W.A.M.C
From The Circuit Superintendent, Wantage and
Abingdon
Methodist Circuit i.e. Revd. Peter Jarvis
Introduction
(See D.J.Steel, Sources for Nonconformist Genealogy and family History (1973))
History
of Methodism
Methodism began in the 1730s under the
leadership of John Wesley and George Whitfield, who were ordained
clergymen of the Church of England. It was intended to be a
revivalist movement within the established church, but separate
preaching houses were established at an early date and in 1744 the
first Conference was held and Circuits were set up. By 1800,
followers regarded themselves as dissenters from the Anglican
church. A succession of splits and offshoots meant that by 1837
there were about nine Methodist denominations.
Of these, only
Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists are known to have existed in the
Vale of White Horse. In 1837 there were 321 Wesleyan Circuits in
England, and 150 Primitive Methodist Circuits, or
Stations.
(Primitive Methodists, known as such from 1812,
originally aimed at reaching poor rural workers, but eventually
became strongest in the industrial towns. Their organisation was
similar to that of the Wesleyans, but circuits were called
‘Stations’ and ministers, ‘Travelling
Preachers’.)
In 1932 the Wesleyans, Primitive and
United Methodists merged to form The Methodist Church. The
organisation centres on the Annual Conference. Individual churches
are grouped into Circuits, which hold Quarterly Meetings, and
circuits are grouped into Districts which hold Synods twice-yearly.
There are now 1,100 circuits and 32 districts.
Records
of the Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit
The
complex history of Methodism, compounded by various circuit
reorganisations, makes it difficult to arrange the records of the
Wantage and Abingdon Circuit coherently. Minute and account books
often include entries from more than one circuit or branch of
Methodism. In such cases documents have been listed under their
original circuit, and cross-referenced. Wantage, for example has
surviving records as follows:
1837-1905 Wantage Wesleyan Methodist Circuit
1905-1911 Wantage
and Swindon Wesleyan Methodist Circuit *
1911-1934 Wantage section, Oxford Wesleyan Methodist Circuit
1934-1959 Wantage and Wallingford Methodist Circuit
1959- Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit
Abingdon, too,
was once part of the Oxford Methodist Circuit from 1905-1958, and
searchers should ask for the list of MS.D.D.Oxf. Methodist Circuit
records in ORO.
The collection includes records of individual
chapels, some of which are no longer in the circuit. It is not
always possible to state whether a chapel belonged originally to the
Wesleyan or Primitive Methodist connection, especially in villages
where there were chapels of both denominations.
* Wantage
and Swindon records only in III/1 and see XXXIV/iii/ln
I- V Mainly Wantage Wesleyan Methodist Circuit
I/i Minute books of Wantage Wesleyan Methodist Circuit,
1881-1904,
Quarterly Meetings (2 volumes) (Acc.2593)
I/ii Minute book of Circuit Trustees, Wantage Wesleyan Circuit
1868-1911,
Wantage District of Oxford Wesleyan Circuit
1911-1934,
Wantage and Wallingford Circuit 1934-1938 (1
volume) (Acc.2593)
I/iii Minute book of Local Preachers’ Meetings, Wantage (Wesleyan) Circuit 1898-1904, Wantage Section of Oxford Wesleyan Circuit 1911-1931. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
II/i Circuit Schedule books, Wantage Wesleyan Methodist Circuit,
1837-1904
(6 volumes) (Acc.2593)
II/ii Circuit Schedule book (Education) 1876-1882,
with loose
schedules 1848-1851 (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
III/i Circuit Stewards’ account books, Wantage Wesleyan
Methodist Circuit, 1857-1904, Wantage Section, Swindon and Wantage
Wesleyan Circuit 1904-1910, Wantage Section, Oxford Wesleyan Circuit
1911-1912 (2 volumes)
(Acc.2593)
III/ii Roll of subscribers from Wantage Wesleyan Methodist Circuit
area to the Methodist Twentieth Century Fund, 1901. (Copy c1929) (1
item)
(Acc.2593)
_______________________
IV/i Trustees’ Correspondence File, Wantage Wesleyan Methodist
Circuit,
later Wantage Section, Oxford Wesleyan Circuit, later
Wantage and Wallingford Circuit, 1861-1950. (1 file)
(Acc.2593)
_______________________
V/i Circuit Plan, Wantage Wesleyan Methodist Circuit, 1882-3. (1
item)
(Acc.2593)
*****************************************************
VI-VIII Mainly Wantage Section, Oxford Wesleyan Methodist
Circuit
(See also I/ii-iii, III/I, IV/i)
VI/i Quarterly Meeting Minute Book, Wantage Section, Oxford Wesleyan Circuit (1911-1934), Wantage and Wallingford Circuit 1934-1949. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
VI/ii Local Preachers’ Meetings minute book, Wantage Section, Oxford Wesleyan Circuit 1932-1934, Wantage and Wallingford Circuit (1934-1958). (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
VI/iii Minute book of Trustees’ Special Meetings, Wantage
Section of Oxford Wesleyan Circuit 1913-1934, Wantage and Wallingford
Circuit 1934-1936. (1 volume)
(Acc.2593)
_______________________
VII/i Circuit Schedule book, Wantage Section of Oxford Wesleyan
Methodist Circuit, 1928-1934, Wantage and Wallingford Circuit
1934-1936. (1 volume)
(Acc.2593)
_______________________
VIII/i Circuit Stewards’ Quarterly Account books, Wantage
Section, Oxford Wesleyan Methodist Circuit, 1912-1934, Wantage and
Wallingford Circuit 1934-1949.
