Burchell Memorial Church

Parish: St. James

Established in 1824 with 12 members under the leadership of Reverend Thomas Burchell, Burchell Memorial Church played a pivotal role in the spread of the Baptist faith in Jamaica. Burchell, along with other missionaries such as James Phillippo and William Knibb, expanded the foundation laid by George Liele and Moses Baker. Their outspoken opposition to slavery helped make the Baptist denomination the most popular among Jamaica’s enslaved and free Black population.

The original church was destroyed during the 1831-1832 Baptist War, led by Samuel Sharpe, a deacon at the church. Although the rebellion was violently suppressed, it contributed to the passing of the Emancipation Act in 1833. Sharpe was later exhumed and reburied in the church’s vault.

The church was rebuilt after the war, with the laying of the foundation stones on February 7, 1835. Completed at a cost of £7,000, it was consecrated on March 26, 1837. Located at the corner of King and Market Streets, the site originally housed the manse of Burchell Baptist Church.

Sources:

• Knibb Sibley, Inez, The Baptists of Jamaica (Kingston: Jamaica Baptist Union, 1965)
• Senior, Olive, Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage (St. Andrew: Twin Guinep Publishers Ltd., 2003)