Charles Mann Luxmoore

Luxmoore was one of the prominent leaders of the most vigorous strands of the Needed Truth.
He lead the fight against Frank Vernal in the division of that name.

Reading over a hymn composed by CM Luxmoore" Sent from the Eternal Father who dwells in light above..." i was looking for more information on thsi man.

There are some recollections of C.M. Luxmoore (from 40 years ago) at http://www.hayespress.org/article-jan-1975-reflections

Sorry... I didn't include the link: http://www.hayespress.org/article-jan-1975-reflections.

Thanks for the link .. I think you did include it first time, but it vanished because my (not every advanced) comments system couldn't handle it being enclosed in < and > .. sorry about that!

Here's a short biography of C.M. Luxmoore:

CHARLES MANN LUXMOORE DSc, FIC, MPS was born on 8 May 1858 at 12 Bedford Street, Plymouth, England the son of John Vellacott Luxmoore and Hester Dodge Mann. The Luxmoore family traces its history back to 1640 mostly in the English county of Devon. The name is derived from Luke's Moor an area of Dartmoor. Some members of the family achieved fame in the clergy, the army and the law. Some were awarded knighthoods. But C. M. Luxmoore came from a less famous branch of the family. His great grandfather William Luxmoore was a tallow chandler at Crediton where John V. Luxmoore was born in 1820.1 J. V. Luxmoore eventually went to Plymouth where he was a bookseller and agent for religious books and tracts. C. M. Luxmoore was born above the shop. J. V. Luxmoore was an Open Brethren man who lived through the troubles of 1845 and 1848. He did not follow J. N. Darby but remained faithfully Open Brethren. The family lived some time in Exeter and then Bristol where they sat under the ministry of George Müller.

In 1880 C. M. Luxmoore registered as a student with the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and with London University. In 1884 he qualified as a member of the Society and won the silver medal for the best student of the year. That medal is now in the care of Galen Butlin MPS (Leicester). In June 1884 he graduated BSc in chemistry. He opened a pharmacy at 529 Battersea Park Road, London S.W. where he lived till he sold the pharmacy to Edwin Matthew in 1894. He continued his studies while lecturing at University College, Reading until in 1895 he was awarded his DSc for a thesis on the chemistry of the soil in the counties around Reading. He was later admitted a Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry.

He was brought up in a Brethren home and knew the Scriptures well. When he came to London in the 1880's he met with Open Brethren at various addresses and engaged in gospel work in South London and Surrey.8 When he separated from Archel Road Gospel Hall, West Kensington along with some saints later in the London assembly9 he went to Victoria Hall, 104 High Street, Battersea where a small church of God had been planted. Although living in Reading he was numbered with assemblies in the London area as these were the nearest. There was a small company at Wandsworth but in a few years it moved to Walham Green Hall, Effie Road, Fulham and is nowadays at Wembley. During his years of study his attention to the things of God did not falter.

For many years before the Separation he had been a keen Bible student. In addition to his own academic subjects he was well versed in theology, New Testament Greek, French and German. In The Witness 1887 six articles by him appeared on Half an hour with a Concordance but none on matters to do with assembly fellowship. When in 1888 Needed Truth appeared, although only 30 years old, he was one of the first editors and the correspondent. As an editor he had much correspondence on doctrinal subjects, all in addition to his daily work and study.

During the Vernal difficulties 1901-04 he took a leading part on behalf of brethren in England, Wales and Ireland. He came in for some hard words from the Vernal supporters.
In April 1907 he obtained a lecturing post in Halifax and went to live at Jumbles Lodge where the first two camps were held. This lasted only 18 months and in November 1908 he was back in London at 15a Disraeli Gardens, Putney. He went for a time to Exeter and Truro but in 1914 he was back again in London at 49 Garden Avenue, Mitcham. During his time in Exeter he suffered a laboratory accident and lost his left eye. Thereafter he had an artificial eye. He retired from lecturing in 1918 and gave himself to the Lord's work.
He made a point of keeping in touch with men and boys he had met at camps and in 1915 he issued a pamphlet “Campers” in which he detailed all brethren who had attended camps up till then.

In 1911 he visited Toronto and Brantford, much to the joy of saints there. He initiated the first camp at Brantford. During the war of 1914-18 some brethren applied for exemption from military service as conscientious objectors and had to appear before hostile tribunals. C. M. Luxmoore accompanied a number of them to speak on their behalf, incurring the abuse of some of these tribunals.

After 1918 he had visions of extending the Fellowship to France via the Channel Islands. He paid exploratory visits to Jersey and in 1919 took with him Joe Bennison then released from prison at Dartmoor where he had been imprisoned as a conscientious objector to army service. They worked together and it was C. M. Luxmoore who persuaded Joe not to return to art school but to think of going out full-time into the Lord's work. This he did in 1923. Eventually an assembly was planted in Jersey in 1921. It never grew to large numbers and ceased in 1973.

In March 1922 he took seriously ill while in Jersey and returned to London. He entered St Thomas Hospital on 4 April, wrote a letter of encouragement to the Nigerian workers on 5 April, underwent an operation on the evening of 15 April when it was disclosed that his condition was beyond human aid. He awoke from the anaesthetic around 4 am but by 10.30 am on 16 April 1922 he was with the Lord he had loved and served.

He married Lucy Brewer, daughter of Charles Brewer, an Open Brethren man of long standing in Liverpool. She was born in West Derby, Liverpool in 1853 and was educated at a convent school in England and France. She was fluent in French and German. During the work in Jersey she translated tracts into French e.g. La Lumière dans les demeures. She had a brother Dr John Brewer with two daughters who were among Open Brethren in Birkenhead. Dr and Mrs Luxmoore who had no family had thought of retiring there and had looked at a house.

When he died she decided he would be buried there and she would finish her days on Merseyside where they began. So he was buried in Flay-brick Hill Cemetery, Birkenhead where, later, T. B. Horne and Dr A. T. Doodson were buried. The tombstone makes no reference to his worldly attainments, only that he was a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ who went to be with his Master on 16 April 1922. Then it has 1 Thess. 4:16-17 and John 3.16 in full.

He wrote in all 33 hymns which appeared in PHSS Parts I and II in 1921. He also composed 3 tunes. In his life his great prayer was that the Fellowship would last till the Lord comes, which is why he wrote the hymn “Jehovah God the Father, bless and keep His little flock of feeble lambs and sheep”. (PHSS No. 150).

Hi. The British Open Brethren magazine, The Witness, published a dead notice about Doctor C. M. Luxmoore in 1922, page 204.
The Luxmoore were relatives to the Wreford of Nymet Rowland, in Devon. Two Wreford sisters, Mary and Anne were well known Open Brethren missionaries in Spain. Anne is buried in my town, Marín, in the northwest of Spain. Her tomb is preserved to this day. I wonder if in the Luxmoore papers, in case they still exist, can it be any reference to the Spanish work, documents or photos