From The Circuit Superintendent, Wantage and Abingdon
Methodist Circuit i.e. Revd. Martin Smithson
and Circuit Archivist Peter Hemmings

Introduction

Previous Depositions

There was one major deposition, Accession 2593, made in by the Wantage & Abingdon Methodist Church by the superintendent at that time, Reverend Peter Jarvis. The contents of that accession are described on a series on catalogue cards. The Oxfordshire Record Office does not have an electronic copy of that catalogue but a transcript has been prepared.

The circuit was formed in 1959 when the Abingdon section of the Oxford Circuit was added to the area covered by the previous Wantage & Wallingford Circuit. Almost all the 1986 deposition covers the area of the latter circuit and its predecessors (listed in the accession transcript). Judging from the catalogue it would appear that this was the first clear out of the circuit safe for over 100 years.

Older records relating to the Abingdon section of the circuit would have been referenced under the Oxford Circuit. At the time of writing I do not have any details.

There was a period, 100 years ago, when the Wantage Wesleyans were part of the Wantage and Swindon Wesleyan Methodist Circuit. It is not known whether there are any documents in the Wiltshire Record Office.

An earlier enquiry to the Berkshire Record Office about the Wantage & Abingdon Circuit received a reply that the present circuit had decided to deposit at the Oxfordshire Record Office. When that enquiry was made it was not appreciated that the present circuit was not formed until 1959. It is therefore necessary to follow this query asking what records might be available for the circuit’s predecessor. In particular there might be information concerning chapels in the area still sometimes known as North Berkshire.

Records of the Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit ready for Deposition

XVI-XVIII Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit

XVI/ Minute Book of Circuit Meeting, Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit,
1959-1984?, 1985-1986. (2 volumes) (Acc.5596)

XVI/ Minute File of Circuit Meeting, Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit,
1987-1999. (1 file) (Acc.5596)

XVI/ Minute book of the Advisory Committee of Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit
1959-1986, no entries 1964-7. (1 volume) (Acc.5596)

XVI/ Minute File of the Staff & Stewards Meeting, 1987-1998, Circuit Leadership Team 1999-2000, Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit.
(1 file) (Acc.5596)

XVI/ Minute File of the General Purposes Committee, 1987-1998,
Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit. (1 file) (Acc.5596)

XVI/ Correspondence File of Circuit Meeting Secretary, 1991-1999.
(1 file) (Acc.5596)

XVII/ Circuit Stewards’ Account book, Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit,
1959-1970, 1978-1983. (2 volumes) (Acc.5596)

XVIII/ Circuit plans, Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit, 1998-2000.
(5 items) (Acc.5596)

XIX-XXXVII records of Individual Methodist Chapels,
arranged alphabetically by place-names

XXII/ Minute Book of Leaders Meeting, Childrey Methodist church.
1958-1985. (1 volume) (Acc.5596)

XXV/ Minute Book of the Church Council, Grove Methodist church,
1968-1977. (1 volume) (Acc.5596)

XXV/ Minute File of the Property Committee, Grove Methodist church,
1976-1983, 1986-1999. (2 items) (Acc.5596)

XXV/ Folder of Archive Material, Grove Methodist church,
1978-1989. (1 items) (Acc.5596)

XXV/ Minute File of the Joint Church Council, Grove Methodist
and Wantage Methodist churches, 1976-79. (1 item) (Acc.5596)

XXXIV/ Register of Baptisms, Wantage Wesleyan Methodist, later Methodist church,
1913-1967. (1 volume) (Acc.5596)

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