His statue, by Onslow Ford, is in the Birmingham Art Gallery. Being near-sighted, he constantly wore spectacles. His resolute face and knitted brow were no index to the tenderness of his sympathies; the great charm of his personality was in his rich and mellow voice. He married (21 Feb. 1855) Elizabeth, second daughter of William Dowling of Over Wallop, Hampshire; she survived him with a son, Mr. Alfred William Winterslow Dale, principal of University College, Liverpool, and two daughters. Much of Dale's literary activity was expended on separate sermons, pamphlets, and contributions to magazines (full list in the 'Life' by his son); he edited 'The Congregationalist' from 1872 to 1878. In addition to works mentioned above he published:
- 'The Jewish Temple and the Christian Church. … Discourses on the Epistle to the Hebrews,' 1865, 8vo; 1871, 8vo.
- 'Discourses,' 1866, 8vo.
- 'Weekday Sermons,' 1867, 8vo.
- 'The Ten Commandments,' 1872, 8vo.
- 'The Atonement,' 1875, 8vo; 9th edit. 1884, 8vo (Congregational Union lecture, translated into French and German).
- 'Nine Lectures on Preaching,' 1877, 8vo (Yale Lecture).
- 'The Evangelical Revival and other Sermons,' 1880, 8vo.
- 'The Epistle to the Ephesians,' 1882, 8vo.
- 'Laws of Christ for Common Life,' 1884, 8vo.
- 'A Manual of Congregational Principles,' 1884, 8vo (books 1 and 2 reprinted as 'Congregational Church Polity,' 1885, 8vo).
- 'Impressions of Australia,' 1889, 8vo.
- 'The Living Christ and the Four Gospels,' 1890, 8vo (the first five lectures have been translated into Japanese).
- 'Fellowship with Christ and other Discourses,' 1891, 8vo.
- 'Christian Doctrine … Discourses,' 1894, 8vo.
Posthumous were:
- 'The Epistle of James and other Discourses,' 1895, 8vo.
- 'Christ and the Future Life,' 1895, 8vo.
- 'Essays and Addresses,' 1899, 8vo (a selection).
He compiled a hymnal ('The English Hymn Book,' 1874, 8vo), its title being meant as a protest against sentimentalism in hymns.
[Dale's Life of E. W. Dale, 1898 (portrait); Pulpit Photographs, 1871; Julian's Diet, of Hymnology, 1890, p. 260.]
DALE, THOMAS PELHAM (1821–1892), ritualistic divine, born in London in 1821, was the eldest son of Thomas Dale [q. v.], the evangelical vicar of St. Pancras, and subsequently dean of Rochester, who married in 1819 Emily Jane, daughter of J. M. Richardson, bookseller, of Cornhill. After education at King's College, London, he went up to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (where his tutor was Colenso), in 1841; graduated B.A. (as twenty-fifth wrangler) in 1845, was made a fellow of his college, and proceeded M.A. in 1848. He was ordained deacon and priest in 1845 and 1846 by Bishop Sumner of Winchester, served as curate of Camden chapel, Camberwell, for two years, and in 1847 was appointed rector of St. Vedast's, Foster Lane, with St. Michael-le-Querne in the city of London. He was a diligent student and a considerable Hebrew scholar. From 1851 to 1856 he served as librarian of Sion College. His parochial duties were nominal, all the rate-paying parishioners being non-resident and not attending the church. In 1873, however, he commenced midday services in St. Vedast's, and introduced a number of ritualistic innovations, such as a mixed chalice which he held to be in accordance with primitive usage. This displeased the ratepayers and churchwardens, whom he had already ruffled by objecting to the expenditure of 30l. for an annual audit dinner out of the trust funds of the parish. In 1875, during their pastor's suspension, Mackonochie's congregation migrated from St. Alban's to St. Vedast's. In 1876 the church- wardens of the parish lodged a representation against Dale under the Public Worship Act. On 12 Nov. 1876 the bishop of London (Jackson) accompanied the inhibition which had been obtained from the Court of Arches, and insisted on taking over the services. Dale submitted for the time, but legal flaws were discovered in the case of the prosecution, and, amid much correspondence public and private, Dale renewed the services, ignored the citations, summonses, admonitions, inhibitions, and other documents with which he was plentifully served, and persisted in disregarding the law of the land. A fresh prosecution was commenced, and on 28 Oct. 1880, in his capacity as dean of arches, Lord Penzance pronounced Dale to be in contempt for officiating in defiance of a legal inhibition. He was accordingly signified to her majesty in chancery as contumacious, and was arrested by an officer of the court on 30 Oct., and lodged in Holloway gaol. He was let out on bail on Christmas Eve, and in January 1881 was entirely released by order of the lords justices, who held that the writ of inhibition was bad, in consequence of its issue not having been reported to the court of queen's bench. The case, which had excited extraordinary attention, and had been very unjustifiably protracted by those taking part in it, was thus brought to a fit termination.
