This page comes from the newsletter of Broadmead Baptist Church, known as The Record. The Record has been produced since 1934.
The Broadmead Cross
This cross, like all representations of the cross of Jesus Christ, symbolises his suffering and death for all humanity.
The arms reach outwards, like the arms of God, in love and forgiveness, gathering all suffering to himself
The space between the two upright members represents the fact that Christ is no longer dead. Beyond the cross there is the Resurrection.
The upright members point upwards to denote Christ's Ascension.
From The Record - Nathaniel Ingello (1621? - 1683)
When Dorothy Hazzard led her little band of separatists in the 1640s she sought like-minded clergy to teach them and to administer communion. Amongst the first to carry out such pastoral duties was the Revd Nathaniel Ingello (Dr Angello) who had been appointed to All Saints. Unfortunately his “flaunting apparel” and his being “given so much to music” troubled and offended some of the members of the congregation.
He must be the only minister at Broadmead who has been celebrated in verse – but more of that anon.
Ingello a Bristolian by birth and an Edinburgh MA became a fellow of Queen’s College, Cambridge, and in 1646 was the first pastor on the return of the congregation which had decamped to London in 1643 when the Royalists occupied Bristol.
During his ministry the fellowship had one “memorable member added unto them: namely a Blackymore maid named Francis, a servant to one that lived upon the Back of Bristol…” Terrill devotes some thirty-five lines to the continuing witness of “the poor Aethiopean” and more particularly to her dying testimony “shee did beg every soule, To take heed that they do lett ye glory of God to be read to them.”
She was honourably interred “being carried by the elders: the chiefest of note of the congregation (devout men bearing her) to the grave” This was truly a great mark of respect from the congregation.
The circumstances mentioned earlier which led the church to look elsewhere are graphically described in the Records.
“Thus ye Lord carried on his worke in this church, in Mr Ingello’s time of being with them. But at last divers of you Members of ye Congregation: began to be offended by Mr Ingello’s conversation: as first with his flaunting apparell, for he, being a Thin, spare slender person, did goe very neate in a costly trim, and in some time began to Exceed in some garments not becoming the gospels, much less a Minister of Christ; which together with his being given so much to Musick, not only at his own house but at houses of entertainments out of Towne, sometimes with some of his relations, and gentry of ye City in his acquaintance, he would be at his Musick. Of which when some of the Members heard They were much troubled and offended; and dealing with him for it by way of admonition and entreaty, they could not work upon him to leave his Musick nor his so frequent nor his publique use thereof. For he tould them, take away his Musick , take away his life; which offended and stumbled them more, that is, ye lively and most serious, watchfull members in those times; that their affections began to Alienate from him and to hearken after another”; and the “other” after whom they hearkened was Thomas Ewins, a very different character.
Later in his career Ingello was appointed RECTOR CHORI (Choir Master or Musical Director) to the mission led by another Bristolian, Bulstrode Whitelocke, to Queen Christina of Sweden in 1653. This was part of the effort to form a North European Protestant alliance.
The poet Andrew Marvell composed a poem, in Latin, “A Letter to Dr Ingello” which contained many judiciously flattering remarks about the Swedish Queen.
Ingello was not the stereotype of the seventeenth century puritan preacher, but his ministry to the early Broadmead congregation was one which deserves recognition.
PHILIP DICKINSON
Last updated: 28-06-10