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In this bibliographic study any historical sketch of the Brethren must of necessity be very short, and yet without it many would be somewhat at sea. One of the most concise and comprehensive histories is that of [[Henry Allan Ironside]], A Historical Sketch of the Brethren Movement (Grand Rapids, 1942, 219pp.). He lists seven men as having been considered the real founders of the movement in Dublin, Ireland, and Plymouth, England. These men are Edward Cronin, Edward Wilson, H. Hutchinson, William Stokes, J. Parnell (afterward the second Lord Congleton, J.G. Bellett, and J.N. Darby.
Cronin, a convert from Roman Catholicism, is said to have been the first to take definite action along Brethren lines. After being denied the fellowship of the Lord's table at the Independent Chapel on York Street, unless he joined them formally, if he intended to remain in Dublin, he and Mr. Edward Wilson met in one of the latter's rooms privately for prayer and the breaking of bread until the latter went to England.
The Yearbook of American Churches lists no divisions and gives the correspondent as Paul F. Loizeaux. It is doubtful that the statistics included are comprehensive of all the groups in the United States.
James H. Brookes lists the following divisions: Darbyites, Open, Exclusive, Newtonites, Kellyites, Stuartites, Cecilites, Grantites, Ravenites, Bell Hillites, Needed Truth, and Neutrals ([[Henry Allan Ironside|H.A. Ironside]], History, p. 197).
I have made no attempt to separate the names of writers into the various divisions to which they belong. Most Brethren abhor categorizing and I have not felt free to inquire about their identification. Many of them changed anyhow from one to another, and there would be no end of difficulty in such an attempt. Where I have run across it I have noted in my name file this identification, but my list of names includes all the branches. One publisher even objected to using the term Plymouth Brethren because it served to identify the movement as a sect, which they vigorously deny.
