Primitive Methodism in the Yorkshire Wolds c.1820-1932

This thesis concerns the establishment and development of Primitive Methodism on the Yorkshire Wolds from the arrival of missionaries in Hull in 1820 to the Connexion's final sublimation into the wider Methodist Church in 1932. In its nineteenth century heyday Primitive Methodism was a vibrant, evangelistic faith which enhanced the lives of many working people. It gave them purpose, conviviality and a shared spirituality which few had experienced before. In the later nineteenth century it became a cohesive force in village life through its services, Sunday Schools and links with the Friendly Societies.

This thesis examines why Primitive Methodism put down such powerful roots in the Wolds, a relatively isolated area with no industrial development and compares its progress there to that in other areas where it was equally strong - Durham, North Lincolnshire and Norfolk - and to those where it had a firm foothold - Shropshire, Derbyshire and Bedfordshire.

Primitive Methodism was religiously radical: it believed in the priesthood of all believers and in the capacity of all to embrace the word of God and communicate it to others through preaching and extempore prayer. Its religious radicalism sometimes led on to political radicalism, to links with Chartism, trade unions, and the nascent Labour Party. Much recent historical writing has concentrated on this aspect of its past while neglecting its religious impact and the fact that it remained - as did all branches of Methodism - socially conservative. This thesis will consider Wolds Primitive Methodism in the context of the general historiography of the Connexion and assess the contribution it made.