Anne Dutton

I took a trip into the countryside last Saturday. Although I live in England I am not very familiar with it apart from London. This trip took me deep into the Bedfordshhire and Cambridgeshire landscape, along roads and through villages that I don't recall ever having travelled before. I can't remember seeing so many thatched cottages in one afternoon. My target was the Baptist Chapel in Great Gransden, a lovely square 19th century building with a gallery and a large clock.

It is the church where Anne Dutton was a member and she was the focus of two lectures that afternoon, given by Professor Michael Haykin and David Gay. The church was packed with about 60 present. We were well looked after by the church. Dr Haykin gave us the background and took us through the life of Anne Dutton (she is one of the subjects in his new book of biographies of eight women). Mr Gay in his own idiosyncratic style gave us some highlights from her writings, matters such as assurance (he has written a book The Spirituality of Anne Dutton). Dutton was a prolific writer and there has been a new surge of interest in her over the recent past. Her writings are easy to come by if you look on the Internet and seem well worth investigating.

We have mentioned Dutton previously. See here.

Worth missing the rugby for, especially as Wales lost. (At least England have finally been stopped so missing out on the Triple Crown and Grand Slam).