The Rev. Dr. Alexander Fletcher (1787–1860), the Children's Friend, was a Scottish Presbyterian, and later an Independent (Congregationalist

Congregational church

Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....

) divine in England. Author of numerous devotional works, and founder of the Finsbury Chapel in London, he was widely acknowledged as the pioneer of preaching to audiences of children and attracting large crowds of young people to nonconformist chapels through specially designed events and services as well as through Sunday Schools

Sunday school

Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...

. He is also noted for his support of missionary work, and for the abolition of slavery in the USA.

Early life

Educated at the Grammar School at Stirling

Stirling

Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...

, then at Glasgow University as a student of divinity under tutorship of Dr Lawson of Selkirk, Alexander Fletcher first became licensed by the Presbytery in 1806. He was called by his local church in 'Bridge of Teith' on the banks of the River Teith

River Teith

The River Teith in Scotland flows from the north-west into the River Forth near Drip north-west of Stirling.- Etymology :The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic Uisge Theavich, which translates into English as the "pleasant river".- Course :...

, to be his father's colleague and successor. He was ordained as co-pastor in 1807 and soon became renowned as the favourite preacher of children on either side of the Tweed

River Tweed

The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...

. He was able to attract multitudes of young people.

In November 1811 Fletcher was sent to supply a Presbyterian meeting house in the City of London

City of London

The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

, and duly became pastor to its largely Scottish congregation. Still popular in his native Scotland, he was invited to preach there, notably in Glasgow where his reputation sometimes attracted such large audiences that tickets were required.

In London he was also much sought after to preach at various places, by special invitation. The Surrey Chapel

Surrey Chapel

The Surrey Chapel was an independent Methodist and Congregational church established in Blackfriars Road, Southwark, London on 8 June 1783 by the Rev. Rowland Hill. His work was continued in 1833 by the Congregational pastor Rev. James Sherman, and in 1854 by Rev. Newman Hall. The chapel's design...

 on Blackfriars Road

Blackfriars Road

Blackfriars Road is a road in Southwark, SE1. It runs between St George's Circus at the southern end and Blackfriars Bridge over the River Thames at the northern end, leading to the City of London. Halfway up on the west side is Southwark tube station, on the corner with The Cut...

 was the first in London to ask him to preach to an audience of children as he had done in Scotland. Its pastor Rowland Hill

Rowland Hill (preacher)

Rowland Hill A.M. , was a popular English preacher, enthusiastic evangelical and an influential advocate of small-pox vaccination. He was founder and resident pastor of a wholly independent chapel, the Surrey Chapel, London; chairman of the Religious Tract Society; and a keen supporter of the...

 invited Fletcher to speak soon after his arrival in London.

Founding an Independent Chapel

Fletcher went to London when he was selected pastor in the City of London at the Presbyterian 'Miles Lane Meeting House'. His presence attracted a large congregation, and larger premises were needed. The congregation laid the foundation stone of the 'Albion Chapel' in Moorfields

Moorfields

In London, the Moorfields were one of the last pieces of open land in the City of London, near the Moorgate. The fields were divided into three areas, the Moorfields proper, just north of Bethlem Hospital, and inside the City boundaries, and Middle and Upper Moorfields to the north.After the Great...

 in 1815 and relocated there the following year. Following a celebrated legal case, Fletcher moved on, with many of his supporters, to found his own Chapel nearby - the Finsbury Chapel. This was opened in 1825, and stood at the east end of Finsbury Circus

Finsbury Circus

Finsbury Circus is an elliptical square with its long axis lying east-west in the City of London, England; with an area of 2.2 hectares it is the largest public open space within the City's boundaries. It has an immaculately maintained Lawn Bowls club in the centre, which has existed in the gardens...

 on the corner of Blomfield Street and East Street. He continued at the Finsbury Chapel as its Independent Minister (Congregationalist

Congregational church

Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....

), for the rest of his life.

