Plymouth Brethren

Fundamentalist Christian Protestant sect characterized by extreme simplicity of belief, founded in Dublin in about 1827 by the Reverend John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). The Plymouth Brethren have no ordained priesthood, affirming the ministry of all believers, and maintain no church buildings. They hold prayer meetings and Bible study in members' houses.

An assembly of Brethren was held in Plymouth in 1831 to celebrate the sect's arrival in England, but by 1848 the movement had split into ‘Open’ and ‘Closed’ Brethren. The latter refuse communion with those not of their persuasion. A further subset of the Closed Brethren is the ‘Exclusive’ Brethren, who have strict rules regarding dress and conduct.

In the UK, the Plymouth Brethren are mainly found in the fishing villages of northeast Scotland. There are some 65,000 in the USA, divided into eight separate groups. Worldwide membership is about 1.5 million (1993), including members in the Caribbean, India, and Myanmar.