'The Dearest of Women is gone' A Historical Study of Grief in the Life of John Ryland Jr

Abstract

In January 1787, John Ryland Jr, pastor of College Lane Baptist Church in Northampton and future pastor of the Broadmead church in Bristol and President of Bristol Baptist Academy, lost his beloved wife, Betsy. While his public ministry continued largely uninterrupted, evidence of his struggle with grief is found in his unpublished poetry, which is kept in the Bristol Baptist College archives. These poems provide insight into how an influential Particular Baptist leader dealt with the loss of a woman whom he called ‘the dearest of women’. In them, Ryland displays a vulnerability that is largely absent from his published writings and gives insight into how his theology interacted with his personal grief during the years after Betsy’s death.