with the Van Mission or who were witnesses or who knew people who were somehow involved. The letters contain anecdotes of incidents which took place at meetings, or information on the running of the Mission. Some of the letters are from Roberts' editor at the Unitarian Historical Society and are concerned with the progress of his article.
This is a 1977 response to John Roberts' request for information about the Van Mission from a man named Harry. Harry's address is a parsonage so it's possible he is clergy of some kind. He writes that he was involved with the Van Mission and was intimate with Spedding, and offers some anecdotes which Roberts 'may not get from elsewhere'. He goes on to give information about Bertram Talbot, the first full-time missioner along with Spedding, stating that he was a bachelor who hated women and was responsible for dealing with private enquiries to the Mission and for distributing literature. Harry claims that the support of the BFUA for the Mission was 'lukewarm', and that the Unitarian movement in general wasn't overly enthusiastic about it. He states that the ending of the Mission broke Spedding's heart. Harry preached for the Mission in London, and gives an anecdote about being approached by Fundamentalist Christians who lingered after the meeting was over to 'correct' the views of the Unitarians to the crowd. He expresses his belief that the Mission was useful for spreading knowledge about Unitarianism but says that it wasn't particularly useful for creating converts, as Unitarians are unsuited to such work. In support of this claim he gives an example of a meeting where the first speaker claimed allegiance to Jesus, while the speaker who followed him told the crowd that Jesus did not exist.
These are letters from John McLachlan to Roberts, who was an editor for the Unitarian Historical Society and was responsible for the publication of Roberts' article. The letters are mostly concerned with the logistics of writing an article for publication, such as word length and deadlines.
These letters are replies to Roberts' requests for information and photographs of the Van Mission to aid his research project. A lot of the letters state that they enclose photos of the Mission and people involved with it, while some offer anecdotes. One letter offers to send a pamphlet on the Mission that she has found.
A typed statement summarising the life and funeral of a Mr T Barlow, a member of the Unitarian church at Rochdale. Spedding officiated at his funeral and the statement notes that Barlow had donated a lot of money to the church and to the Sunday school. There is also a typed statement of thanks from another Mr T Barlow, possibly his son, expressing gratitude for the sympathy he has received 'in his sorrow'.
These are the photos sent to or located by Roberts, and they related to the Van Mission and to the Rochdale Unitarian church, as well as to people involved such as Spedding. There are various different types of photograph, for example there are a few digital photos from the later 20th century which are connected to Roberts, as well as some glass photographic slides. Most of the photos are loose and printed on photographic paper, though some are backed onto card. There are also photo negatives.
These are glass photo slides, all of the Van Mission. The van itself features in all of the photos, in some surrounded by people as a meeting is going on, in others with the missioners posing upon the van for the photo. In one the van is being led by a horse.
These are loose photos, printed on photographic paper in black and white, of the Van Mission. The van featured in all of the photos seems to be the same one, and has 'Truth, Liberty, and Religion' emblazoned on the top of it, while many of the photos show a banner strung across it with 'Tonight Unitarian Christianity explained' written upon it. The photos show the van alternately alone, with the missioners posing upon or next to it, or surrounded by crowds of people as a meeting is underway. In some of the images, the crowd poses for the photo. The van is shown from several angles. The missioners in the photos are not named, nor is the location of the meetings given.
These photos are of the Blackwater Street chapel and the Clover Street chapel, as well as the people involved with both of these churches and Rochdale Unitarianism generally, such as Spedding. Some of the photos feature the tombstones of people connected with the chapels or local Unitarianism. The images of the chapels show the outside and inside of them from several different angles. Most of the images are from the late 19th century, before or around the time the two chapels were amalgamated. There are some portraits of other Unitarian ministers from the area, such as a Rev Cook. There are also photos of events at the chapels such as a harvest festival in 1895.
These are print-outs of digital photos of unnamed locations and unknown individuals. On the back of one of the print-outs is some writing by John Roberts under the heading 'bits of personal history', where he gives a basic account of his family and some personal notes. Presumably the photos are personal photos of his.
Small printed hymn book with the name T.P Spedding printed on the cover.
Handwritten transcripts of sermons and newspaper cuttings related to Unitarianism glued in at the back. There is a contents page for the sermons at the beginning with the name of the preacher and the title of their sermon along with the page number.
This is a collection of pamphlets and papers related to the Rochdale Unitarian Church. There are pamphlets on doctrine and theology within the Unitarian faith, and one entitled 'Articles of Faith' for use at the Sunday school, as well as a blank Sunday school attendance register. There is a booklet from the 1860s which gives a history of the life of the MP for Rochdale, Mr Thomas Bayley Potter, who was a Unitarian. Two pamphlets circulated by the Unitarian Home Missionary College in Manchester for 1904 and 1905 give an overview of the works conducted by that college in those years, and its plans for future activities. There is also a pamphlet on the Nestorian Church in India and its appeal to people there. A postcard is included which lists 'Unitarian Affirmations' such as the 'sacred authority' of human reason and conscience'.