98:, said to be the first known in Britain. In 1837, Rev. George Cosens was called to be minister. He was very popular, and served in various other churches in the area. His first time there was from 1837 to 1839. But he later served at Cradley Heath Baptist Church from 1869 to 1879. His second term was very successful at first, but later the health problems of old age were such that he was to be asked to resign. A meeting of the Deacons of the Church held on 2 June 1879 accepted his resignation. He moved to a less onerous pastorate at
19:
59:
young people in his audience. During mission work in 1835 to 1836 with the more experienced John Nelson to pioneer new work around
Weymouth and Dorchester, he left the Primitive Methodists after a disagreement, and joined the Baptists. Other than the issue of baptism, the beliefs of the Baptists and Primitive Methodists were similar.
33:
in his late teens. After working as a
Primitive Methodist preacher, he joined the Baptists and from 1837 served as a minister in various Baptist churches. He died in working retirement in 1881. George Cosens married twice, Mary Burnet, 1830, and being widowed, Betsy Dancer in 1841. He is buried
58:
from 1824. Sailing on 7 May 1832, he was sent by the
Sunderland Circuit to the Norman Isles (Jersey and Gurnsey), where he worked to the point of exhaustion in church work and ministry to cholera victims. But it is reported that he had to be recalled after being fined for tactless comments about
122:
The variant spelling George
Cousens is found in the 1933 Centenary Souvenir history by Rev. Idris Williams. The spelling Cosens is found in the minutes in the Secretary's Book from 1876 to 1889 and on the inscription on the 1876 photograph.
110:
Little is known of George Cosens' Jamaican family. Idris
Williams says they disowned him on his conversion to Christianity. He married twice. Firstly, Mary Burnet (18/12/1797 - 27/07/1831), on 24 June 1830, in St John's Church,
118:
Cosens died on 16 August 1881, and was buried in the cemetery of
Brierley Hill Baptist Church (DY5 2RR) where he was then the Minister. The life of George Cosens is becoming celebrated in Britain's black community.
29:(1805–1881) is the "first reported West Indian minister to hold a pastorate in Britain." He originated from Jamaica, and lived most of his life in Britain having moved to London to study and joining the
115:. They had a daughter, born 17 July 1831, who died a month after Mary. In March 1841 he married Betsy Dancer (b. 13 January 1813), a member of the Brierley Hill church where he was then Minister.
67:
Cosens was probably baptised in a
Baptist church in Weymouth in 1836 or 37, which would mark his joining the Baptists. His first appointment with the Baptists was as an assistant pastor at the
342:
283:
365:
200:
P. M. Mag 1833, pp 15 - 17 and 90 - 93, extracts from George Cosens' Journal for July and
September, and p 17 J Houghton's Journal for September 1832
339:
179:
263:
91:
46:
to study in a London college. In 1823, he was converted to
Christianity while he and another student spent some free time in a church.
390:
385:
68:
280:
248:
380:
87:
76:
236:
161:
Rev. Idris
Williams, A History of the Four Ways Baptist Church, Cradley Heath, Staffs. Centenary Souvenir, 1933.
375:
370:
30:
112:
55:
260:
175:
299:
Minutes recorded in "The Secretary's Book" of Cradley Heath Baptist Church for 1877 to 1889.
346:
287:
267:
359:
99:
95:
18:
72:
43:
17:
340:
Lecture notice in Dudley for Black History Month, October 2008
172:
Directory of Primitive Methodist Ministers and their Circuits
279:
Baptist Historical Society, Newsletter November 2006, p.3
22:
Rev. George Cosens during later pastorate at Cradley Heath
211:
The Origin and History of the Primitive Methodist Church
34:in the cemetery of Brierley Hill Baptist Church.
308:Primitive Methodist Magazine, 1832, pp 451 - 455
8:
42:Born in 1805 He was said to have come from
191:Primitive Methodist Magagazine, 1833, p312
366:Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom
247:David Watts, story of George Cosens on
132:
54:His first church activity was with the
7:
90:is notable for having had the first
75:in 1837. His first pastorate at
14:
69:New Connexion of General Baptists
317:P. M. Mag. 1832, p. 454 footnote
139:Baptist union of Great Britain,
259:Baptist Union of Great Britain
1:
281:(follow link from this page)
88:Cradley Heath Baptist Church
407:
391:English Baptist ministers
345:17 September 2008 at the
386:Converts to Christianity
143:, September October 2006
79:began in November 1837.
50:Primitive Methodist work
213:, 1906, Volume 2, p 209
266:3 October 2010 at the
23:
349:(accessed 03/02/2009)
290:(accessed 03/02/2009)
270:(accessed 03/02/2009)
21:
286:17 July 2012 at the
261:Baptist History page
56:Primitive Methodists
31:Primitive Methodists
381:Methodist ministers
113:Newcastle upon Tyne
27:Rev. George Cosens
24:
398:
350:
337:
331:
326:Idris Williams,
324:
318:
315:
309:
306:
300:
297:
291:
277:
271:
257:
251:
245:
239:
233:
227:
220:
214:
207:
201:
198:
192:
189:
183:
168:
162:
159:
153:
150:
144:
137:
94:Minister in the
63:Baptist Ministry
406:
405:
401:
400:
399:
397:
396:
395:
356:
355:
354:
353:
347:Wayback Machine
338:
334:
325:
321:
316:
312:
307:
303:
298:
294:
288:Wayback Machine
278:
274:
268:Wayback Machine
258:
254:
246:
242:
234:
230:
221:
217:
208:
204:
199:
195:
190:
186:
169:
165:
160:
156:
151:
147:
138:
134:
129:
108:
85:
65:
52:
40:
12:
11:
5:
404:
402:
394:
393:
388:
383:
378:
373:
368:
358:
357:
352:
351:
332:
319:
310:
301:
292:
272:
252:
240:
228:
215:
202:
193:
184:
163:
154:
145:
131:
130:
128:
125:
107:
104:
92:Afro-Caribbean
84:
81:
64:
61:
51:
48:
39:
36:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
403:
392:
389:
387:
384:
382:
379:
377:
374:
372:
369:
367:
364:
363:
361:
348:
344:
341:
336:
333:
329:
323:
320:
314:
311:
305:
302:
296:
293:
289:
285:
282:
276:
273:
269:
265:
262:
256:
253:
250:
244:
241:
238:
232:
229:
225:
219:
216:
212:
209:H B Kendall,
206:
203:
197:
194:
188:
185:
181:
180:1 871431 01 8
177:
173:
167:
164:
158:
155:
149:
146:
142:
141:BUGB Magazine
136:
133:
126:
124:
120:
116:
114:
105:
103:
101:
100:Brierley Hill
97:
96:Black Country
93:
89:
83:Cradley Heath
82:
80:
78:
77:Cradley Heath
74:
70:
62:
60:
57:
49:
47:
45:
37:
35:
32:
28:
20:
16:
335:
327:
322:
313:
304:
295:
275:
255:
249:Black Pearls
243:
237:Black Pearls
231:
223:
218:
210:
205:
196:
187:
171:
166:
157:
148:
140:
135:
121:
117:
109:
86:
66:
53:
41:
26:
25:
15:
376:1881 deaths
371:1805 births
152:1881 Census
106:Family life
360:Categories
170:W. Leary,
127:References
71:Church at
38:Early life
235:D Watts,
222:Kendall,
73:Aylesbury
343:Archived
330:, p. 35.
328:op. cit.
284:Archived
264:Archived
226:, p. 210
174:, 1990,
182:, p. 50
44:Jamaica
224:op cit
178:
176:ISBN
362::
102:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