Alexander Fletcher's move to the Albion Chapel and founding of Finsbury Chapel, followed his displacement by the Presbytery. In April 1824, he was prosecuted in the civil and ecclesiastical courts for breach of promise to marry Miss Eliza Dick. The Dictionary of National Biography

Dictionary of National Biography

The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...

explains that "In the King's Bench no verdict was given, but in the meeting of the United Associate Synod at Edinburgh, he was suspended from the exercise of his office and from church fellowship." In the early nineteenth century the expectations of men and women in society was slowly evolving and changing. Fletcher's trial led to considerable public interest about the issues involved and need for reform. It also attracted a famous literary satire: The Trial of the Reverend Alexander Fletcher, A.M. before the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Sense, and a Special Jury, published in 1825. To amuse the reader, the satire packed its 'jury' with many well-known Scotsmen of the day, all of who were given opinions on the matter. For example, Sir Walter Scott

Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....

 was given the part of Foreman of the jury.

Poverty and Prison Reform

Alexander Fletcher was noted for his good works as well as his Christian teachings. When he visited the Scottish island of Skye

Skye

Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...

, the poverty made a deep impression on him. On his return to London he founded a society to give generous support to the Islanders, including to the 'The Skye-boat Scheme'. Fletcher was a direct patron as well, and the society was still operating when he died. He was a frequent visitor to prisons, including to Newgate prison

Newgate Prison

Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...

 in London, where Elizabeth Fry

Elizabeth Fry

Elizabeth Fry , née Gurney, was an English prison reformer, social reformer and, as a Quaker, a Christian philanthropist...

 achieved much to improve conditions.

Apart from his work with children, Fletcher devoted the most energy to the non-denominational missionary society, which became the London Missionary Society (LMS)

London Missionary Society

The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...

. He was named Director of the society, whose London office stood in Blomfield Street, opposite the chapel which Fletcher founded.

Missionary & Abolition Work

There were close links between the nonconfomist Baptist Missionary Society

Baptist Missionary Society

rightBMS World Mission is a Christian missionary society founded by Baptists from England in 1792. It was originally called the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen, but for most of its life was known as the Baptist Missionary Society...

 and the nondenominational but predominantly nonconformist LMS. Fletcher assisted both organisations in their work. The 'Valedictory Meeting to Mr Knibb

William Knibb

William Knibb , English Baptist minister and missionary to Jamaica, is chiefly known for his work to free slaves.-Missionary in Jamaica:...

', a Baptist missionary and abolitionist was held in Finsbury Chapel on Tuesday July 1, 1845, attended by members of both organisations.

When Moses Roper

Moses Roper

Moses Roper was a mulatto slave who wrote one of the major early books about life as a slave in the United States — Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper from American Slavery.-Life as a slave:...

 escaped enslavement in the American South, and successfully made passage to England, he brought with him letters of introduction to three nonconformist ministers: Rev. Dr. Alexander Fletcher, Rev. Dr John Morison

John Morison (pastor)

Rev. Dr John Morison 1791 - 1859) - occasionally spelt Morrison - was a longstanding editor of the Evangelical Magazine & Missionary Chronicle, author of theological and biographical subjects, and a Congregational pastor at Trevor Chapel, Chelsea, London...

, and a minister in Liverpool. Drs Morison, Price, Cox and Fletcher became his patrons in Hackney and the London area. In his autobiography, Roper described these friends who assisted him whilst in England. Roper's anti-slavery speech of 26 May 1836, delivered at Fletcher's Finsbury Chapel, was one of his two most influential in the capital.

In May 1846 Finsbury Chapel was the venue for a huge gathering to hear a speech by Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...

, who had escaped from slavery in the US and become a major speaker for abolition. This was advertised as a publicity meeting at Finsbury Chapel to receive from Frederick Douglass an account of the dreadful conditions, both in law and practice, of 3,000,000 of slaves in the United States. The meeting was introduced by Joseph Sturge

Joseph Sturge

Joseph Sturge , son of a farmer in Gloucestershire, was an English Quaker, abolitionist and activist. He founded the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society . He worked throughout his life in Radical political actions supporting pacifism, working-class rights, and the universal emancipation of...

