Richard Barcham Shalders
Encyclopedia
Richard Barcham Shalders (1824–1914) was a Baptist
preacher, founder of the New Zealand
branch of the YMCA
, and founder of Auckland Baptist Tabernacle
.
, Norfolk, England. His father owned a grocers and drapery shop, where he worked until moving to London
at the age of 16. From his youth Shalders was devoutly religious, and it is apparent from his journals that his grandmother played a significant role in guiding him on matters of faith.
, where he met the woman he was to later marry, Eliza Rooke. He returned to London in August 1846, where he worked for Morrison, Dillon and Co. for two and a half years. While there he attended a YMCA
Bible Class at Sergeant's Inn, 49 Fleet Street, under the leadership of Mr. T. H. Tarlton. He joined the local Baptist church under the pastorate of Rev’d John Howard Hinton
, who was at the time reputed to be the “greatest and most original thinker in London”. Shalders began prayer meetings at the warehouse, and in February 1849 Shalders left to work for I. and R. Morley.
aboard the “Katherine Stewart Forbes”, reaching Auckland
on 9 March 1852.
As the barque rounded the North Cape it almost foundered;
‘. . . No sound could be heard beside water rushing down into our cabin. (One poor sailor, the third mate
, fell into the sea and was drowned.) The carpenter took an axe and knocked out the bulwarks and freed the decks of water. The ship rose again and we heard voices once more. My thought was: I shall yet stand on the shores of New Zealand to tell of the glorious Gospel of God.’ – Shalders, Personal Reminiscences
Three and a half months after arriving, on 24 June, Eliza gave birth to their first child, Eliza, who went on to marry prominent New Zealand surveyor Peter Cheal
.
, and later at his new home on Chapel Street. In 1855 he joined with 14 other Auckland residents and founded the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle
. A chapel was erected to seat 350 people on the corner of Federal and Wellesley Streets, and was later extended to seat 500. The pulpit of Auckland Baptist Tabernacle went on to be occupied by famous Baptist preachers such as Thomas Spurgeon
, son of the great Charles Spurgeon
, and also Joseph Kemp
, founder of the New Zealand Bible Training Institute (now Laidlaw College).
Sunday School
Teachers, and there he announced his plans to form a New Zealand branch of the YMCA. Following this he gave a lecture at the Mechanics Institute on the rise, progress and influence of the London YMCA, and the issue of this was a resolution to commence an Auckland YMCA. A site was purchased on Durham Street East, and a building erected and opened on 12 September 1856 by His Excellency the Governor Gore Brown
. The association quickly gained a significant following, with daily attendance averaging over 50. The following year Eliza Shalders gave birth to their second child, Alfred Barcham Shalders.
The YMCA was met with controversy in 1864, when Shalders was accused of using his influence for the purpose of furthering the interests of his own Baptist
denomination. The accusations were denied, and Shalders survived in his position, however the buildings were burnt to the ground at three o'clock in the morning. A new building was erected in 1866.
Under Shalders’ leadership YMCA centres were also established in Christchurch
(1862), Wellington
(1866), Nelson
(1866), Dunedin
(1874) and Invercargill
(1876). Each YMCA was autonomous, but shared a common religious orientation – “bible study, religious and moralistic lectures, choirs and evangelical meetings”.
; Huia
Saw Mills; and 942 acres (3.8 km²) at Point Long Nose, Awitu Block.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
preacher, founder of the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
branch of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, and founder of Auckland Baptist Tabernacle
Auckland Baptist Tabernacle
The Auckland Baptist Tabernacle is a heritage-listed church located near the corner of Queen Street and Karangahape Road, at the edge of Auckland central business district in New Zealand.-History:...
.
Childhood
Richard Barcham Shalders was born on 24 November 1824, to Jacob Shalders and Phoebe Shalders (née Barcham), at WorsteadWorstead
Worstead is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies 5 km south of North Walsham, 9 km north of Wroxham, and 20 km north of Norwich. The village is served by Worstead railway station on the Bittern Line....
, Norfolk, England. His father owned a grocers and drapery shop, where he worked until moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the age of 16. From his youth Shalders was devoutly religious, and it is apparent from his journals that his grandmother played a significant role in guiding him on matters of faith.
Dover and London
Shalders failed to find work in London, and instead accepted work at a high-class drapery establishment in DoverDover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, where he met the woman he was to later marry, Eliza Rooke. He returned to London in August 1846, where he worked for Morrison, Dillon and Co. for two and a half years. While there he attended a YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Bible Class at Sergeant's Inn, 49 Fleet Street, under the leadership of Mr. T. H. Tarlton. He joined the local Baptist church under the pastorate of Rev’d John Howard Hinton
John Howard Hinton
John Howard Hinton was an English author and Baptist minister who published, along with many other works, The History and Topography of the United States of North America together with his brother Isaac...
