Parish : St Paul
This grave was not found by CFHS and is therefore not able to be found today
Rev. Henry Bailey (c.April 1862 – 12 May 1925)
Henry was born in the village of Dilton Marsh, just outside Wesbury, Wiltshire and baptised there on 28 September 1862. He was the son of factory operative Jonah (1825-1884) and woollen weaver Virtue (née Webb) (1833-1895). Aged 19 Henry was also working as a woollen cloth worker.
He then commenced training as a Baptist Minister – working as a colporteur (distributor of bibles and relgious materials) firstly in Willingham and later in Bullock Lodge, Northampton. He then commenced formal training at the Pastor’s College (later named Spurgeon’s College) in South Norwood.
He married Lizzie Few in Willingham in 1885 and the couple had one daughter Annie May (known as May) (1886-), who was born in Northampton. Henry’s first ministry was in Lerwick, Shetland in 1893. In March 1894 the family went to Sullivan, Indiana, where he was a Minster for four years. He then returned to Lerwick, where he preached from 1898-1902. Lerwick held a public tea and Social Meeting to welcome him back, where the Senior Deacon said that ‘we liked Mr Bailey very well when he was here the first time, but we like him better the second time’. During his second time he raised £800 for the chapel debt and manse fund, and gained another 30 worshippers. When he left Shetland in August 1902 he was presented with a purse of gold ‘as a token of ..appreciation for his service’.
From 1902-1908 he was posted at Shrewton and Tilehead, Wiltshire, from 1908-1915 at Modbury, Devon and then from 1916-1921 at Hillesley, Gloucestershire. He briefly returned to Shrewton in January 1921, but had to retire the following year owing to ill-health.
He was regarded as a successful pastor, and in his opening service at Modbury told the congregation that : ‘he came to them as their pastor, but not in the sense of an official. He wanted to be something more than that; he wanted to be their freind, brother and even compaion, and so he said them on this, his first Sunday mong them ‘Brethren, pray for us’. He needed their prayers if he was to be able to fulfil his conception of the work of the Christian Minister, which, in his opinion, was second to none’.
In October 1922 Henry and Lizzie moved to Cambridge, where they lived at 33 Norwich Street. His hearing was very poor, but he was an enthusiastic worshipper at the St. Andrew’s Street Baptist Chapel. He died at Addenbrooke’s Hospital following an operation for cancer.
Elizabeth Ann Bailey (née Few) (21 Jul 1857 – February 1947)
Known as Lizzy, she was born in Willingham, the daughter of Jonas (1830-1915) and Jan (née Norman) (1832-1897). She was baptised in Willingham on 18 October 1857 and grew up in the village, where her father was a blacksmith.
After she was widowed she continued to live at 33 Norwich Street with daughter May, who worked as a drapery manageress. Lizzy died at Addenbrooke’s Hospital aged 89 years old and was buried with her husband on 19 February.
Sources:
Ancestry
Newspaper archives
By Claire Martinsen