Gainsborough Old Hall

A site of both historical and spiritual significance, pilgrims and tourists alike come to see this ancient manor house and the hall where the first gathering of Baptists took place

‍Highlights

• ‍‍First Baptist meeting place

The worldwide Baptist movement began with a meeting in Gainsborough Old Hall. The building is now managed by English Heritage and is in the middle of town. The first gathering of what later became the Baptist church met here in great secret in 1606. Their visionary leader John Smyth outlined his new theology, based on adult baptism and a rejection of formal liturgy.

The hall is a creaking, timber-framed manor house, full of medieval atmosphere. It has plenty of historical displays, though relatively little information about the early Baptists. They gathered in the lofty central hall in the middle of the property. The cheerful displays of medieval feasting here when I visited did little to conjure up the fearful atmosphere in which these religious pioneers must have met.

It was a dangerous time to challenge the Church of England, which was still burning heretics. The gathering of 60 to 70 locals risked their lives to hear John Smyth discuss his revolutionary ideas. The hall’s owner, Sir William Hickman, was sympathetic to the cause and allowed the use of this room.

John Smyth moved to Amsterdam in 1608 to escape persecution, taking several members of his congregation with him. History records that the church was formally started in Amsterdam in 1609, although John Smyth referred to himself as “pastor of the church of Ganesburgh” in 1607. Smyth was a former priest who cut his ties with the Anglican church and is considered the founding figure of the Baptist movement.

The church was given the name Baptist because its members believe only adults can be baptised. Infant baptism was declared invalid by the new movement, since babies do not make a conscious decision to become Christians.

All this left John Smyth with the sort of problem only theologians can devise: there was nobody eligible to administer adult baptism to his new church, since they had all been baptised as babies. So he invented a one-off rite of self-baptism, which then allowed him to baptise all the other adult members.

A booklet on John Smyth’s confusing life story is sold in the gift shop. It notes that the pastor later came to repent of his self-baptism and attempted to join another Dutch church called the Mennonites shortly before his death in August 1612.

The Baptist movement has undergone further refinement over the centuries. There are more than 100 million Baptists worldwide, and the church remains hugely influential in America.

Directions

Gainsborough Old Hall, Cobden Street, Gainsborough DN21 2NB‍

English Heritage - Gainsborough‍

W3W: metro.pixies.highly

GPS: 53.4005N 0.7784W‍

The hall is managed by English Heritage. It is open most days of the year; for full opening times and prices see the English Heritage website.