Rev Lewis Way & Stansted Park: The unfulfilled vision of a missionary to the Jews

Stansted Park, West Sussex, was purchased by the Evangelical Rev. Lewis Way with the intention of using the large estate “for the glory of God”. Although at the time of purchase (1804) Way had no clear idea of how this would be achieved, he soon afterwards became involved with the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, and his Sussex home was put at their disposal. Stansted Park became the site where converted Jews were trained to be missionaries, it boasted a magnificent library of rare Judaica and Hebraica, and became the site of the first chapel built and consecrated for the worship of Jewish Christians. This talk will share the extraordinary story of Lewis Way and his vision, largely unfulfilled, for Stansted Park as a centre for Jewish missions.

Jemima Jarman is a resident of Brighton and Hove and a PhD student at Birkbeck under the supervision of Prof David Feldman. Her research looks at 19th century Christian missions to Jews, with particular attention on the missionary work carried out among the immigrant community in London’s East End.