Methodism in Wales

Transcription

1 Methodism in Waes

2 About this free course This free course is an adapted extract from the Open University course A329 The making of Wesh history. This version of the content may incude video, images and interactive content that may not be optimised for your device. You can experience this free course as it was originay designed on OpenLearn, the home of free earning from The Open University There you aso be abe to track your progress via your activity record, which you can use to demonstrate your earning. Copyright 2017 The Open University Inteectua property Uness otherwise stated, this resource is reeased under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence v4.0 Within that The Open University interprets this icence in the foowing way: Copyright and rights faing outside the terms of the Creative Commons Licence are retained or controed by The Open University. Pease read the fu text before using any of the content. We beieve the primary barrier to accessing high-quaity educationa experiences is cost, which is why we aim to pubish as much free content as possibe under an open icence. If it proves difficut to reease content under our preferred Creative Commons icence (e.g. because we can t afford or gain the cearances or find suitabe aternatives), we wi sti reease the materias for free under a persona enduser icence. This is because the earning experience wi aways be the same high quaity offering and that shoud aways be seen as positive even if at times the icensing is different to Creative Commons. When using the content you must attribute us (The Open University) (the OU) and any identified author in accordance with the terms of the Creative Commons Licence. The Acknowedgements section is used to ist, amongst other things, third party (Proprietary), icensed content which is not subject to Creative Commons icensing. Proprietary content must be used (retained) intact and in context to the content at a times. The Acknowedgements section is aso used to bring to your attention any other Specia Restrictions which may appy to the content. For exampe there may be times when the Creative Commons Non- Commercia Shareaike icence does not appy to any of the content even if owned by us (The Open University). In these instances, uness stated otherwise, the content may be used for persona and noncommercia use. We have aso identified as Proprietary other materia incuded in the content which is not subject to Creative Commons Licence. These are OU ogos, trading names and may extend to certain photographic and video images and sound recordings and any other materia as may be brought to your attention. Unauthorised use of any of the content may constitute a breach of the terms and conditions and/or inteectua property aws. We reserve the right to ater, amend or bring to an end any terms and conditions provided here without notice. A rights faing outside the terms of the Creative Commons icence are retained or controed by The Open University. Head of Inteectua Property, The Open University 2 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

3 Contents Introduction 4 Learning Outcomes 5 1 The rise of Methodism 6 2 The Nonconformist context 7 3 Nonconformity in figures 8 4 Two strands of Methodism 11 5 Cavinistic Methodism 12 6 Wesh Chapes 15 7 The Treachery of the Bue Books 19 8 Reigion and identity 21 9 Newspapers as sources Concusion 25 References 26 Keep on earning 27 Acknowedgements 28 3 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

4 Introduction Introduction In this free onine course, Methodism in Waes , you wi earn about a negected strand of Wesh history and identity. By the mid nineteenth century Cavinistic Methodism had become the most popuar reigious denomination in Waes and a mainstay of Wesh nationa identity. Having originay grown up as a movement inside the Church of Engand, in 1811 the Wesh Methodists formay seceded to form their own church. By 1851 over a quarter of Wesh aduts reguary attended Methodist services, making it the argest reigious denomination in Waes. The origins of this new reigious movement, how it rose to prominence, and its significance for Wesh identity more broady, wi be expored by considering the foowing questions: Where did this new form of reigion come from? Why did it become so popuar? How did it become so intertwined with ideas about Weshness? What s more, the course wi introduce you to some fantastic free onine resources such as: Cofein: the onine cataogue of archaeoogy, buidings, industria and maritime heritage in Waes Dictionary of Wesh biography Internet Archive Peope s Coection Waes A Vision of Britain through time Wesh Newspapers Onine These coections are enormousy vauabe for earning not just about Methodism, but about the history of Waes more broady. This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course A329 The making of Wesh history. 4 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

5 Learning Outcomes After studying this course, you shoud be abe to: demonstrate an understanding of the broad history of Nonconformity generay and Methodism specificay in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Waes see connections and conficts between reigious affiiation and nationa identity in this period of Wesh history identify some of the types of evidence, incuding statistics, architecture and newspapers that te us about that history make use of some of the resources for studying Wesh history that are freey avaiabe onine.

6 1 The rise of Methodism 1 The rise of Methodism Back in the sixteenth century Cathoicism had been argey ousted from Waes and repaced by the Church of Engand (often referred to as the Angican Church). However, the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw chaenges to Angican supremacy from many Nonconformist groups who, for various reasons, rejected the Church of Engand as not propery Protestant. It was against that backdrop that Cavinistic Methodism arose in the 1730s and 1740s, initiay within the Angican Church but ater beyond its bounds. It was originated by men ike Howe Harris and Danie Rowand (Figure 1) and, during the eighteenth century, began to exert significant sway as Waes's ony home-grown brand of Protestantism. Figure 1 Statue of Danie Rowand, made by Edward Griffith of Chester and unveied in Langeitho, Ceredigion. Rowand was one of the eaders of the Wesh Methodist reviva during the mid eighteenth century. Photo Roger Kidd Indeed, in 1811 Waes's first Cavinistic Methodist ministers were ordained at Baa and Landeio, marking the movement's forma separation from the Church of Engand. This new form of Christianity, which emerged during the 1740s, paced great emphasis on persona epiphanies, fervent preaching and doing good works. In addition, as the eighteenth century wore on the Wesh Methodists became increasingy uncomfortabe with the idea of bishops, which they tended to view askance, as remnants of medieva Cathoic oppression. During the 1820s, this new Wesh Methodist Church agreed its creed and constitution and in 1864 it hed its first genera assemby. For the first time ever, Waes had a Christian Church that was specificay Wesh in origin. 6 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

