The name of John Nelson Darby is not one which is immediately recognised by many Christians but Darby was an influential 19th Century Christian, one of the founders of the Plymouth Brethren movement, and the subject of this biography and analysis of the movement by Marion Field. John Nelson Darby was born in London in November 1800 and in the 1820s was greatly influenced spiritually by the Roman Catholic Church but eventually became an ordained minister in the United Church of England and Ireland in 1825. Later he objected to being required to sign an oath of allegiance to a man, albeit a King and in time came to think that a man did not need to be ordained to be able to preach the word of God. Around 1828 he severed his links with the established Church and gathering friends together the seed of the Plymouth Brethren movement was sown. Over the next few years he travelled widely setting up meetings with like minded people and defining the philosophy of the Plymouth Brethren. A thoughtful and detailed biography using much primary material and reminding the reader of Darby’s belief that the Jews are God’s chosen people and have a right to Israel their promised land.