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From: "David Lamb" <>
Subject: Re: [Ess] KEMP Family in Colchester area.
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2006 11:18:58 -0000
References: <20061118032304.079E7F7A8@fep08.mfe.bur.connect.com.au>


Hello,

Yes, the (to us in the 21st century) strangely-named group of churches has
changed its name to "Union of Evangelical Churches", and the one in the
Colchester area is in Stanway. It is now called "Stanway Evangelical
Church". Contact details are at:
http://beehive.thisisessex.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=7879&PageID=42184

I have somewhere a copy of "Stanway Evangelical Church - a Short History",
a booklet by Fred Spurgeon, but I cannot find it at the moment. If I do, I
will look up KEMP in it.

The following extracts from an answer I wrote to the list in 2004 may be of
interest:

"The denomination was started by James BANYARD of Rochford, Essex and
William BRIDGES of London, and (at least at the end of the 19th century)
they were strong in numbers in Kent, Essex, Sussex, and Surrey. Hopefully
your ancestors' 2 year old daughter did not die as a result of the strong
aversion to doctors which the "Peculiar People" had then. (As far as I know,
they don't act in such a way now). My "Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological
and Ecclesiastical Literature" by Rev. John McClintock and James
Strong(published 1895) says:

"Hence it is a prime article of faith of this denomination never, under any
circumstances, to call in a doctor. They believe only in anointing with oil
and prayer as a means of restoring the sick. The English government has
therefore interfered with them in recent times, and several trials of
members of this sect have occurred. Thus, at Plumstead, a little girl of an
elder of the Peculiar People had the smallpox. The elders prayed over her;
they laid hands on her; they anointed her; and, generally speaking, "put
their trust in God." In eleven days, without the administration of any
medicine, with only a little arrow-root and wine to nourish the body, the
poor thing died. Of course the Peculiar People are consistent enough to
believe neither in vaccination nor contagion. In this case a jury returned a
verdict of "manslaughter" against the father."


As to where to find more, I came across the following site:
http://www.adherents.com/adhloc/Wh_340.html

Incidentally, I expect it goes without saying that "peculiar" in this
context does not mean "odd" but "special". It comes from the Authorised
Version ("King James Version") translation of the Bible, where various
examples of the phrase could be cited - one is in 1 Peter 2.9: "But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;
that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of
darkness into his marvellous light"

Regards,

David Lamb


----- Original Message -----
From: "John Rice" <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2006 3:23 AM
Subject: [Ess] KEMP Family in Colchester area.


> Researching the KEMP Family from the Colchester area of Essex.It is
> believed
> that the Family started the small non-confirmist religious sect "The
> Perculiar People" in Colchester.
>
> Does anybody have any information on the Family and/or the Sect.
>
> Regards
>
>
>
> John Rice
>
> Brisbane, Australia
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

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