7 2 The Nonconformist context 2 The Nonconformist context Cavinistic Methodism was just one of a number of forms of Christianity that grew in strength and popuarity during the eighteenth century. For that reason Waes has been referred to by some historians as a 'Nonconformist nation', with the term Nonconformist referring to forms of Christianity that were Protestant but did not accept the theoogy, institutions or authority of the Church of Engand. The abe Nonconformist nation is more propery appied to the nineteenth century, yet it was during the eighteenth century that Nonconformity reay took root in Waes. So when the Wesh Methodists eft the Angican Church in 1811, they joined a number of other Nonconformist denominations that had been around for at east a century aready. Figure 2 Portrait of Christmas Evans, painted in 1835 by Wiiam Roos and currenty hed by the Nationa Museum of Waes in Cardiff. Evans was one of the eading ights of the Baptist movement in Waes. Photo: Art Coection 2/Aamy The rise of Nonconformity in Waes can in part be attributed to the circuating schoos which first appeared during the 1730s and 1740s. This initiative saw teachers moving from viage to viage, using bibica texts as the basis for teaching both chidren and aduts to read in the Wesh anguage. This new educationa movement did much to improve iteracy eves and reigious knowedge amongst the Wesh popuation. It aso acted as a catayst for the growth of both Methodism within the Church of Engand and Nonconformist denominations outside it. 7 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

8 3 Nonconformity in figures However Griffith Jones and Bridget Bevan, the eading ights of the circuating schoo movement, were Angicans, much ike the eary Methodists who came after them. Indeed the vaue of their educationa work was recognised across denominations. In 1892, the Wesh Angican churchman John Morgan wrote: Everybody, too, who knows anything of Waes, knows its deep indebtedness in the matter to the Rev. Griffith Jones, the Apostoic Vicar of Landdowror, the founder of the circuating charity schoos, and to his friend Madam Bevan, their ibera patron. These schoos, humbe in their character, as best suited the ignorant and indigent state of the rura districts for which they were primariy intended, and modest in their aim and pretension as compared to modern institutions of the kind, conferred an immense bessing on Waes. Their temporary continuance in one pace; the smaness of their number; the inadequacy of the masters' saaries, owing, of course, to the inadequacy of funds, as we perhaps as the extreme difficuty of finding competent teachers, or of propery training for purposes of pubic teaching the raw and uninformed Wesh peasant, the ony materia at hand, miitated, it is thought, against their efficiency; but it is certain that for a whoe century the ony rura spots where even a gimmering of ight coud be seen were the parishes where these Church-schoos circuated and secured the co-operation of the cergy. (Morgan, 1892, pp ) Now isten to Audio 1, in which Nei Evans discusses why Nonconformity became so popuar in Waes during the eighteenth and eary nineteenth centuries. He particuary emphasises the democratic nature of Nonconformist reigion, as opposed to the strict hierarchy of the Church of Engand, as we as the power of the Bibe to inspire worshippers. Audio content is not avaiabe in this format. Audio 1 Extract from Programme 8, Crisis, of the BBC Radio Waes Miennium History series, The Peope of Waes (1999) For much of the 1700s, the argest Nonconformist denominations in Waes were the Baptists and the Congregationaists (sometimes caed Independents). The Quakers and the Presbyterians aso caimed significant numbers. The rather forbidding feow in Figure 2 is Christmas Evans, one of the Baptist movement's most fiery and inspiring speakers. During his career as an itinerant preacher in the ate eighteenth and eary nineteenth centuries, Evans eschewed the accumuation of weath and the comforts of an easy ife. Instead he roamed far and wide deivering evangeising sermons to the masses. In those respects he is a great exampe of Nonconformist forms of ministry in this era. 3 Nonconformity in figures Tabe 1 gives us an idea of the strength of Nonconformity in different parts of Waes in At that point Methodism had yet to deveop, and when it did the movement remained within the Angican Church unti the start of the nineteenth century. The 8 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

9 3 Nonconformity in figures information that the tabe provides is incompete see, for exampe, the question marks in pace of membership figures for Baptists and Quakers in Cardigan. Tabe 1 Dissenting congregations in 1715 (the number of congregations for each county is foowed by the supposed membership) Country Presbyterian Independent Baptist Quaker Tota Ang/Caerns - 2/250 -/- -/- 2/250 Merioneth - 1/150-3/? 4/300? Denbigh 2/285 -/- 1/150 1/2 4/450 Fint 1/25 -/- -/- -/- 1/25 Brecon 1/150 4/1200 1/400 1/? 7/1800? Radnor - 3/850 2/100 2/40 7/1900 Montgomery 1/120 3/300-6/? 10/? Cardigan 1/250 2/1000 1/? 1/? 5/? Carmarthen 17/4750 2/1350 3/900 4/? 26/7200? Pembroke 1/500 3/480 1/? 4/70 9/1500? Gamorgan 1/? 6/2060 5/1600 2/? 14/4500? Monmouth - 9/1180 7/2080 4/90 20/3350 Totas 25/ / / / 750? 109/ 22,850 (Jenkins, 1991, p. 146) Activity 1 What does this tabe te us about the reigious scene in Waes prior to the rise of Methodism? Discussion What the tabe reveas is that Nonconformist denominations varied greaty in strength depending on which parts of Waes you ook at. Monmouth, for exampe, boasted neary 3000 Baptists but no Presbyterians. Overa, however, it gives us a figure of amost 23,000 Nonconformists in Waes in That sounds ike a ot, but Waes at that time had an adut popuation of around 300,000. So Nonconformists made up ony about 8 per cent of potentia churchgoers Waes. Of course, that does not automaticay make everyone ese a practising Angican. In fact, eves of attendance at Angican services remained fairy ow throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Fied, 2012, pp ). Now et s step forward in time to The reigious census carried out that year across Engand and Waes enabes us to see how our four denominations fared in Waes during the intervening period. It aso gives a usefu sense of the success of Cavinistic Methodism, which was by this point aso a Nonconformist movement operating beyond the bounds of Angicanism. 9 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