, who was at the time reputed to be the “greatest and most original thinker in London”. Shalders began prayer meetings at the warehouse, and in February 1849 Shalders left to work for I. and R. Morley.
Emigration to New Zealand
Two and a half years later Shalders decided to emigrate to New Zealand. He and his wife were married on 30 September 1851, and on 19 October the newly married couple departed from GravesendGravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
aboard the “Katherine Stewart Forbes”, reaching Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
on 9 March 1852.
As the barque rounded the North Cape it almost foundered;
‘. . . No sound could be heard beside water rushing down into our cabin. (One poor sailor, the third mate
Third Mate
A Third Mate or Third Officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The third mate is a watchstander and customarily the ship's safety officer and fourth-in-command...
, fell into the sea and was drowned.) The carpenter took an axe and knocked out the bulwarks and freed the decks of water. The ship rose again and we heard voices once more. My thought was: I shall yet stand on the shores of New Zealand to tell of the glorious Gospel of God.’ – Shalders, Personal Reminiscences
Three and a half months after arriving, on 24 June, Eliza gave birth to their first child, Eliza, who went on to marry prominent New Zealand surveyor Peter Cheal
Peter Cheal
Peter Edward Cheal was a prominent surveyor in the settlement of New Zealand during the mid-late 19th century.-London:Peter Edward Cheal was born and educated in London, where he trained as a mining engineer and surveyor and joined the Middlesex Engineering Volunteers.-Auckland:He emigrated to New...
.
Auckland Baptist Tabernacle
Upon arriving in Auckland Shalders began “Youth Scripture Conversational Classes” on the first Sabbath of each month at his home on Queen StreetQueen Street, Auckland
Queen Street is the major commercial thoroughfare in the Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand's main population centre. It starts at Queens Wharf on the Auckland waterfront, adjacent to the Britomart Transport Centre and the Downtown Ferry Terminal, and runs uphill for almost three kilometres in a...
, and later at his new home on Chapel Street. In 1855 he joined with 14 other Auckland residents and founded the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle
Auckland Baptist Tabernacle
The Auckland Baptist Tabernacle is a heritage-listed church located near the corner of Queen Street and Karangahape Road, at the edge of Auckland central business district in New Zealand.-History:...
. A chapel was erected to seat 350 people on the corner of Federal and Wellesley Streets, and was later extended to seat 500. The pulpit of Auckland Baptist Tabernacle went on to be occupied by famous Baptist preachers such as Thomas Spurgeon
Thomas Spurgeon
Thomas Spurgeon was a British Reformed Baptist preacher of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, one of two non-identical twin sons of the famous Charles Haddon Spurgeon ....
, son of the great Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a large British Particular Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the "Prince of Preachers"...
, and also Joseph Kemp
Joseph Kemp
Joseph William Kemp was a Baptist minister and preacher, a revivalist, and a leader of the Christian fundamentalist movement in New Zealand...
, founder of the New Zealand Bible Training Institute (now Laidlaw College).
YMCA New Zealand
In 1853, Shalders was invited to a meeting of the WesleyanWesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
Sunday School
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
Teachers, and there he announced his plans to form a New Zealand branch of the YMCA. Following this he gave a lecture at the Mechanics Institute on the rise, progress and influence of the London YMCA, and the issue of this was a resolution to commence an Auckland YMCA. A site was purchased on Durham Street East, and a building erected and opened on 12 September 1856 by His Excellency the Governor Gore Brown
Thomas Gore Browne
Colonel Sir Thomas Robert Gore Browne KCMG CB was a British colonial administrator, who was Governor of St Helena, Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Tasmania and Governor of Bermuda.-Early life:...
. The association quickly gained a significant following, with daily attendance averaging over 50. The following year Eliza Shalders gave birth to their second child, Alfred Barcham Shalders.
The YMCA was met with controversy in 1864, when Shalders was accused of using his influence for the purpose of furthering the interests of his own Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
denomination. The accusations were denied, and Shalders survived in his position, however the buildings were burnt to the ground at three o'clock in the morning. A new building was erected in 1866.
Under Shalders’ leadership YMCA centres were also established in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
(1862), Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
(1866), Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
(1866), Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
(1874) and Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
(1876). Each YMCA was autonomous, but shared a common religious orientation – “bible study, religious and moralistic lectures, choirs and evangelical meetings”.
Business
Shalders is remembered primarily as the founder of the YMCA and the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle, but he was also a very successful businessman. He owned a drapers’ shop at 200 Queen Street, and also had properties at Kapanga Township, CoromandelCoromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west...
; Huia
Huia
The Huia was the largest species of New Zealand wattlebird and was endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. Its extinction in the early 20th century had two primary causes. The first was rampant overhunting to procure Huia skins for mounted specimens, which were in worldwide demand by...
Saw Mills; and 942 acres (3.8 km²) at Point Long Nose, Awitu Block.