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Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography

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This project is an activity of the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society and is funded in part by the Fund for Unitarian Universalism. More about the Project

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The following are the articles most recently added to the Dictionary. To see a complete list of what is available (over 300 biographies so far) and what is planned (many hundreds more), please click on the alphabetical indices on the sidebar. The search feature, also on the sidebar, may be used to find all references to a given person. Articles may also be found by clicking on the categories listed below the news.

Featured Article

William Vidler

William Vidler
William Vidler (May 4, 1758-August 23, 1816), a British Universalist and Unitarian preacher and publisher, was a disciple and colleague of Elhanan Winchester. Together with Unitarian missionary Richard Wright, Vidler played a significant role in establishing institutional features British Unitarians continue to use.

Born at Battle, Sussex, inland from Hastings on the south coast of England, William was the youngest of ten children born to John Vidler and Elizabeth Bowling. He was apprenticed to his father, a stonemason. As he was asthmatic and of a studious disposition, he was hardly suited for the trade. The evangelist George Gilbert came to Battle in 1776 and preached at revival services. Afterward, William joined an independent Calvinist church, quickly organized in response to the revival services, and the next year started preaching. In 1780, persuaded of the correctness of believer's baptism (as opposed to infant baptism), he was baptised by Thomas Purdy, a minister in Rye. As a result, the majority of the Battle church re-organised as a Particular Baptist Church and called Vidler as its minister.

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