10 3 Nonconformity in figures What the census reveas is that, by the mid nineteenth century, Nonconformity in its various forms was in the ascendancy. Out of about 950,000 peope attending services in Waes that year, over a quarter were Cavinistic Methodists whist ony a fifth counted themseves as Angican. The Baptists, meanwhie, caimed ony about 25,000 fewer adherents than the Church of Engand. Weseyan Methodism (a separate strand from the Cavinistic variety) was aso a significant force with over 100,000 hearers (meaning peope who heard services and sermons). Meanwhie, there were amost a quarter of a miion Congregationaists in Waes at that time. They were categorised as other in the 1851 census because each Congregationaist church was independent, rather than being part of any wider denominationa structure. What s more, a sma but significant group of Cathoics were sti practising their reigion in Waes some three centuries after the Reformation. That Cathoic contingent woud soon be sweed by in-migration from paces ike Ireand as a resut of the growing demand for abour that accompanied industriaisation in south Waes and to a esser extent north Waes. Activity 2 To get a better sense of the reigious situation in Waes in 1851, go to the Vision of Britain through time website, which uses a host of sources as the basis for a detaied statistica account of British history. Then foow these steps: Cick on the Statistica atas tab in the menu bar towards the top of the page. Cick on the Roots & Reigion option. Cick on Cavinistic Methodist Attendances as Percentage of Tota for modern oca authorities in 1851 from the ist of options. Expore the map that appears using the zoom too in the map pane. The darker the shade of brown, the greater the proportion of Cavinistic Methodists in that area. Use the Avaiabe rates drop-down menu to ook at 1851 church attendance maps for other denominations, incuding Baptists, Church of Engand, Church of Scotand, Roman Cathoics and Weseyan Methodists. Pease note that for these other denominations you wi see a map of Britain as a whoe rather than just Waes. You shoud aso be aware that for the statistics on which these maps are based are cacuated in reation to attendance rates across Britain as a whoe, rather than just in Waes. That is why they don t necessariy tay with the figures given in the expanation above. Nonetheess, the maps do a great job of emphasising the popuarity of Cavinistic Methodism amongst the Wesh in the nineteenth century, and aso how specific the denomination was to Waes. The Vision of Britain through time website can be used to research a whoe range of themes in Wesh and British history, and it gives you the faciity to focus on specific areas or individua settements. When you ve finished this course, pease do spend some more time exporing it. Based on this evidence, the notion of a 'Nonconformist nation' is far more appicabe to 1851 than Yet the seeds of Nonconformity's dominance during the nineteenth century ies in the eighteenth. Indeed, some historians have argued that the very existence of the Baptists, Congregationaists, and other denominations, who were aready worshipping beyond the bounds of Angicanism, created the conditions in which a 10 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

11 4 Two strands of Methodism specificay Wesh form of Methodist nonconformity coud arise (Bradey, 1990, pp ). 4 Two strands of Methodism When peope think of Methodism, it is often the Engishman John Wesey ( ) who springs to mind. Wesey, and the movement that he heped to create, certainy had an impact in Waes, as you saw in the previous section. the movement had caimed over 100,000 adherents by Nevertheess, more significant in Waes was an indigenous form of Methodism which deveoped at around the same time. It was this movement that grew into the Wesh Cavinistic Methodists, renamed the Presbyterian Church of Waes in There was certainy much that united the two movements. Both emphasised the authority of the Bibe, interna faith over externa ritua, persona conversion, and the importance of charitabe work and missionary activity. Moreover, John Wesey and his brother Chares, who ed the movement in Engand, had a great dea of contact with Wesh Methodist eaders ike Howe Harris and Danie Rowand. The main difference between them was theoogica. Wesey and his foowers adhered to the view that savation was avaiabe to anyone who was wiing to work for it. However the Wesh Methodists foowed the Cavinistic ine that God has, through his abiity to perceive a of time, aready chosen those who are to be saved. In other words, our actions are known to God before we take them and our ives are therefore predestined. As Jones, Schenther and White point out, Cavinistic Methodism, the smaer, amost forgotten, Methodist sibing, has received consideraby ess academic attention than Weseyan Methodism (2012, p. xii). Yet the two maps beow ampy demonstrate the preeminence of that 'forgotten sibing' in Waes during the eighteenth century. 11 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

