Belsham

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A surname, most notably that of Thomas Belsham, an eighteenth and nineteenth century English Unitarian minister and theologian
2. The family name borne by Thomas Belsham, a Unitarian clergyman and writer of religious history in England during the late 1700s and early 1800s
3. Refers to a person with this surname, especially the English Unitarian preacher and theological author Thomas Belsham from the Georgian era

Etymology: Thomas Belsham was an English Unitarian minister, a leading figure in a Christian tradition that rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. He was a close associate of Theophilus Lindsey, the movement's founder in England, and he later wrote Lindsey's memoirs. He also taught theology at Hackney New College, the Unitarian training college. As a surname, "Belsham" is English, but the origin of the name itself is uncertain, so it has no meaning beyond the family that carried it. The word now lives on as the name of this minister and as a reference point in the history of English Unitarianism.