Work in progress!
Ref also https://www.
The Baptist tradition in 1656
The Baptist Church in Montacute has a deep connection to the village's nonconformist roots. According to VCH Baptists were meeting in the village as early as 1656; for this date VCH refers to "Confessions of Faith of several Churches of Christ in Somerset" (link is to one of many sites hosting this Confession) however I can't find specific reference to Montacute in these documents. In Montacute Baptist Church's history page it says "the first recorded mention of a Baptist presence in Montacute was in 1656 when Thomas Bud (Budd) attended a Baptist meeting in Bridgwater; Thomas Budd had been the Rector of St Catherine’s C of E Church Montacute. He was removed from office as he failed to take the ‘oath of obedience’. He was recorded as a Quaker in 1657."
I'm trying to identify the specific oath he was expected to take. According to ChatGPT the oath might have been one of the following:
Oath of Obedience to Church Authorities? – Traditionally, clergy were required to swear obedience to their bishop and uphold the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. However, during the Interregnum (1649–1660), the traditional episcopal system had been dismantled, and ministers were expected to conform to the Puritan-led church governance.
Oath of Allegiance to the Commonwealth? – After the execution of Charles I in 1649, clergy were sometimes required to swear allegiance to the republican government rather than the monarchy. If Budd had Royalist sympathies or simply opposed state interference in religious matters, he might have refused this.
The Engagement (1649)? – This was an oath imposed on all adult males requiring them to declare loyalty to the Commonwealth and deny the right of Charles II to rule. Many clergy refused it on religious or political grounds.
Anti-Quaker Oaths? – Quakers were known for their absolute refusal to take oaths, believing that all affirmations should be made truthfully without the need for swearing. By 1657, laws were already being introduced to suppress Quaker activity, and Budd's refusal may have been connected to his Quaker beliefs.
Jump forward to 1758
VCH and the Montacute Baptist history go on to say the tradition was revived in 1758 when a local weaver, Samuel Geard hosted Anabaptist services in his home, and the Geard family provided continuity for the Baptist tradition in Montacute. In around 1770 a barn was used for services by deacons of the Yeovil Baptist Church, then in 1824 Jesse Geard leased a cottage (next door to the property that would become The Shoemakers Arms) for Particular Baptists. The first chapel was built on its site, and they also acquired the Shoemakers Arms.
As the congregation grew so did their buildings, culminating in completion of the present-day church on South Street by 1880. Union activist George Mitchell was amongst those who helped financially and it was designed by architect Morgan H. Davies in the Early English style. Built of hamstone, it has a stunning rose window and a Gothic-style pillared open-air covered stairway leading to an upper floor in the church.
Next up: the Rev Henry Hardin.