12 5 Cavinistic Methodism Figure 3 Left: Map showing the ocation of Cavinistic Methodist chapes in Waes in Right: Map showing the ocation of Weseyan Methodist chapes in Waes in Maps Crown copyright, RCAHMW 5 Cavinistic Methodism As we have discovered, by the midde of the nineteenth century Cavinistic Methodism had become a popuar form of Protestantism in Waes. At the moment, however, we are interested in its origins and eary progress within the Church of Engand indeed it was not unti the nineteenth century that the Wesh Methodists formed their own confederation outside of the Angican faith. Nevertheess, it was even then aready a sizeabe movement, caiming around 10,000 'hearers' by 1750 and approximatey 30,000 by the time of its secession from the Angican Church in the 1810s (Fied, 2012, p. 707). 12 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

13 5 Cavinistic Methodism Figure 4 Portrait of Howe Harris, painted c.1875 by John Thomas and now hed by the Nationa Library of Waes. Harris was one of the eaders of the eighteenth-century Methodist Reviva in Waes. Image accessed via Wikimedia Commons. Yet the deveopment of the movement was far from smooth, and the eary eaders of Methodism in Waes were frequenty met with verba and even physica abuse. The quote beow, admittedy from a ater source with a pro-methodist bias, describes Howe Harris's response to one such occasion: An Association was one time to be hed at Landovery. Rowand, and Wiiams of Pantyceyn, and Howe Davies arrived there before Harris, and began the pubic service. But when they stood up to preach a fierce opposition arose: such a bowing of horns, beating of drums and kettes, ringing of bes, and throwing of missies at those on the patform took pace that Wiiams said "Brethren, it is impossibe to go on here, in the midst of so much noise and danger; et us go to my residence at Pantyceyn, and hod the Association there." So they reuctanty started. But on the way Harris met them, and asked with great surprise "Where are you going?" Wiiams repied "We are going to Pantyceyn; we cannot go on at Landovery, for our ife is in danger." 'Life! Life!" repied Harris, "is that a? Here is my ife for the sake of Christ. Let us go back; they sha have this poor body of mine." So back they went, with Harris at their head. When they got to the patform, Harris stepped upon it with much bodness and firmness, soemny crying out, "Let us pray," and the crowd were sient in a moment. He then prayed with such power and warmth that the peope were overawed, and attended to the preaching with quietness and interest. (Evans, 1907, pp ) Whie Methodists were not under direct threat from the state as the dissenters of the 1600s had been, during the eighteenth century they were nonetheess sti the object of 13 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

14 5 Cavinistic Methodism considerabe suspicion. This was a far cry from the ascendant Nonconformity that characterised much of Wesh society during the nineteenth century Activity 3 To get a sense of the rise and significance of Methodism in Waes, watch the cip beow from the BBC teevision series The Story of Waes. Then respond to the quick po underneath. Video content is not avaiabe in this format. Video 1 The Story of Waes How impartia and accurate do you think this cip is? impartia and accurate on a counts contains traces of bias, but it is a pretty accurate account of events biased, but the main points are accurate widy biased and very inaccurate Feedback To my mind, this cip impicity marginaises the Angican majority in Waes by exaggerating the impact of Methodism and the other forms of Nonconformity that fourished in the period. Indeed, this is a good exampe of how attempts to te the 'story' of a nation tend to distort our understanding of the past by excuding eements that do not fit the narrative that the storyteer has chosen. Nevertheess, the cip does make a direct ink between rising iteracy eves, thanks to Griffith Jones' circuating schoos, and the Methodist Reviva. Athough the programme simpifies that connection, it is right to emphasise the reationship between Wesh-anguage iteracy and the evangeica fever which gripped Waes in the 1740s a fever which boosted Nonconformity in genera as we as contributing to the birth of Methodism. Activity 4 As we earned earier in the course, circuating schoos were the brainchid of Griffith Jones, supported by the weathy heiress Bridget Bevan. You can earn more about both of them in the Dictionary of Wesh biography. You can either search for a particuar biography, or search for the individua you are researching in the text of the entries themseves. Whie you are there, why not aso ook up Methodist eaders such as Howe Harris, Danie Rowand, Wiiam Wiiams, Peter Wiiams and Thomas Chares. Try to read at east four entries (they are nice and short), athough you shoud fee free to read more if you have the time. Then make some notes on what you have found out about Methodism in the box beow. What have you earned from the dictionary entries about Wesh Methodism? Provide your answer... Discussion 14 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

15 6 Wesh Chapes From ooking at the biographies of eighteenth-century Methodist eaders in Waes, you have probaby formed an impression of a reigion based on powerfu sermons, charismatic eaders and individuas experiencing reigious conversions or awakenings. Indeed the 1730s and 1740s in Waes are often referred to as a time of evangeica reviva, meaning a period of zeaous and energetic preaching to spread the word of God. Services and sermons were conducted in Wesh and, as some of the entries mention, many Methodist preachers wrote and pubished both hymns and reigious texts in Wesh as we. You may aso have noticed that the movement s eary eaders tended to operate at the fringes of the Church of Engand, and were toerated rather than ceebrated by the Angican hierarchy. 6 Wesh Chapes After the civi wars of the seventeenth century, aws were passed which banned Nonconformists from attending Angican church services. As a resut, they often ended up worshipping in their own homes or those of their neighbours. Meanwhie, groups, which during the 1700s remained within the Church of Engand, ike the Cavinistic Methodists, attended Angican services but aso often hed additiona meetings for prayer and discussion in each other's houses. Those domestic roots fed into an eighteenth-century tradition of chape buiding in a vernacuar stye, meaning a type of buiding that had more in common with oca houses and barns than the traditiona churches that you and I might be famiiar with (Harvey, 1995, pp. 6 9). In part this refected a shift across Protestant Britain as a whoe, away from the grandiose architecture and ornate decoration of medieva Cathoicism towards a simper form of architecture intended to emphasise the reationship between minister and congregation. However, that trend was ampified for Nonconformists, especiay since many Angicans sti worshipped in the medieva churches they had inherited from their Cathoic forebears. As King and Sayer argue, the architectura simpicity of chapes buit in the 1700s by Congregationaists or Baptists, or ater by Methodists, was in part 'an indicator of the modest means of eary nonconformist communities', but aso stemmed from 'a stricter concern with spiritua matters over wordy dispay' (King and Sayer, 2011, p. 4). 15 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

