Joseph Hardcastle (1752–1819)

For other people named Joseph Hardcastle, see Joseph Hardcastle (disambiguation).

Joseph Hardcastle

Joseph Hardcastle's grave, Bunhill Fields, London

Joseph Hardcastle (1752–1819) was one of the founders of 'The Missionary Society', later the London Missionary Society, to which he devoted a great deal of time and money, becoming the First Treasurer.^[1]

Life

He was born in Leeds, where he lived until the age of 15, at which point he moved to London to join his uncle's business.^[2] He eventually became a Merchant,^[3] still based in London. During his time in London he lived at Old Swan Stairs, before moving to Hatcham House in Deptford, then a rural Surrey village, which is now the New Cross Gate area of Lewisham.^[4]

The slavery abolitionist, Thomas Clarkson was a frequent guest at Hatcham House. Here Clarkson wrote a great part of his 'History of the Abolition of the Slave Trade', and met his future wife, a niece of Mrs Hardcastle. Joseph Hardcastle was especially active in arranging missionary expeditions to Africa, and created schemes whereby missionary work could be self-funding by selling artifacts brought back by the missionaries themselves.

He was married and had at least two sons.^[5] His grandson was Joseph Alfred Hardcastle, MP.

He is buried in Bunhill Fields non-conformist cemetery, in London. The grave is in the north section of the T-plan, close to the red granite obelisk to Joseph Hart.

Legacy

The story of Joseph's life was published in "Memoir of Joseph Hardcastle Esq., the first Treasurer of the London Missionary Society: A Record of the Past for his Descendants", which was written by his last surviving daughter, Emma Corsbie Hardcastle, and published in 1860.^[6] A number of roads in the modern New Cross Gate reflect his time, most notably Joseph Hardcastle Close.

References

Protestant missions to Africa

Background	Christianity Protestantism

Missions timeline	Christianity in Africa

People	William Anderson Frederick Stanley Arnot John Arthur Samuel Bill Joseph Booth Daniel Coker Daniel Kumler Flickinger George Grenfell Carl Hugo Hahn Joseph Hardcastle Joseph Crane Hartzell Johannes Ittmann Franz Heinrich Kleinschmidt Johann Ludwig Krapf Margaret Nicholl Laird Christian Ignatius Latrobe David Livingstone Mary Livingstone (née Moffat) Alexander Murdoch Mackay Joseph Merrick Robert Moffat Andrew Murray Helen Roseveare Hans Paludan Smith Schreuder John Philip Martti Rautanen Alfred Saker Heinrich Schmelen William Henry Sheppard Mary Slessor John McKendree Springer Charles Studd William Taylor Gottlieb Viehe

Missionary agencies	American Board Africa Inland Mission Berlin Missionary Society BMS World Mission Congo-Balolo Mission Christian and Missionary Alliance Church Mission Society Finnish Missionary Society Heart of Africa Mission Livingstone Inland Mission London Missionary Society Mission Africa Mission to the World Paris Evangelical Missionary Society Rhenish Missionary Society USPG WEC International Wycliffe Global Alliance

Pivotal events	Slave Trade Act 1807 Slavery Abolition Act 1833

Christianity portal

Authority control	VIAF: 96832013

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