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The Methodist Crusade in Ireland 1795-1845

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

D. N. Hempton
D. N. Hempton*
Affiliation:
Queen’s University, Belfast
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Extract

Desmond Bowen’s recently published ‘Study of Protestant-Catholic relations between the Act of Union and Disestablishment’ has been a well received investigation of the polarisation between evangelical anglicanism and an increasingly ‘Roman’ catholicism. In his view the historically fragmented religio-political culture of pre-nineteenth century Ireland was, after 1822, the perfect battleground for two imperialistic ecclesiastical systems: ‘When protestant proselytising was openly encouraged in parts of the country after 1822 and the movement for emancipation gained momentum, the castigation of religious leaders who urged conciliation instead of confrontation increased.’

Type
Articles
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 22 , Issue 85 , March 1980 , pp. 33 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1980

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References

1 Bowen, Desmond, The protestant crusade in Ireland 1800–1870 (Dublin, 1978), p. 8.Google Scholar

2 Ibid., pp 4–7

3 Augustin Cardinal Bea, President, Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, in a preface to John Wesley’s letter to a Roman Catholic, Michael, Hurley S.J. (ed.),(Belfast, 1968).Google Scholar

4 Michael Hurley, op. cit., p.48.

5 Todd, J.M., John Wesley and the Catholic Church (London, 1958), p. 192.Google Scholar

6 Semmel, Bernard, The methodist revolution (London, 1974), p.89.Google Scholar

7 Jeffery, Frederick, Methodism and the Irish problem (Belfast, 1973), p.34.Google Scholar

8 Amherst, W J. S.J., The history of Catholic emancipation 1771–1820(London, 1886), 1, 147 Google Scholar

9 Rev.Mills, Alexius, The history of riots in London in the year 1780, commonly called the Gordon riots (London, 1883).Google Scholar

10 Rev. England, T R., The life of the Reverend Arthur O’Leary (London, 1822)Google Scholar.

11 O’Connell wrote two letters to the Wesleyans at Manchester because of their opposition to national education: first letter, London, 6 July 1839,12pp; second letter, London, 1 Aug. 1839, 18pp.

12 O’Connell, first letter, p.4.

13 Sheil, R.L., Hansard, 3, 79, 980.Google Scholar

14 Crookshank, C.H., History of methodism in Ireland (London, 1885), 1, 360–1.Google Scholar

15 Calculations are based on the table by Jeffery, op.cit., p.97

16 M[ethodist] C[hurch] Afrchives] Mss. Adam Clarke wrote to Jabez Bunting that ‘all of their work lies in sixes and sevens’, 4 July 1823.

17 The answer of the British Conference to the annual address of the Irish Conference (1839). Irish Conference minutes (1840).

18 M.C.A. typescript, Adam Clarke to the methodist preachers in Great Britain, Millbrook, 21 Oct. 1822.

19 Taylor, George, A history of the rise, progress, and suppression of the rebellion in the county of Wexford in the year 1798 (Dublin, 1800), p.99.Google Scholar

20 I[rish] W[esleyan] Historical] Sfociety] Afrchives] Mss, Adam Averell to Joseph Benson, 7 June 1798.

2l See J. R. Binns, A history of methodism in Ireland from Wesley’s death in 1791, to the re-union of Primitives and Wesleyans in 1878. Queen’s University of Belfast M. A. thesis, (1960), pp 15ff.

22 An address from the Irish to the British Conference (Dublin, 13 July 1799), Irish conference Minutes.

23 See map in Binns, op. cit.

24 Much of this uncatalogued correspondence still survives in the Methodist Mission House, Marylebone Road, London.

25 M.M.H. Mss, Charles Graham to Dr Coke, 11 Sept. 1802.

26 M.M.H. Mss, Charles Graham to Dr Coke, 23 Nov. 1802.

27 M.M.H. Mss, William Reilly to Joseph Taylor, 15 Dec. 1818.

28 M.M.H. Mss, Dr Coke’s draft on Irish missions for the report of 1806.

29 The other was Thomas Thompson.

30 Butterworth referred to a circular letter he had sent out to the Irish missionaries in a debate concerning Catholic claims on 10 May 1825. Hansard, 2, 13, 482–3.

3l M.C.A. Mss, Gideon Ouseley to Joseph Butterworth, 29 May 1804; see also Gideon Ouseley to Joseph Butterworth, 14 May 1813; Charles Graham to Joseph Butterworth, 13 Mar 1805.

