Robert Norden (c. 1650–1725) was a Baptist preacher influential in the establishment of Baptist churches in the colony of Virginia prior to the American War of Independence.[1] The oldest Baptist church in the southern United States, First Baptist Church of Charleston, South Carolina, was organised in 1682 under the leadership of William Screven.[2] and a Baptist church was formed in Virginia in 1715 through the influence of Norden's preaching.

He was born in Warbleton, East Sussex, England about 1650.[1] In 1714, English Baptists appointed Norden, along with Thomas White, as “messengers” sent to a group of Baptists who had settled along the south side of the James River in Virginia; however, White died at sea. Norden died in 1725.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Robert Norden, accessed 30 December 2014
  2. ^ Baptist Pioneers in America, Mainstream Baptists, retrieved 3 Feb 2013.
  3. ^ Anderson, F., This Month in History: In Search of Robert Norden, Baptist General Association of Virginia, accessed 1 January 2019