On this day Sampson Eardley, 1st Baron Eardley (born Sampson Gideon, 10 Oct 1744), died in Brighton. A banker-politician of Jewish descent who became a Tory MP (1770–1802) and Irish peer (1789), Eardley was also a notable early patron of the London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews (LSPCJ, today CMJ). He donated the organ for the new Episcopal Jews’ Chapel at Palestine Place, Bethnal Green—opened in July 1814 as the first purpose-built place of worship in Britain for Jewish disciples of Yeshua.

Eardley’s story embodies the complex crossings of Jewish ancestry, Anglican establishment, and evangelical mission in Georgian Britain. His support for Palestine Place linked elite philanthropy to the emerging Hebrew-Christian (proto-Messianic Jewish) movement and helped root a dedicated worshipping community in London’s East End. The wider project took visible shape when the Duke of Kent laid the foundation stone of Palestine Place on 7 April 1813, before a crowd of more than 20,000 people; the chapel opened the following year, with Lewis Way, the main financial backer, also present.

Early photo of Palestine Place

Born Sampson Gideon, son of the Sephardi financier Sampson Gideon (1699–1762), he was educated at Tonbridge and Eton and was created a baronet in 1759 while still a schoolboy; later he took the surname Eardley and was raised to the Irish peerage as Baron Eardley in 1789, being elected FRS the same year. He sat in Parliament (1770–1802) for Cambridgeshire, Midhurst, Coventry, and Wallingford, and in civic and fraternal life served as Provincial Grand Master for the Cambridgeshire Freemasons from 1796. He died on 25 December 1824, and the monument in Erith to his father also records his death.

Monument to Eardley and his father at St John the Baptist Church, Erith

Palestine Place & the Jews’ Chapel

The LSPCJ established Palestine Place as its Bethnal Green hub with chapel, schools, printing office, and residences. The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of Kent (1813); the chapel opened July 1814. Contemporary and later histories note that the chapel contained an organ donated by Lord Eardley—a tangible sign of aristocratic backing for a dedicated congregation of Jewish Christians.

Hundreds, if not thousands, passed through the schools and factories, leading Jewish institutions such as JFS (the Jewish Free School) to follow its example. Boys, girls, young men and women learned English, trades and professions, some also becoming disciples of Yeshua.

Eardley’s renowned generosity to both Jewish and Christian causes, and his willingness to identify as Jewish despite the antisemitic attitudes of his day, mark him as a pioneer in the modern movement of Jewish disciples of Jesus, as as an example of generosity and willingness to support others less fortunate. May we echo his example today.

Prayer (English)
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
we thank You for the legacy of Lord Sampson Eardley—
for his generosity toward Jewish believers in Jesus
and his support for worship and witness at Palestine Place.
Let the good he began bear fruit in our day:
strengthen congregations, raise up faithful servants,
and deepen love and peace between the Church and the people of Israel.
May his memory inspire courage, compassion, and steadfast hope.
In the name of Yeshua the Messiah. Amen.

תפילה (Hebrew)
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם,
אָנוּ מוֹדִים לְךָ עַל הַיְרוּשָּׁה שֶׁל הָאָדוֹן סַמְפְּסוֹן אֵאַרְדְלִי—
עַל נְדִיבוּתוֹ לְטוֹבַת מַאֲמִינִים יְהוּדִים בְּיֵשׁוּעַ
וְעַל תְּמִיכָתוֹ בַּתְּפִלָּה וּבְעֵדוּת בְּפָלֶסְטַיְן פְּלֵיְס.
יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו הַטּוֹבִים יַעֲשׂוּ פְּרִי גַּם בְּיָמֵינוּ—
חַזֵּק קְהִלּוֹת, הָקֵם מְשָׁרְתִים נֶאֱמָנִים,
וְהַעֲמֵק אַהֲבָה וְשָׁלוֹם בֵּין הַכְּנֵסִיָּה וְעַם יִשְׂרָאֵל.
יְהִי זִכְרוֹ לְבְרָכָה וּלְהַשְׁרָאַת אֹמֶץ וְחֶסֶד וְתִקְוָה.
בְּשֵׁם יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ. אָמֵן.

Transliteration
Ribbono shel olam,
anu modim lecha al hayerushah shel ha-Adon Sampson Eardley—
al nedivuto le-tovat ma’aminim Yehudim b’Yeshua
ve-al t’michto ba-tefillah u-ve’edut b’Palestine Place.
Yehi ratzon she-ma’asav ha-tovim ya’asu p’ri gam b’yameinu—
chazek kehilot, hakim m’shartim ne’emanim,
ve-ha’amek ahavah v’shalom bein ha-k’nesiyah v’am Yisrael.
Yehi zikro livrachah u-l’hashra’at ometz, chesed v’tikvah.
B’shem Yeshua ha-Mashiach. Amen.

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Further reading / sources

• History of Parliament biography: “Eardley (formerly Gideon), Sampson (1745–1824).” (Context on his political career and reputation.) (Provincial Grand Lodge of Cambridgeshire)
• Wikipedia overview (useful dates and offices; cross-check with primary refs). (Wikipedia)
• Curtis, R. “Evangelical Anglican Missionaries and the London Jews’ Society: Palestine Place at Bethnal Green…” Jewish Historical Studies (2019). (On 1813–14 building/opening.) (UCL Press Journals)
• Michael Darby, chapter on the emergence of the Hebrew Christian movement (notes the organ donated by Lord Eardley). (Brill)