32 Ward, R., Religion and society in England 1790–1850 (London, 1972), p. 118.Google Scholar

33 M.C.A. Mss, Thomas Allan to Joseph Butterworth, 3 Dec. 1812.

34 M.C.A. Mss, John Barber to George Marsden, 18 Jan. 1813.

35 M.C.A. Mss. A number of draft Protestant Union papers in the hand of Thomas Allan still survive.

36 M.C.A. Mss, Henry Deery to Joseph Butterworth, 13 May 1820.

37 M.C.A. Mss, Andrew Hamilton to Joseph Butterworth, 19 May 1820.

38 M.C.A. Mss, John Stuart to Joseph Butterworth, 29 May 1820; see also, William Stewart to Joseph Butterworth, 12 May 1820.

39 Hansard. 2, 4, 1184–6.

40 Ibid.,511.

41 Hansard, 2, 12, 149.

42 Ibid.,511.

43 Watson, Richard, A sermon on the death of Joseph Butterworth esq. (London, 1826).Google Scholar

44 Bunting, T.P, The life of Jabez Bunting (London, 1859), 1, 371.Google Scholar

45 I.W.H.S. Mss, Matthew Tobias to Jabez Bunting, 28 Nov. 1828.

46 Ibid.

47 See J.K.L., Letters on the state of Ireland to a friend in England’(Dublin, 1825), letter 3, p.67.

48 See Hexter, J.H., ‘The protestant revival and the Catholic question in England 1778–1829’ in Journal of Modern History, 8 (1936), pp 297–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

49 M.C.A. Mss, Jabez Bunting to Matthew Tobias, 23 Feb. 1829. This letter is reproduced by Ward, W R., The early correspondence ofJabez Bunting (London, 1972), pp 202–3.Google Scholar

50 I.W.H.S. Mss, Matthew Tobias to Jabez Bunting, 17 Mar. 1829.

51 Ibid. The palatines were German protestant refugees from the Palatine in the Rhine Valley. In 1709 between 500 and 1,000 of them were settled by the British government in Co. Limerick.

52 I.W.H.S. Mss, William Stewart to Joseph Entwistle, 24 Mar 1829. This letter is reproduced in the Memoir of Joseph Entwistle by his son (1848), pp 437–40.

53 In Ward, op. cit., pp 202–3.

54 M.C.A. Mss, Allan collection. Thomas Allan to his son Thomas, 19 Mar. 1829. See also his letter of 9 Mar. in which Allan records conversations with Farnham and Eldon.

55 M.C.A. Mss, Richard Treffry Jun. to George Osborne, 11 Feb. 1829.

56 See Hempton, D.N., ‘Methodism and anti-Catholic polities’, (University of St Andrews Ph.D. 1977), pp 226–28.Google Scholar

57 Watchman, 15 Sept. 1841.

58 Watchman, 8 Jan. 1845.

59 Prest kept a diary of his activities, which is now in Balliol College, Oxford.

60 Watchman, 30 Apr 1845.

61 Thelwall, A.S., Proceedings of the Anti-Maynooth Convention (London, 1845), lxxvii.Google Scholar

62 Ibid.,pp 18–204.

63 Ibid.,p. 127.

64 Ibid.,xlii.

65 M.C.A. Mss, Charles Prest to Jabez Bunting, 27 May 1845.

66 Belfast Newsletter, 20 May 1845. Wesleyan preachers were prominent at a large meeting in Lisburn. There were seven Wesleyans on the Irish Anti-Maynooth Committee.

67 Chadwick, Owen, The Victorian church (London, 1966), 1, 233.Google Scholar

68 Watchman, 11 June 1845.

69 Wesley, John, A letter to the printer of the ‘Public Advertiser’ occasioned by the late act in favour of Popery, (City Road, 21 Jan. 1780).Google Scholar

70 See my article entitled ‘Wesleyan methodism and educational politics in the first half of the nineteenth century’ in History of Education, 8 no. 3 (1979), pp 207–21.

71 This is the argument of Ward, W R. in Religion and society in England 1790–1850 (London, 1972),Google Scholar and has recently been given statistical support by Gilbert, A. D., who shows that methodists as a percentage of the total population were in decline from 1840, in Religion and society in industrial England(London, 1976)Google Scholar.