The Reverend John Jukes

The Rev. John Jukes was born in Frome, Somerset, and was Pastor of the Bunyan Meeting Church, Mill Street, Bedford from 1840 to 1866. The present building was opened in 1850 at a cost of £4,500.

The famous Bedfordian author Mark Rutherford, (real name William Hale White), 1831-1913, was a member of this church during Jukes’ ministry. He caricatured him as the Rev. John Broad in his novel “The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane”. In this book Bedford is Cowfold and Bunyan Meeting is in Tanner’s Lane.

There is a Memoir of John Jukes, Senior Pastor of Bunyan’s Church Bedford by Thomas Allen Blyth and John Jukes, published in 2010.

The monument commemorates The Rev. John Jukes and his wife, Sarah Jukes.

The Memorial reads:

“HE WAS A DEVOUT CHRISTIAN A FAITHFUL PREACHER A WATCHFUL PASTOR A SUCCESSFUL TUTOR AND JUDICIOUS AND FIRM FRIEND WITH EXEMPLARY WISDOM GENTLENESS AND COURTESY AND WON UNIVERSAL RESPECT BY A SPIRIT AT ONCE LOVING AND FEARLESS. HIS LIFE WAS BEAUTIFUL IN ITS CONSISTENCY AND HIS END WAS PERFECT PEACE. (Illegible section ….) DIED MAY 22ND 1866 IN THE 62ND YEAR OF HIS AGE.

SARAH WIDOW OF THE LATE REVD JOHN JUKES DIED DECEMBER 31st 1869 AGED 62”.

Grave Ref: C3.165