Scripture reader sounds like another description for a town missionary who,
as you say, was employed professionally to visit the poor in their own
homes, deliver religious tracts, read the scriptures to those who could not
read themselves, maybe arrange for free Bibles for those who could read.
There was a town missionary (or missioner, he was sometimes called) in
Saffron Walden at one time, as in many towns. The system in Walden lasted
from 1842 to 1862 and his work is described in my book, 'The well ordered
town' alongwith a diary he kept of his visits to the poor in 1860-61. In
this case, the town missionary was employed on an ecumenical basis, with all
the churches paying the salary between them, although I suspect it was
mostly paid by a local philanthropist who instigated the town mission. His
mission was strictly to save souls, and not to give them money, gifts etc
although I felt he was also bringing back detailed information on the homes
and habits of the poor, which would be of use to local worthies in other
respects.
Jacqueline Cooper
----- Original Message -----
> Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 14:09:25 +0100
> From: Brian Read <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Scripture Reader
>
> I'm writing a piece about a 19th local government officer who lived
> 1837-1916. Before he came into government he was a building labourer but
> when he wrote his will in 1870, and whilst still employed as a builder, he
> described himself as a "Scripture Reader".
>
> I had imagined that scripture reading would be something he did
voluntarily
> on Sundays but there seems to be more to it than this as some of the
letters
> about him at that time (the 1860s), and before he came into local
> government, mentioned his excellent work visiting the poor.
>
> So can anyone tell me if a "Scripture Reader" was more than just a
voluntary
> job in the mid 19th century? He was not a well-educated man. Could it have
> been a paid job for a church which entailed parish visits?
>
> Brian Read
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