| Abstrakt: |
In old Moravian records there are references to 'Mile End'. This article investigates what was meant by that term. At the end of 1743 the still very new Moravian congregation in London rented two houses in Mile End Old Town with large grounds. From 1744 the leadership of the London congregation congregated there. They understood themselves as a pilgrim congregation, shared the accommodation as married couples and single people, held meetings and liturgical assemblies, and gave accommodation to many sisters and brothers who were travelling through Mile End. At the end of 1746 the girls' school, which had until then been at Broad Oak Manor, was transferred to Mile End. Although only scattered individual references remain, an overall picture of the interaction between the London congregation and this girls' boarding school emerges. The investigation shows that a further house must have been built in 1748/49. It was probably intended for Zinzendorf and his Pilgrim Congregation, when the Count settled in London from 3 January 1749. References to 'Mile End' as 'Dove's Rest' raise questions about the spiritual significance of the houses. Although the three houses in Mile End served as a house for the congregation, as a school and as a guesthouse for Moravians who were passing through, this group of houses was experienced as a place of protection and strengthening in faith. In 1754 the girls' school was transferred to Chelsea, where the aristocratic seat 'Lindsey House' had been purchased. From 1751 the land behind it was developed into a settlement for the Moravian Church. It was for this reason that the girls' school moved to Chelsea. After 1754 two of the three houses in Mile End were taken over by a dissenting academy. Research has not revealed the reason why in the Moravian Church 'Mile End' came almost to be forgotten [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