. A contemporary report noted that every part of the large edifice was crowded to suffocation; the firebrand Congregationalist, Dr John Campbell

John Campbell (London clergyman)

Rev. Dr. John Campbell was a Congregationalist divine, and minister at Whitefield's Tabernacle in London. He was only the second successor of its founder, the Methodist, George Whitefield...

 gave a rousing response of support for abolition.

Published books

After the late 1830s, Alexander Fletcher became a successful author, writing a range of devotional works for publication in London and the United States. These included A Guide to Family Devotion, which quickly sold 60,000 copies. Due to such success, he continued writing up until his death. His last work was intended to be a book for the young, from ten years old and upwards, though it was unfinished at his death.

'The Children's Friend'

Recovering from the court cases and associated controversy, Alexander Fletcher, became especially revered for his work with children. The titles Prince of Preachers to Children and The Children's Friend were frequently used to describe him, since he stood almost alone as a popular figure amongst children, able to attract vast audiences, quite unlike anyone else during his lifetime or since.

Not surprisingly, having built Finsbury Chapel, it became a well-known venue for Alexander Fletcher's children's events. On Christmas mornings, it would be full of children from all the Sunday schools he could attract across the capital, and it drew similar gatherings of children for Whit Monday when all the schools in Hackney would be invited. As a result, the chapel's Sunday School for children was said to have been the most popular in London.

Alexander Fletcher's success with audiences of children is generally said to have had much to do with his geniality and humour rather than his approach to matters of theology, which was somewhat Scottish in approach, though he also thought highly of Dr Isaac Watts'

Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...

 works.

He is considered to be the forerunner of other Independents who later became interested in preaching to children, particularly Baptists. Dr Chalmers

Thomas Chalmers

Thomas Chalmers , Scottish mathematician, political economist, divine and a leader of the Free Church of Scotland, was born at Anstruther in Fife.-Overview:...

 considered him The Wilkie of Preaching and many called him the Prince of Preachers of the young for he pioneered this movement and was the main inspiration for its development. Even as he aged, his success did not diminish. At Surrey Chapel

Surrey Chapel

The Surrey Chapel was an independent Methodist and Congregational church established in Blackfriars Road, Southwark, London on 8 June 1783 by the Rev. Rowland Hill. His work was continued in 1833 by the Congregational pastor Rev. James Sherman, and in 1854 by Rev. Newman Hall. The chapel's design...

, Blackfriars Road, a year before his death, his presence enabled the chapel to attract 3,000 children.

Death and Memory

Dr Alexander Fletcher died on Sunday, September 30, 1860. He was married and a father. A tribute to his memory was given by fellow Scot, the Rev. John McFarland, in Finsbury Chapel on October 14. In his memory his congregation commissioned a soaring cross of polished granite that they placed at his gravesite. It featured an unusual, pierced octagonal cross, at the top. The mason of this expensive monument was W. H. Burke of Newman Street, Marylebone c. 1861. The cross still stands at Fletcher's grave at Abney Park Cemetery

Abney Park Cemetery

Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...

, Stoke Newington

Stoke Newington

Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...

, London.

References

• Ripley, Peter (1985), 'The Black Abolitionist Papers: vol 1 The British Isles 1830-1865', Raleigh: Univ. of North Carolina Press
• Joyce, Paul (1985), A Guide to Abney Park Cemetery, London: SAPC & L.B.Hackney
• French, James Branwhite (1883), A Guide to Abney Park Cemetery, London: James Clarke & Co

External Links

• http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/douglass55/douglass55.html#p407 Frederick Douglass' Reception Speech at Finsbury Chapel

Books

• Fletcher, Alexander (1841) 'A Guide to Family Devotion'
• Fletcher, Alexander (1841) 'Scripture History'
• Fletcher, Alexander (18xx) 'The Devotional Family Bible'