16 6 Wesh Chapes Figure 5 Left: A Cavinistic Methodist meeting house Right: A Cavinistic Methodist chape. Both buit in the viage of Landdewi Brefi in southern Ceredigion. Photo (eft) suppied by Lyfrge Genedaetho Cymru/Nationa Library of WaesPhoto (right) Crown copyright, RCAHMW Yet as Nonconformity grew in popuarity and respectabiity during the nineteenth century, more eaborate designs began to become common. The two Methodist chapes above, in the viage of Landdewi Brefi near Lampeter, provide a good exampe of this. Activity 5 One of the two buidings pictured above was buit in The other repaced it in Which of them do you think was buit first? buiding on the eft buiding on the right Feedback The meeting house on the eft was buit first, in The chape on the right repaced it in The new chape is arger and more imposing than the origina meeting house. It woud have had space for significanty more peope and presumaby cost a ot more to buid. It aso boasts eements of some of the 'Gothic' architectura features 16 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

17 6 Wesh Chapes associated with medieva Cathoic churches, and which made a comeback in Protestant church buiding during the nineteenth century. These incude a gabe-ended design, a high roof, ta windows, rounded arches, and a decorative cock-ike design in the gabe. In this respect, the new chape ooks more ike a church whist the origina one ooks more ike a house. What this reveas is that Cavinistic Methodism was a ot more popuar and weathy in that part of Waes in the 1870s than it had been in the 1770s. The incorporation of churchike design eements in the new buiding aso suggests that the Methodists of the ate nineteenth century were a ot more confident about their reigion than their forebears had been a century earier. Now et's consider chape architecture in more detai. The activity beow introduces you to two usefu new sites for historica research: Peope s Coection Waes: this is a site where peope can upoad and share images, texts, audio and video reating to Wesh history and cuture. It currenty boasts over 80,000 individua items and that number is growing daiy. The website is funded by the Wesh Government and maintained by a partnership which incudes Museums Waes, the Nationa Library of Waes, and the Roya Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Waes. Cofein: this is an onine cataogue of historica buidings and sites run by the Roya Commission on the Ancient and Historica Monuments of Waes. The name Cofein is a composite word from the Wesh 'of' (memory) and 'ein' (ine). You are going to use these websites to earn more about Wesh chapes, but they aso contain a weath of information and materia reating to Wesh history and heritage more generay. Activity 6 Read these webpages on chape buiding in Waes in the eighteenth and nineteenth century: Eary chape buiding Later chape buiding Next, go to the Peope's Coection Waes website and search for 'Methodist chapes'. Pick a chape that you ike the ook of (it coud be an exterior or interior view). Then ook up your chosen chape on the Cofein website, taking particuar note of when it was buit and any other historica detais provided. Finay, make some notes in the box beow about what your chape s architecture and history tes us about the peope who buit it. Some of the questions you might consider incude: When was it buit? How popuar was Cavinistic Methodism in that period? What architectura trends in church buiding were infuentia at the time? Does it ook arge and expensive or sma and simpe? What might this te us about the peope who buit and paid for it? Is the design house- or barn-ike, or more ornate ike an Angican or even a Cathoic church? What does its design suggest about the views of the peope who buit and paid for it? 17 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

18 6 Wesh Chapes What does your chape te us about Cavinistic Methodism in Waes? Provide your answer of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

19 7 The Treachery of the Bue Books 7 The Treachery of the Bue Books Figure 6 Page 66 of the Bue Books, part 2, no. 9, by R. R. W. Lingen, Jeynger C. Symons and H. R. Vaughan Johnson, 1847, the British government- commissioned report. Here the commissioners cite Wesh as the root of many of the evis that they perceive in Wesh society.image Nationa Library of Waes 19 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

