The Cambridge Seven were seven students from Cambridge University who in 1885 decided to become missionaries for the China Inland Mission. Before leaving England, the seven held a farewell tour to spread the message across the country and it was during this tour that someone gave them the name “The Cambridge Seven.”
All seven had become born-again Christians and were so moved by their new-found beliefs that they wanted to go to China to spread God’s word and to help the local population. In fact most of the seven remained connected to missionary work for the remainder of their lives.
Though their time together as a group was brief, they inspired many more recruits for the CIM and other mission societies. In 1885, when the seven first arrived in China, the CIM had 163 missionaries. This figure had doubled by 1890 and reached some 800 by 1900, which represented one-third of the entire Protestant missionary force.
So who were the Seven?
William Wharton Cassels - worked in China for ten years and then returned to England in 1895 so he could be consecrated as the new bishop of diocese in Western China where he would return to and live for the reset of his life.
Stanley Peregrine Smith - was sent to North China where he learned to speak the language and became a fluent preacher in Chinese.
C T Studd
Charles Thomas Studd – C T Studd was probably the best known of “The Cambridge Seven” as he was a famous England cricketer before he turned his attentions to missionary work. He worked in China until 1894 when ill health meant he had to return home. However, later on in his life he continued his work as a missionary in India and Africa and was the founder of WEC International.
Arthur Polhill-Turner - was ordained as a minister in China and moved to the densely populated countryside to reach as many people as he could. He remained in the country throughout the uprisings against foreigners at the turn of the century and did not return to England until his retirement in 1928.
Cecil Polhill-Turner - worked in the northwest provinces of China, where him and his wife were nearly killed during a violent riot in 1892. In 1900, due to poor health, he was sent home to England and was strongly advised against a return to China. Despite this ban, his heart remained in China and throughout the rest of his life, he made seven more prolonged missionary visits.
Montagu Harry Proctor Beauchamp - was evacuated from China in 1900 because of the uprisings but returned again in 1902. He came back to England in 1911 so that he could served as a chaplain with the British Army. His son became a second-generation missionary in China and he died at his son’s mission station in 1939.
Dixon Haste - he succeeded Hudson Taylor as the CIM’s Director which he led for thirty years. He retired in 1935 but remained in China until 1945, when he was interned by the Japense and died in London one year later, the last remaining member of “The Cambridge Seven” to die.