(2 volumes)
(Acc.2593)
VIII/ii Account book, Women’s Auxiliary Missionary Society,
(Wantage Section, Oxford Wesleyan Methodist Circuit, 1920-1934,
Wantage and Wallingford Circuit 1934-1947).
(1 volume)
(Acc.2593)
*****************************************************
IX-XI Wallingford Primitive Methodist Circuit (only)
IX/i Quarterly Meeting Minute Books, 1862-1931. (3 volumes) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
X/i Circuit Reports, 1838-1859. (1 folder) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XI/i Quarterly account books, 1854-1934. (4 volumes) (Acc.2593)
XI/ii Missionary work accounts, 1869-1903, 1916-1934. (2 volumes) (Acc.2593)
*****************************************************
XII -XV Mainly Wantage and Wallingford Methodist Circuit
(See also I/i, IV/i, VI/i-iii, VII/i, VIII/i-ii)
XII/i Quarterly Meeting Minute Book, 1949-1959. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
XII/ii Minute book of the Advisory Committee of Wantage and
Wallingford Methodist Circuit
1936-1959. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XIII/i Circuit Schedule books, Wantage and Wallingford Methodist
Circuit, 1935-1957, with loose papers relating to Wantage and
Abingdon Methodist Circuit, 1960s.
(2 volumes) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XIV/i Methodist Missionary Society Circuit Account books, Wantage and
Wallingford Methodist Circuit 1934-1959, Wantage and Abingdon
Methodist Circuit 1960.
(2 volumes) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XV/i Circuit Plans, Wantage and Wallingford Methodist Circuit 1934,
1945-1959.
(69 items)
(Acc.2593)
*****************************************************
XVI-XVIII Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit
with
stray item from Oxford Methodist Circuit
(See also
XIII/i and XIV/i)
XVI/i Left blank in case of future deposits of minute books
_______________________
XVII/i Circuit account book 1960-1971. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
XVII/ii Methodist Missionary Society account book 1961-1964.
(1
volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XVIII/i Circuit plans 1966-73, with directories. (26 items) (Acc.2593)
XVIII/ii Circuit plans 1973-77. (9 items) (Acc.2593)
XVIII/iii Circuit plans/Preaching Appointments 1977-79. (7 items) (Acc.2593)
XVIII/iv Circuit directory 1977-78. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
XVIII/v Circuit plan and directory Oxford Methodist Circuit
(including Abingdon section), 1959. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
*****************************************************
XIX-XXXVII records of Individual Methodist Chapels,
arranged
alphabetically by place-names
XIX/i Account book, Blewbury Wesleyan Methodist
later Methodist
church 1852-1973. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XX/i Brightwell Primitive Methodist church account book,
1881-1928.
(1 item) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXI/1-3 Charney Bassett Wesleyan Methodist later Methodist church
account books,
1917-1951. (3 volumes) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXII/i Childrey Primitive Methodist church: chapel schedules
1848-1876.