20 7 The Treachery of the Bue Books One of the most significant events in the history of Cavinistic Methodism, and indeed of Wesh Nonconformity more broady, occurred in This was the pubication of the Reports of the commissioners of inquiry into the state of education in Waes, or the Treachery of the Bue Books, as they came to be known in Waes. These reports were commissioned by pariament in Westminster, and written by three Angican churchmen from Engand. They were commissioned specificay to provide a justification for the reform of education in Waes aong angicising ines (Roberts, 1998, pp ). It is therefore no surprise to earn that the three commissioners cast the Wesh popuace, and particuary the Nonconformist majority who by that period constituted over three quarters of Wesh churchgoers, in an extremey negative ight. What s more, much of the bame for their aeged deficiencies was apportioned to the Wesh anguage, as the page image to the right shows. Listen to historians Ioan Gruffydd, Nei Evans and Hywe Teifi Edwards expain the origins and findings of the 'Bue Books' report. This extract is from the BBC Waes radio programme The Peope of Waes (1999). Audio content is not avaiabe in this format. Audio 2 The Treachery of the Bue Books, BBC Radio Waes, Peope of Waes (1999) As Evans points out, what the reports had to say about education in Waes was overshadowed by their caims that the Wesh anguage ed to deceit and sedition, that Wesh women were immora and that Nonconformist practices were to bame. It is, therefore, hardy surprising that the reports provoked a furious response from Wesh Nonconformists. Even some Wesh Angicans were outraged. The poet and historian Jane Wiiams, for exampe, argued that: The Reports of the commissioners of enquiry into the state of education in Waes, have done the peope of that country a doube wrong. They have traduced their nationa character, and in doing so, they have threatened an infringement upon their manifest socia rights, their dearest existing interests, comprised in their ordinary modes of worship and instruction, their oca customs, and their mother tongue. (Wiiams, 1848, p. 5) This was an uncompromising start to a systematic refutation of the report s findings which ran to some 62 pages of text. In 1854, meanwhie, the Baptist bard Robert Jones Derfe coined the phrase treachery of the Bue Books. This referred to the apocrypha treachery of the ong knives in which Saxon invaders had supposedy duped and then murdered a group of Wesh chieftains some fifteen hundred years earier (Morgan, 1984). The speed with which the name stuck suggests that, for many Wesh peope, 1847 marked a simiary heinous betraya. One asting consequence of the Bue Books was that they caused the Cavinistic Methodists to join with Waes s oder Nonconformist denominations against what came to be seen as the Angican enemy. The denominationa rivaries that had characterised Nonconformity during the first haf of the century seemed unimportant in the face of this vicious Angican attack. The resut was the creation of a new sef-consciousy Wesh Nonconformist identity in Waes (Morgan, 1984). This is a crucia point because that newy unified sense of Nonconformist soidarity was to prove pivota in the deveopment of Wesh nationa aspirations ater in the century. 20 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

21 8 Reigion and identity The eading Wesh historian Geraint Jenkins has caed the Treachery of the Bue Books a semina event which shaped the future of poitica and cutura ife in Waes for severa generations (2002, p. 213). It hardened support for Nonconformity, ed to a reviva in reigious education initiatives, and reminded the Wesh of the need to trumpet the vaue of their own cuture. 8 Reigion and identity To uncover the roots of the connection between reigion and identity in Waes, we need to ook a the way back in the sixteenth century. It was in that period that two very significant events occurred in Waes at amost the same time. Firsty, aws were passed in the 1530s and 40s which, in ega and administrative terms, made Waes a part of Engand and aso banned the Wesh anguage from officia proceedings and aw courts. At the same time, Cathoicism had been being argey overtaken in Waes by new Protestant forms of Christianity. With the accession of Eizabeth I to the Engish throne in 1558, the Angican form of Protestantism became the state reigion in both Engand and Waes. One of the main resuting changes was the idea that church services, previousy hed in Latin, shoud be in a anguage that peope coud actuay understand. For that reason, and despite the prohibition on the use of the Wesh anguage in any officia capacity, pariament passed an act in 1563 which sanctioned the transation of the Bibe and various other reigious texts into the Wesh anguage. Across the country, services and sermons were soon being deivered in Wesh and by the end of the sixteenth century a steady stream of Weshanguage reigious iterature was being pubished (Suggett and White, 2002, pp ). The resut was the creation of a strong connection between anguage and reigion in Waes that asted for centuries. Banned from paces ike aw courts and the offices of pubic officias, Wesh instead became associated with reigiosity. This was an association that Wesh Nonconformity inherited, operating as it did primariy through the medium of Wesh (James, 2001, pp ). Nevertheess, during the eighteenth century a sense of shared Protestantism had heped to forge a new feeing of Britishness which coexisted with Engish, Scottish and Wesh identities. The threat of hostie Cathoic powers ike France and Spain made the disparities between Nonconformists and Angicans seem pretty minor by comparison, especiay foowing faied French-backed invasion attempts in 1715 and 1745 by Jacobites oya to the Cathoic descendants of the ousted James II (Coey, 1992, pp ). In that context, Protestant disagreements, even over reativey major points of theoogy and practice, no onger seemed ike the ife and death matters they had been in Tudor times or during the civi wars. Meetings ike the one pictured beow came to be toerated by the state, whereas even a few decades before those participating woud have risked arrest. 21 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

22 8 Reigion and identity Figure 7 Painting of 1912 by Hugh Wiiams, depicting a 1743 meeting of Wesh Methodist eaders incuding Howe Harris, Danie Rowand and Wiiam Wiiams. Photo suppied by Lyfrge Genedaetho Cymru/Nationa Library of Waes However, that sense of Protestant unity was unsteady and utimatey short-ived. As the Baptists, the Congregationaists, and others denominations grew in strength during the eighteenth century, and were then themseves ecipsed by the soaring popuarity of Cavinistic Methodism in the nineteenth century, the Church of Engand became increasingy seen as aien to Waes. Such views were fueed by the fact that many Angican cergy were absentee Engishmen who sedom even came to Waes, whist by the ate nineteenth century not a singe bishop in Waes coud speak Wesh. The anti- Angican feeing sparked by the Treachery of the Bue Books fanned the fames further. As a resut, Wesh Nonconformists generay and Cavinistic Methodists in particuar were abe to position themseves as the true guardians of an authenticay Wesh form of Christianity. Activity 7 Now have a ook at a etter written in the 1860s by Henry Richard, a eading poitician and churchman in Waes during the mid nineteenth century. He is a great exampe of 22 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

