Alexander Fletcher (minister)

Alexander Fletcher (1787–1860), the Children's Friend, was a Scottish kirk minister, and later an Independent (Congregational) divine in England.

In November 1811, Fletcher was sent to supply a Presbyterian meeting house in the City of London, and duly became pastor to its largely Scottish congregation.

Still popular in his native Scotland, he was invited to preach there, notably in Glasgow where his reputation sometimes attracted such large audiences that tickets were required.

He continued at the Finsbury Chapel as its Independent Minister (Congregational), for the rest of his life where he was then succeeded by Alexander McAuslane.

The Dictionary of National Biography explains that "In the King's Bench no verdict was given, but in the meeting of the United Associate Synod at Edinburgh, he was suspended from the exercise of his office and from church fellowship."

It also attracted a famous literary satire: The Trial of the Reverend Alexander Fletcher, A.M. before the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Sense, and a Special Jury, published in 1825.

He was named Director of the society, whose London office stood in Blomfield Street, opposite the chapel which Fletcher founded.

The 'Valedictory Meeting to Mr Knibb', a Baptist missionary and abolitionist was held in Finsbury Chapel on Tuesday 1 July 1845, attended by members of both organisations.

In May 1846 Finsbury Chapel was the venue for a huge gathering to hear a speech by Frederick Douglass, who had escaped from slavery in the US and become a major speaker for abolition.

This was advertised as a publicity meeting at Finsbury Chapel to receive from Frederick Douglass an account of the dreadful conditions, both in law and practice, of 3,000,000 of slaves in the United States.

A contemporary report noted that every part of the large edifice was crowded to suffocation; the firebrand Congregational, John Campbell gave a rousing response of support for abolition.

After the late 1830s, Alexander Fletcher became a successful author, writing a range of devotional works for publication in London and the United States.

Thomas Chalmers considered him The Wilkie of Preaching and many called him the Prince of Preachers of the young for he pioneered this movement and was the main inspiration for its development.