John Bunyan Museum
Education at the John Bunyan Museum
BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN BUNYAN
CHILDHOOD
In 1628 John Bunyan was born in the parish of Elstow, approximately two
kilometres to the south of Bedford,
where he was baptised on 30 November 1628. He was the son of a tinker.
Although the family was poor, they owned a cottage nearby, in the hamlet of
Harrowden. Bunyan described his childhood as normal and happy, and he learned
to read and write a little. As a child he travelled the district helping his
father and learning the trade.
CIVIL WAR 1642-45
In 1644, when Bunyan was 16, his mother died and his father remarried within a
year. In November 1644 Bunyan was mustered (conscripted) in a county levy of
the Parliamentary army. He seems to have spent most of his military service in
garrison duty at Newport Pagnell. He later spoke of a narrow escape: "When I
was a soldier, I, with others, was drawn out to go to such a place to besiege
it; but when I was just ready to go, one of the company desired to go in my
place; and coming to the siege, as he stood sentinel, he was shot in the head
with a musket bullet, and died."
FIRST MARRIAGE AND
SPIRITUAL CRISIS
Returning to Elstow in 1647 Bunyan resumed his work as a tinker, and the
Museum has his anvil and metal violin from this period. Two years later he
married a local girl who bore him four children, the first of whom, called
Mary, was born blind. The arrival of Mary in 1650 made Bunyan reflect
seriously on his life for the first time. He questioned the value of his
favourite pastimes such as bell-ringing in Elstow
Church,
dancing and playing tip-cat, an early form of rounders. In Grace Abounding
published in 1666, Bunyan describes this period of spiritual crisis admitting
that, "Even as a child I had few equals in cursing, swearing, lying and
blaspheming the Holy name of God".
JOINS INDEPENDENT CHURCH
IN BEDFORD
The Civil War was over but it had made its mark throughout the country. Some
people wanted a simpler form of worship and Independent congregations (from
the Church of England) began to emerge. John Bunyan found one such
congregation in 1653 at St John's Church, south of the river, where he became
friends with their pastor John Gifford.
STARTS PREACHING
By 1655 Bunyan and his family were living in St Cuthbert's Street in Bedford
and it was at this time that Bunyan discovered he was a gifted preacher, and
by 1659 he was recognised beyond the county border as a preacher. In 1656 he
became involved in disputes with local Quakers under Edward Burrough and these
led to his first book, Some Gospel Truths Opened.
SECOND MARRIAGE
In 1658 his first wife died and the following year he married his second wife,
Elizabeth, with whom he had two children. In this year he also published his
most ambitious theological work, The Doctrine of the Law and Grace Unfolded.
ARRESTED FOR PREACHING
In 1660 Cromwell's Protectorate came to an end and the monarchy was restored.
In the belief that national unity could only be achieved by religious
uniformity, the state attempted to restrain the developing Independent
congregations by forbidding preaching. Bunyan was arrested in the hamlet of
Samsell just after he had begun a meeting. He was held at nearby Harlington
Manor overnight and appeared before the local justices there when he was
sentenced to three months in prison.
PRISON
Since Bunyan refused to give an assurance not to preach he remained in the
County
Gaol
for 12 years from 1661 to 1672. The County
Gaol
was demolished in 1801, but one of its prison doors was saved and is on
display within the Museum. In vain, his wife Elizabeth tried to get his case
reopened by pleading with Sir Matthew Hale, the Lord Chief Justice of England,
when he stayed in Bedford. Bunyan was allowed several privileges as a
prisoner, since he was not a common criminal. The prison was only five minutes
from his home so food was brought into his cell, often by his blind daughter
Mary, and a stoneware jug believed to have been used for this purpose can be
seen in the Museum. He also received daily visits from friends and had
occasional excursions from prison, keeping him in close contact with members
of the congregation. He is reputed to have made a wooden flute out of a stool
leg in his prison cell: this is on display at the Museum. During imprisonment
he supported his family by making "long tagged bootlaces" which they could
sell.
WRITING THE PILGRIM'S
PROGRESS
This period in prison was used for writing. In 1663 came Christian Behaviour
followed in 1665 by The Holy City and in 1666 by Grace Abounding, his
spiritual autobiography. It is thought that the impetus for the latter might
have been the knowledge of the 40 people who died of the plague on the north
side of the river where John Bunyan was imprisoned. This is mentioned in St
Paul's Parish Register. It was during the years 1667-72 that Bunyan probably
wrote much of the first part of The Pilgrim's Progress.
PASTOR OF BEDFORD CHURCH
In 1672 King Charles II issued the Declaration of Religious Indulgence and
Bunyan, like other church offenders, was released from prison. He was
immediately appointed pastor of the Independent congregation in Bedford, which
later bought a barn and orchard in Mill Street as their place of meeting. In
1673 the King was forced to withdraw his Declaration, and early in 1677 Bunyan
returned to prison.
"BISHOP BUNYAN"
Apart from
this second (and some people think there was a third) brief spell in prison
Bunyan spent his time from 1672 onwards preaching, directing the affairs of
the Church and visiting outlying congregations and sister churches in
Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Surrey and in London. It is now
that he earned the nickname "Bishop Bunyan".
MORE BOOKS
On 18 February 1678
Bunyan published the first part of The Pilgrim's Progress. During the last ten
years of his life he wrote a further 40 books including The Life and Death of
Mr Badman (1680), The Holy War (1682) and The Pilgrim's Progress - Second Part
(1685).
BUNYAN'S WILL
In 1685 Bunyan made a deed of gift of his property to his wife, probably to
avoid confiscation during the period of renewed persecution. This will was
found during the later demolition of the Bunyan's Bedford home and is
displayed in the Museum.
DEATH
On
31 August 1688
John Bunyan died in London. He had been on a mission of mercy to Reading, to
effect reconciliation between a young neighbour of his and the father with
whom he had quarrelled. The mission successfully accomplished, Bunyan
continued his journey on horseback to London. On the way he was overtaken by a
great storm of wind and rain, and he arrived at the house of his friend, John
Strudwick on Snow Hill, drenched to the skin and feeling unwell. In spite of
his evident weakness and sickness, he insisted on fulfilling an engagement to
preach on the following Sunday, at the Meeting House of one John Gammons in
Petticoat Lane. He then returned to John Strudwick's house, where he grew
weaker, and a few days later died. Bunyan was buried in the Strudwick family
vault in the burial ground of Bunhill Fields, City Road, London. Bunhill
Fields is noted as the resting place of many prominent Dissenters
Produced by IT Unit
Bedford Borough Council