23 9 Newspapers as sources the sef-consciousy Wesh form of Nonconformity that came to dominate Waes in the years foowing the Treachery of the Bue Books. Before you read the etter, it woud be a good idea to ook up Richard in the Dictionary of Wesh biography. To find the etter, go to Richard s coection of Letters and essays on Waes (1884), avaiabe via the Internet Archive. You can either view it onine (cick on the page to move on) or scro down to the downoad options section to downoad a version of it. Downoading takes onger but tends to be more stabe. If you do decide to downoad it, there are various formats isted on the right-hand side of the page. PDF is probaby the most straightforward to use. Read the very first etter, starting on page 1 and ending on page 8 and entited Past reigious and mora conditions of Waes. What does the etter te us about Richard s view of reigious and nationa identity in Waes? Provide your answer... Discussion Whist he is a itte outside of the timespan for this course, Richard s writings are a great exampe of how Wesh Nonconformists had come to regard their own nationa identity by the midde decades of the nineteenth century. In this etter, Richard paints a picture of Weshness based around reigion, anguage and ancestry. In his view, the Church of Engand faied uttery to foster reigious feeing in Waes, and it was ony through the deveopment of home-grown forms of Nonconformity that the Wesh acquired their sense of knowedge, virtue and reigion (1884, p. 6). What this suggests is that the Protestant unity of the eighteenth century, which served to draw the various peopes and denominations of Britain together, was, by the midde of the nineteenth century, on the wane. By this point, reigion was being used by some in Waes as a way of expressing their identity as Wesh rather than British. 9 Newspapers as sources Now et s put the knowedge you have gained about Methodism in Waes to the test by doing some research on the Wesh Newspapers Onine database (WNO). This is a free resource hosted by the Nationa ibrary Waes, which aows you to search through thousands and thousands of items pubished in dozens of Wesh newspapers between 1804 and Newspapers are an invauabe window onto a wide variety of events, individuas, deveopments and topics. However, they aso present some chaenges for historians, one of which is the fact that you usuay a good understanding of your topic before you start using them so that you can make sense of what you find. That is what the activity beow gives you a chance to practice. 23 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

24 9 Newspapers as sources Activity 8 Go to Wesh Newspapers Onine and search for information on Methodists in Waes in the period between 1804 (the furthest the database goes back) and You wi find advice beow on how to search. Then pick one or two of the artices you have found, and use what you have earned about Methodism in Waes to try to put them into context and understand what they are about. What are your one or two artices about? What do they te us about Methodism in Waes during the first haf of the nineteenth century? Provide your answer... How to search for data Wesh Newspapers Onine contains a weath of information reevant to Waes in the nineteenth and eary twentieth centuries. However, because the database contains such a weath of materia, keyword searches can generate a great many resuts. You wi need, therefore, to be very cear about what you are searching for otherwise you coud waste a ot of time ooking through irreevant materia. The database offers a number of options to narrow your resuts. Beow are a few suggestions for searching in ways that wi hep you manage your resuts and find reevant information more quicky. I have concentrated on the Search function ony, athough WNO aso offers the option to Browse. Browsing can be a usefu part of the research process as sometimes you stumbe upon a reference to events or deveopments you might not think to ook for. However, it is time-consuming and it is very easy to get sidetracked, especiay with newspapers, reading materia that is interesting but utimatey irreevant to your search needs. For now, therefore, concentrate on famiiarising yoursef with the search function. Using Booean operators (words ike 'and', 'or', 'not', etc.) heps to reduce the number of hits. For exampe, Methodist AND Wesh generates 55,192. If you use Booean operators to search, however, you must make sure that you type the imiters in capitas: AND, NOT, OR. A ower case and wi be treated as a search word and increase the number of resuts (in this exampe to 11,436,039). The Advanced Search option offers the option of Booean operators in a drop-down ist to the side of the search box and means that you don't have to remember to type them in. Narrow by date. The date side aows you to search across the whoe coection or any part of it, even a singe year. This is particuary usefu, as for this activity you are focusing on the period up to Think about what type of information you are ooking for. The tick boxes on the search page defauts to A Artices but you may want ony news reports. You can fiter out irreevant materia by making sure you ony seect the type of information you actuay want. If you forget to set the options on the search page and you generate an extensive ist of hits, don't worry, as you can sti narrow your resuts. The database provides a number of fiters on the eft-hand side of the Search Resuts page. From these you 24 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

