John Parnell, 2nd Baron Congleton
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John Vesey Parnell, 2nd Baron Congleton (16 June 1805 – 23 October 1883) was the son of Sir Henry Brooke Parnell, 1st Baron Congleton (3 July 1776 – 8 June 1842) and Lady Caroline Elizabeth Dawson-Damer (died 16 February 1861).
[edit] Life
Sir John Vesey Parnell was educated in France, then at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Baron Congleton, of Congleton, Chester [U.K., 1841] on 8 June 1842. He succeeded to the title of 5th Baronet Parnell, of Rathleague, Queen's Co. [I., 1766] on 8 June 1842.
His first marriage was to Nancy Cronin in 1831. An Armenian widow, living in Persia, madame Khatoon Moscow, daughter of Ovauness Moscow, became his second wife in 1833. His third marriage was to Margaret Catherine Ormerod, daughter of Charles Ormerod, on 21 February 1867.
He was a kinsman of Irish patriot Charles Stewart Parnell, whose aunt was only daughter of William Parnell of Avondale. She was the wife of Sir Robert Wigram. The Wigrams had 23 children and George Wigram was a notable Plymouth Brother[1]. His life was marked by simplicity: when he lived in Teignmouth, Devon he took a modest house for the annual rent of £12.00. His uncarpeted home was furnished with simple wooden chairs, a plain, unvarnished deal table, steel cutlery and pewter teaspoons. and generosity: he was accustomed to devote half his income to Christian works. Among his friends he counted George Muller, the well-known Brethren philanthropist of Bristol.
Congleton died early in the morning of 23 October 1883 on a simple portable iron bedstead. Among his last utterances was, ' Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'
His only daughter was Sarah Cecilia. She was born 5 August 1868 to Margaret, John's third wife. Sarah married Henry Ambrose Mandeville 21 November 1895. She died on 26 April 1912 at age 43. Sarah died in a motor car accident in 1912 following evangelist work the previous day. She is buried in Charlton Cemetery, London SE4.
[edit] Plymouth Brethren and Mission work
John Vesey Parnell united with the Brethren in 1829 in Dublin. He paid for the rent of a large auction room in Aungier Street for the use of the Brethren on the Lord's day (Sunday). He thought that the Lord's table should be a public witness of the Brethren's position. Aungier Street was the Brethren's first public meeting room where they commenced celebrating Lord's supper (the breaking of bread) in the spring of 1830. When he moved to London he worshipped at the meeting room, 60 Welbeck Street, London.
He was a life long member of the Plymouth Brethren. He was one of their pioneer missionaries and went in September 1830 to Baghdad in Asiatic Turkey with his brother in law Edward Cronin and Dr John Kitto to visit Anthony Norris Groves. The party went with books, medicine and a printing press and arrived in June 1831. The whole party found extreme resistance from the Muslims to their efforts and withdrew to India until 1837 where Groves established an enduring Brethren assembly work resulting in hundreds of assemblies functioning in the 21st Century.
Congleton baptised Henry Gratton Guinness a well-known Protestant revivalist in Dublin.*
When Lord Congleton became the 2nd Baron, being a Plymouth Brother, he would not side with any party and entered the House of Lords as a cross-bencher. Plymouth Brethren generally abstain from party politics.
He published his translation of 'The Psalms' at William Yapp's publishing house of 70 Welbeck Street, London in 1860, with a revision in 1875 containing interpretative notes published by James E. Hawkins of the same address. Congleton also published a booklet 'The Open Meeting' describing the manner of ministry among Brethren.
[edit] References
- Chief Men among the Brethren, by Hy Pickering
- The archive at Chapter Two, Fountain House, Conduit Mews, London SE18 [2]
- *"The New American Cyclopaedia", p.409.
- "Memoir of Lord Congleton" by Henry Groves, 1884
