Baptist Churches
The Baptists were founded in 1609 as a denomination of the Protestant Church. They believe in baptism for adult believers by total immersion and are opposed to the baptism of infants.
The Baptist Congregation in Peterborough is first recorded in 1673, but the first chapel was probably not built until the early 18th century. This became the 'mother' church of the area, and has met at Park Road since 1906.
'Missionary' work in New Fletton, Stanground and New England resulted in other chapels being built, one for the latter area was built in Harris Street in 1885.
Records for the following Peterborough Baptist Churches are
known of:
Harris Street Baptist Church (National Register of Archives)
(Ref 88/169:00 18 BAPT).
Held at Lincolnshire Archives.
Park Road Baptist Church (National Register of
Archives)
(Ref Acc 4345).
Held at Huntingdon Record Office.
Queen St/Park Road Church Yearbooks 1893-1899;
1903-1918.
Held at Peterborough central Library.
There were also the Calvinistic (or Strict) Baptists whose
members shared John Calvin's belief that salvation was limited to a
chosen few. There were several small congregations in Peterborough
during the nineteenth century, mostly caused by internal
dissension amongst themselves, but the earliest known meeting-house
dates from 1824.
Printed sources:
The Strict Baptist Chapels of England, Vol 4: the
industrial Midlands by RF Chambers (1963), pp120-123.
Records of the Churches of Christ gathered at Fenstanton,
Warboys [etc] 1644-1720 ed by EB Underhill (1854). [see under
Fenstanton].
Park Road Baptist Church: 300 years of Free Church life
(1953).