25 10 Concusion can zoom in on a specific newspaper tite, a category (i.e. advert, news, notices), a date (decade, year, month or day), a anguage (Wesh or Engish), a region (North Waes, West Waes, etc.) and/or an iustration type (cartoon, photograph, etc.). Using one or more of these fiters is an effective way of weeding out unwanted or irreevant hits. You need to practise with these. If you are too specific with your requirements you may end up with no hits at a. Once you are happy with your resuts ist, you can then organise your materia by using the Sorting option above the fiters. This aows you to arrange your resuts by reevance or by date in ascending or descending order. 10 Concusion In this free course, Methodism in Waes , you earned about a negected strand of Wesh history and identity. Beow are the three questions posed in the introduction to this course. Based on the work that you have done with resources ike Dictionary of Wesh biography, a Vision of Britain through time, Cofein, the Peope s Coection Waes, and Wesh Newspapers Onine, you have hopefuy started to come up with your own answers to these questions. Beow are some thoughts, which you shoud view as starting points ony rather than the fina word on the subject. Where did this new form of reigion come from? It arose in the 1730s and 1740s from the teachings of charismatic and energetic preachers who fet uneasy with the direction that the Church of Engand had taken, particuary in terms of its hierarchica organisation, and wanted to inspire peope to fee coser to God. It grew from a wider context in which Nonconformity, i.e. dissent from the doctrines and institutions of Angicanism, was aready an important part of the reigious andscape in Waes. Why did it become so popuar? Cavinistic Methodism, ike Nonconformist denominations such as the Baptists and Congregationaists, benefitted from a reigious fervour which gripped arge parts of Waes in the midde of the eighteenth century. However, it was the growing iteracy of the Wesh popuation which heped it to become the eading form of Christianity in Waes by the midde of the nineteenth century. You shoud aso bear in mind that there was an eement of fataism to Wesh Methodism, a sense that events were pre-ordained. In a society where poverty was the norm, this may have been some comfort. As a resut, Nonconformity generay and Methodism in particuar went from strength to strength in the 1800s. This ed to a growing confidence amongst Methodists, refected in some of the imposing and expensive chapes that they buit ater on in the nineteenth century. How did it become so intertwined with ideas about Weshness? The democratic nature of Cavinistic Methodism in Waes, especiay once the movement had seceded from the Church of Engand, aso payed we with Wesh peope who increasingy viewed Angicanism as an Engish import. Indeed, the popuarity of Wesh Methodism was boosted significanty by growing criticisms of Angicanism. The Treachery 25 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

26 References of the Bue Books gavanised that anti-angican feeing and turned what had been a reigious quarre into a matter of nationa pride. In addition, the Cavinistic Methodists were abe to buid on the ongstanding connection between Nonconformity and the Wesh anguage and, in so doing, to position themseves as heirs of the sixteenth-century reformers who had first begun to transate reigious texts ike the Bibe into Wesh. Moreover, as Waes s most popuar denomination, Cavinistic Methodism s association with Wesh identity was further bostered by the fact that it remains the ony form of Christianity to be abe to caim a specificay Wesh origin. This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course A329 The making of Wesh history. References Bradey, J. E. (1990) Reigion, revoution and engish radicaism: Nonconformity in eighteenth-century poitics and society, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Coey, L. (1992) Britons: Forging the nation , London, Pimico. Evans, J. (1907) Biographica dictionary of ministers and preachers of the Wesh Cavinistic Methodist body, or Presbyterians of Waes; from the start of the denomination to the cose of the year 1850, Caernarvon, D. O'Brien Owen: C. M. Book Agency. Fied, C. D. (2012), Counting reigion in Engand and Waes: the ong eighteenth century, c c.1840, Journa of Eccesiastica History, vo. 63, no. 4, pp Harvey, J. (1995) The art of piety: the visua cuture of Wesh Nonconformity, Cardiff, University of Waes Press. James, E. W. (2001) The new birth of a peope : Wesh anguage and identity and the Wesh Methodists c , in Pope, R. (ed.) Reigion and nationa identity: Waes and Scotand c , University of Waes Press, Cardiff, pp Jenkins, G. H. (2007) A concise history of Waes, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Jones, D. C., Schenther, B. S. and White, E. M. (2012) The eect Methodists: Cavinistic Methodism in Engand and Waes , Cardiff, University of Waes Press. King, C. and Sayer, D. (2011) Confict, community and custom: the materia remains of post-medieva reigion, in King C. and Sayer D. (eds.) The archaeoogy of post-medieva reigion, Woodbridge, Boyde, pp Morgan, J. (1892) Four Biographica Sketches, London, Eiott Stock. Morgan, P. (1984) From ong knives to bue books, in Davies, R. R., Griffiths, R. A., Jones, I. G. and Morgan, K. O. (eds) Wesh society and nationhood: historica essays presented to Ganmor Wiiams, Cardiff, University of Waes Press, pp Richard H. (1884) Letters and essays on Waes, London, James Carke and Co. Roberts, G. T. (1998) The anguage of the Bue Books: the perfect instrument of empire, Cardiff, University of Waes Press. Suggett, R. and White, E. (2002) Language, iteracy and aspects of identity in eary modern Waes in Fox A. and Woof D. (eds) The spoken word: ora cuture in Britain, , Manchester, Manchester University Press, pp Wiiams, J. (1848) Artega: or, remarks on the reports of the commissioners of inquiry into the state of education in Waes, London, Longman & Co. 26 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017

27 Keep on earning Keep on earning Study another free course There are more than 800 courses on OpenLearn for you to choose from on a range of subjects. Find out more about a our free courses. Take your studies further Find out more about studying with The Open University by visiting our onine prospectus. If you are new to university study, you may be interested in our Access Courses or Certificates. What s new from OpenLearn? Sign up to our newsetter or view a sampe. For reference, fu URLs to pages isted above: OpenLearn Visiting our onine prospectus Access Courses Certificates 27 of 28 Friday 22 December 2017