(1 item) (Acc.2593)
XXII/ii Childrey Wesleyan Methodist church: Sunday School minutes,
register,
Infants’ School correspondence 1873-1909. (2
volumes and 1 file) (Acc.2593)
XXII/ii Printed material related to Childrey Methodist church and history of Methodism in Childrey, c1810-1949. (5 items) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXIII/i Drayton Methodist Church minute book, 1940-1956. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXIV/i File of papers relating to Fawler Methodist chapel, 1952-1965. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXV/i Account book, Grove Wesleyan Methodist, later Methodist
church,
1890-1974. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXVI/i Burial register, Harwell Wesleyan Methodist, later Methodist
church,
1862-1944 (not continuous). (1 item) (Acc.2593)
XXVI/ii Minute book, Harwell Methodist church, 1961-1970. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
XXVI/iii Account books 1872-1972, Harwell Wesleyan Methodist, later
Methodist church.
Earlier vol. includes minutes of Trustees’
meetings, 1885-1892.
(2 items) (Acc.2593)
XXVI/iv Notebook with description of Harwell Wesleyan Methodist
chapel burial ground,
c1912. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXVII/i Minute book, East Hendred Methodist chapel
trustees
1953-1962. (1 item) Wesleyan (Acc.2593)
XXVII/ii Account and minute books, treasurers and trustees of East Hendred Wesleyan Methodist, later Methodist church 1905-1975. (2 items) (Acc.2593)
XXVII/iii Account books, East Hendred Methodist church
collections,
1943-1955. (4 volumes) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXVIII/i Minute book, West Hendred Methodist chapel,
1952-1963.
(1 volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXIX/i Letcombe Regis Primitive Methodist chapel
schedules,
1853-1859. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXX/i Account book, Stanford-in-the-Vale Methodist church,
1957-69,
with loose minutes, 1960s. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXXI/i Minute book, Upton Methodist church,
1955-1971. (1
volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXXII/1-2 Combined account and minute books, Wallingford Primitive
Methodist church,
1834-1898. (2 volumes) (Acc.2593)
XXXII/3 Account book, 1889-1910, and loose minutes 1916,
Wallingford
Primitive Methodist church, 1834-1898. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
XXXII/4 File of correspondence, Wallingford Methodist church
hall,
1959-1969. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXXIII/1 Register of attendance, Wantage Wesleyan Methodist Band of
Hope,
1887-1898. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXXIV/i Trustees’ Minute books, Wantage Wesleyan Methodist,
later Methodist church,
1905-1969. (1 volume) (Acc.2593)
XXXIV/ii Leaders Meeting minute books, Wantage Wesleyan Methodist,
later Methodist church,
1883-1977. (4 volumes) (Acc.2593)
XXXIV/iii Combined minute books and account books, various bodies
including chapel stewards, chapel secretary and trustees, Wantage
Wesleyan Methodist, later Wantage Methodist church, 1878-1942.
XXIV/iii/1 includes accounts and minutes of Letcombe Regis trustees,
1916-1939.
(2 volumes) (Acc.2593)
XXXIV/iii Account books, Wantage Wesleyan Methodist, later Wantage
Methodist church, inc. trustees Sunday School, pew rents, church
collections, 1896-1970.
(4 volumes) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXXV/i Deed relating to a messuage in Back Street, Wantage, with plot of garden ground and one third share in a backside belonging to three messuages, 1763. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
XXXV/ii Deeds relating to four messuages on west side of Newbury Street in Wantage and one acre of pasture ground in Wantage, later four messuages only. (One deed refers also to two cottages at East Ilsley, Berks.) 1763-1838. (16 items) (Acc.2593)
XXXV/iii Deeds relating to messuage on west side of Newbury Street in Wantage, with brewhouse, backside and range of buildings behind the message. Messuage &c was later divided into six cottages. 1785-1851. (7 items) (Acc.2593)
XXXV/iv Will probate devising messuages and lands in Wantage,
relates
to XXXV/ii-iii, 1820/21. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
XXXV/v List of members of Wantage Methodist church serving
in H.M.
forces in (1939-45) war. (1 item) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXXVI/i Correspondence file relating to Long Wittenham
chapel,
1960-1; 1983. (1 file) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
XXXVII/i Copy trust deed, printed, relating to Morland & Co. Ltd., breweries, Abingdon, and 123 properties in Berks. And Oxon., 1897. (1 deed) (Acc.2593)
_______________________
NB. For records of the Wesleyan Methodist day school in Wantage, deposited as part of Acc. 2593, see schools index (T/S)