Papers of E.H. Broadbent

This material is held atUniversity of Manchester Library

  • Reference
    • GB 133 EHB
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1874 - [197-?]
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 0.2 linear metres 20 items
  • Location
    • Collection available at University Archive and Records Centre, main University Library.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of material relating to the life and work of E.H. Broadbent. It includes a typed journal describing his travels, compiled from letters and notes from 1898 until 1939; a handwritten journal compiled from a diary and letters after a three month journey in 1899; edited extracts of Broadbent's journal with additional bibliographical detail, compiled by Broadbent's daughter and edited by one of his sons; and other assorted notes and letters from his travels; published articles; letters; and obituaries.

Former references: CBA 3067- 3086

Administrative / Biographical History

Born in Crumpsall, Manchester in 1861, Edmund Hamer Broadbent was the eldest of eight children in a religious family. His grandfather, James Brooke, was a Methodist local preacher who hoped Broadbent would one day qualify as a minister or missionary. Brooke would later express his sorrow at the family’s departure from the Methodist tradition.

Broadbent’s work in business took him to Berlin in his early twenties and he quickly began learning German. Returning to England, he married his childhood sweetheart Dora Holiday in June 1890, settling in Birmingham. Hosting many preachers, teachers and evangelists at their home, the influence of one visitor in particular, Alexander Grant of Malay, was formative in setting Broadbent on the road to mission work. Describing the early practices of the first believers- their custom of founding churches and leaving them develop themselves, returning later to offer encouragement- Meley asked Broadbent, “And why not you?”

After his partner bought him out of his business in 1896, Edmund and Dora Broadbent moved to Stuttgart in Germany, where Edmund met with Adolphus F. Eoll and helped establish a new fellowship based on the New Testament. After returning home for the birth of their first child in 1896, the next year they returned to Berlin where Broadbent made further journeys into Wurtenburg and French Switzerland to preach and evangelise.

Broadbent’s mission work assumed its own momentum, and he would receive invitations on his journeys to visit groups of believers, and to assist to form new groups. In the spring of 1898 Dora Broadbent returned back to England with her daughter, while Edmund moved on through Austria and the Balkans, noting the great need for spiritual work in Romania, a country where he would perform a great deal of work.

His journals document a life of mission work from 1898 to 1939, spreading the Christian message in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and South America. His travels to an area would follow a similar pattern. He would meet a local guide, establish a base and immerse himself entirely in local life: sharing their food and accommodation while aiding local worship, before venturing into neighbouring districts teaching the Word of God. Fluent in French and German, with a knowledge of Russian and other languages, Broadbent had a gift for communicating with people which transcended both religion and nationality.

Working in this manner, occasionally with no means other than his unshakeable Christian faith, G. H. Lang estimates that Broadbent was responsible for the existence of hundreds and hundreds of churches. Not that he founded them all, but that his teachings, support and example helped sustain them, or plant the seeds for their development. Broadbent's book The Pilgrim Church, first published in 1931, explored the history of the smaller Christian churches following the New Testament model, outside the more established organisations.

Broadbent and his wife celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary in 1940 and, despite being in his eighties, he continued to preach and teach across the British Isles until just before his death on the 28th June, 1945.

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged as follows: 

  • EHB/1 - Manuscripts
  • EHB/2 - Correspondence
  • EHB/3 - Articles and Publications

Access Information

The collection is open to any accredited reader.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated to Manchester University Library by B.H. Broadbent, son of E.H. Broadbent, in August 1981.

Letters describing the transfer of the collection between members of the Broadbent family and David Brady, Assistant Librarian at Manchester University, are stored in the Christian Brethren Archive.

Alternative Form Available

Archivist's Note

The papers of E.H. Broadbent were catalogued by John McCrory, working under the supervision of Jessica Smith, Christian Brethren Archivist, in 2018.

Conditions Governing Use

Photocopies and photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.

Prior written permission must be obtained from the Library for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. Please contact the Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.

Custodial History

E.H. Broadbent's papers were held by members of his family after his death, with his daughter, Ethelwyn, adding additional details to his journal manuscripts in an attempt to present them as a continuous narrative [EHB/1/3]. These additions were edited by Broadbent's son, Beaumont Broadbent, who subsequently donated the collection, collated by his sister Sylvia H. Broadbent, to the Manchester University Library in 1981.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected

Related Material

The Christian Brethren printed collection at the University of Manchester Library holds copies of works by E.H. Broadbent, including several editions of The Pilgrim Church (CBA 416, 7369, 9993, 9994, 9995, 12163, 12162, 11730), along with Life and Judgement (CBA 3081) and Jeremiah: the book of the prophet Jeremiah, with explanatory notes and paraphrases (CBA 5202).

The Echoes of Service Papers are also held at the Christian Brethren collection at the University of Manchester Library, containing the correspondence files of other Brethren mission workers.

Bibliography

Lang, George Henry Edmund Hamer Broadbent, saint and pioneer: recollections and reflections (London, Paternoster Press, 1946). [CBA 2153]