or HERRNHUTH, the first and most considerable settlement of the United Brethren, commonly called Moravians, situated in Upper Lusatia, upon an estate, belonging to the family of Nicolas Lewis Count Zinzendorf, about 50 miles east of Dresden. See the article UNITED Brethren.

The building of this place was begun in 1727 by some emigrants from Moravia, who forsook their possessions on account of the persecution they suffered as Protestants from the Roman Catholics; and being well received by Count Zinzendorf, cleared a spot of ground allotted to them by him upon the rise of an hill called the Hutberg, or Watch-hill, from which they took occasion to call the new settlement Herrnhut, or the Watch of the Lord. More emigrants taking refuge with them, and many other persons joining their congregation, the buildings increased considerably; and at present Herrnhut is a regular and well-built village, containing about 1300 inhabitants, all members of the Church of the United Brethren. Besides the minister and his assistants, a warden is appointed, who presides in the vestry, and superintends the temporal concerns of the settlement. The Brethren distinguish themselves by a plain and uniform dress, the women having retained the dress of the countries from which the first emigrants proceeded, not from any superstitious attachment to old forms, but from a desire to preclude vanity and useless expense. As most of the settlements of this community resemble each other, both in the disposition of their buildings and in their internal regulations, we will give a short sketch of Herrnhut, as the pattern from which the rest were copied, though there are others in which the buildings are more regularly planned. The chapel, which is situated in a large square, is a spacious and neat building, furnished with a good organ and moveable forms, but no pews. The men sit on one side, and the women on the other, entering at separate doors. Besides the usual Sunday's service, the congregation meets here every evening and the children every morning. The dwellings of the minister and warden of the congregation form one, and a school-house the other, wing to the chapel. From the chapel an avenue of trees leads to the burying-ground, which is a large square field on the declivity of the Hutberg, and at some distance from the village. Several walks bordered by trees, and furnished with seats, surround and intersect it. The grave-stones and graves are all of equal size, and placed in regular rows; only the vault of Count Zinzendorf, as lord of the manor, is larger than the rest. Burials are performed with great solemnity, but no mourning dresses used.—On one side of the square, in which the chapel stands, is a large building, inhabited by the single men, with workshops, outhouses, and gardens, exclusive of the dwelling rooms. The main building contains a neat chapel, in which a short morning and evening service is performed for the inhabitants; a dining-hall; and a dormitory, in which each has a separate bed. The latter is a lofty room, furnished with large windows and ventilators, so as to admit and preserve a pure air. For the sick, apartments are allotted, and sick waiters appointed. The number of inhabitants in one room is proportioned to its size, but there are many who have rooms to themselves. No one lives here by compulsion. Each inhabitant pays for rent and board a moderate sum, fixed Herrnhut, by a committee of overseers, in which the warden of the house presides; whose business it is to maintain good order, attend to the external welfare of the house and its inhabitants, and by his advice and activity to prevent every evil arising from external sources. Besides the warden, an unmarried clergyman resides in the house, appointed to attend to the moral conduct and spiritual concerns of all the single men belonging to the congregation. He hears their complaints, afflicts them with good advice, and uses all his influence for their benefit, and for the prevention of any evil that would undermine their spiritual happiness.—On the other side of the square is another large building, inhabited by single women; with a chapel, dining hall, dormitory, and a large garden. The internal regulations are exactly the same with those of the house of the single men. There are likewise houses for widowers and widows, who find in them an agreeable retreat, with board and lodging. The poor are cared for and maintained; for which purpose several charitable institutions exist in the congregation.—The manor-house, the house of Count Reufs, the shop and linen warehouse, are the most considerable buildings in Herrnhut; the family houses are built in regular streets opening into the square. Both the streets and houses are kept clean; and besides a watchman at night, an officer is appointed to attend to good order in the day. All strangers are treated with civility; but neither drunken nor disorderly visitors nor beggars are suffered to infest the streets. The latter receive an alms, and are then desired to proceed. The principal trade carried on at Herrnhut is in linen; besides which the work done there by tailors, glovers, shoemakers, cabinet-makers, silversmiths, and other artificers, is well known for its good quality. They have their first prices, and never make any abatement. Every workman receives his wages; no community of goods existing among the brethren, as is falsely supposed; and the contributions towards the support of the establishment at large, the missions, and other charitable institutions, are voluntary. The building and increase of this settlement occasioned no small surprise in the adjacent country; and both in 1732, 1736, and 1737, commissioners were appointed to examine into the doctrines and proceedings of the brethren at Herrnhut. The commissioners made a favourable report; and ever since both Herrnhut and other settlements of the United Brethren in Saxony have been protected, and even several immunities offered them by the court, but not accepted. Herrnhut was visited in 1766 by the late emperor Joseph II. after his return from Dresden, by the present king of Prussia, and by several other royal personages, who expressed their satisfaction in examining its peculiar regulations. The United Brethren have settlements in Saxony, Silesia, and other parts of Germany; in Holland, Denmark, England, Ireland, and America. In England, their principal settlements are at Fulneck near Leeds, and Fairfield near Manchester. In Greenland, North and South America, the West Indies and Russia, they have missions for the propagation of Christianity among the heathen; and in many parts have had considerable successes. See Buehling's Account of the Rise and Progress of the Church of the Brethren, Halle 1781; and Grantz's History of the Brethren, London 1780.

New, the first mission settlement of the United Brethren, in the island of St Thomas in the West Indies, under the Danish government, begun in 1739; their missionaries having endeavoured to propagate Christianity among the negro slaves ever since 1731, and suffered many hardships and persecutions, from which their converts were not exempted. Many of the planters finding in process of time that the Christian slaves were more tractable, moral, and industrious, than the heathen, not only countenanced but encouraged their endeavours. These were also greatly facilitated by the protection of the king of Denmark. The settlement consists of a spacious negro church, a dwelling-house for the missionaries, negro-huts, out-houses, and gardens. From this place the islands of St Croix and St Jan were at first supplied with missionaries; and the Brethren have now two settlements in each. The negro converts belonging to their church amount in those three islands to near eight thousand souls.

New, is also the name of the oldest mission settlement of the United Brethren in Greenland. It is situated on Balls River, a few miles from the sea, near Davis's Straits, on the western coast of Greenland, not far from the Danish colony Godhaab. The two first missionaries were sent from Herrnhut in the year 1733, and their laudable intentions were favoured by the king of Denmark. They had to struggle in this uncultivated, frozen, and savage country, with inconceivable hardships, and found at first great difficulty in acquiring the language of the natives. However, after five years labour and perseverance, they had the satisfaction to baptize four persons, all of one family; and from that time the mission began to prosper, so that in the succeeding years two other settlements were begun, called Lichtensels and Lichtenau. All of them continue in prosperity. About 1300 of the natives have been christianized since the beginning of this mission. See Grantz's History of Greenland, London, 1777.