Wesley and the Potters of
Burslem
Wesley contributed to the transformation of the "poor potters"
of Burslem, the center of pottery production in England
Odilon Massolar Chaves
Copyright
© 2023, Odilon Massolar Chaves
All
rights reserved to the author.
Total
or partial reproduction of the book is prohibited, Art. 184 of the Penal Code
and Law 9610 of February 19, 1998.
Cover
choice: Rose Mary Braga da Costa
Cover:
https://bottleoven.blogspot.com/p/burslem.html?m=1
The Journal of John
Wesley Paperback – January 1, 1900
Percy
Livingstone Parker (editor)
Artwork:
Luyza Vitória Braga
Books
published on Amazon as author: 242
Books
published on Amazon as coordinator/editor: 8
Books
published in other publishers: 22
Translation:
Google Translate
All
glory to God
"These poor potters, four years ago, were as wild and ignorant as
any of the Kingswood colliders"
(Wesley)
Table of
Contents
·
Introduction
·
Spiritual Life in Burslem
· Wesley's
Early Preaching in Burslem
· Wesley's
visits to Burslem
·
Burslem, the city of ceramics
· Sad apprehensions and the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Burslem
·
Ceramic bust of Wesley made in Burslem
·
The legend about a
bust of John Wesley
Introduction
"Wesley and the Potters of Burslem" is a book that deals with
the beginning and development of Methodism in Burslem, England, in the
eighteenth century.
Burslem was the center of the nation's pottery and pottery production.
The bust of Wesley was molded in this city by a famous local potter and
to this day it is found and sold on the site or over the internet.
In Burslem Methodism developed very well because the Anglican vicars did
not invest in the spiritual life of the local residents.
Wesley and the Methodist preachers were constantly in Burslem. There was
no persecution or any controversy, as was common in other cities.
Wesley called them "poor potters."
He followed the transformation of the "wild potters" and the
transformation of the city in the first twenty years that he went to preach in
Burslem.
His last preaching in the city was in 1790, a year before he died.
A legend about a molded bust of Wesley, which reveals his character and
his merciful heart, was printed and even in America was spread.
The Author
Spiritual Life in Burslem
"The clergy of the old school, in fact, also usually left their
parishioners to find their own way to heaven"
Burslem's spiritual
abandonment
John Ward (1781-1870) wrote in 1843 in "The Borough of Stoke-upon-Trent":
"Finding Your Own
Way to Heaven"
“..... in the 1760s, the
parish church at Stoke, the parish chapel at Burslem, a small private
foundation chapel at Hanley, and another at Lane End, were, then, the only
places of worship belonging to the Establishment (which is the Church of
England); and the clergy of that day were not such as the watchful and pious
men we have the good fortune to figure among us in modern times; whose zeal and
superior accomplishments may, in some measure, be due to the holy and jealous
"provocations" of Mr. Wesley and his successors.
The old-school clergymen,
in fact, also generally left their parishioners to find their own way to
heaven, unless they voluntarily put themselves in the mode of listening to
their weekly ministrations..."[1]
Who was John Word?
"John Ward was a
lawyer who practised in Burslem during the 19th century with a strong interest
in local history. His works and associations led to the much later Federation
of the six cities of Stoke in Trento, namely his writing of the Borough of Stoke
upon Trent tome, 1843".[2]
Sheep without a Shepherd
"The moral conditions were really bad.
Drunkenness was common, even among children"
"As people flooded into the new towns of Burslem, Hanley, and Lane End (now Longton), moral conditions were very bad indeed. Drunkenness was common, even among children; profanity and vulgarity were heard everywhere."[3]
And even more: "Gambling, bullfighting and cockfighting were normal
pastimes." [4]
The vacation weeks (called "Wakes") were occasions of all kinds of immorality.
"The whole area at this time was still served by the Parish Church of St. Peter Ad Vincula at Stoke, with only one or two other 'chapels of rest' scattered elsewhere, such as at Hanley and Lane End, for the use of parishioners who lived at a distance from the parish church." [5]
The Anglican Church could not keep up with the growth of the population as in the Potteries. The clergy were unable to meet the needs of the local residents.
"It was dissent in its various forms that appealed to the potters,
colliders, and blacksmiths. Chief of them all the dissenting bodies were the
Methodists, who were led by John Wesley." [6]
Wesley's arrival in Burslem
Wesley visited Burslem for
the first time on 8 March 1760.[7]
"By this time the
Society of Methodists at Burslem was about 20 years old, having been
established by a group of miners about the year 1740 after their return from
some of Wesley's early meetings in Bristol.
When Wesley arrived one of the converts, Abraham Lindop, opened his house for worship and in 1766 the first Methodist chapel in Burslem was built."[8]
Wesley's Early
Preaching in Burslem
"These poor potters, four years ago, were as wild and ignorant as
any of the Kingswood colliders"
"When Wesley first
preached in Burslem, the population of the Potteries was still relatively
small, not more than 7,500 in all. But it was already expanding and in 1785
according to one estimate it rose to 15,000." [9]
Today, Burslem is "one of the six towns that make up the city of
Stoke-on-Trent. It includes the areas of Middleport, Longport, Westport,
Dalehall, Trubshaw Cross and Brownhills. Burslem is often referred to as the
'Mother City' due to its important role in the rise of the pottery
industry."[10]
Preaching in the rain and cold
"I preached half an hour after five o'clock, in an open place on
the top of the hill, to a large and attentive congregation"
On Thursday, March 19, 1761, "after preaching at Bilbrook,"
said Wesley, "I rode to Burslem, and preached half an hour after five, in
an open place on the top of the hill, to a large and attentive congregation;
though it rained almost all the time, and the air was exceedingly cold. The
next morning (being Good Friday) I did not preach till eight. But even then, as
in the evening, the cold considerably diminished the congregation. Such is
human wisdom | So small are the things that turn mankind away from what might
be the means of their eternal salvation."[11]
Methodism and the expansion of the villages
"The
religious revival to which the preaching of Wesley and his companions gave rise
thus corresponded to the first rapid expansion of these Villages"
"Wesley and his preachers were assiduous frequenters of the towns.
Methodist chapels were established at Hanley and Longton in 6, while meetings
at Fenton and at Tunstall were begun in 1783, the chapel at Tunstall
being built in 1782. The religious revival to which the preaching of Wesley and
his companions gave rise thus corresponded to the first rapid expansion of
these villages." [12]
The
Burslem Methodist Society continued to "grow after the building was
erected in 1766 and in 1783 Burslem was head of a circuit."[13]
What was
the Methodist circuit?
The
circuit system was established at the beginning of Methodism when Methodist
ministers were few.
The
Methodist minister was appointed "to a group or circuit of local churches.
He would administer the sacraments and have pastoral supervision, but most
services would be led by the local lay preachers. Later, the circuits came into
existence composed of several ministers, headed by a superintendent minister,
although there could still be more churches than ministers."[14]
Wesley's visits to Burslem
"The work of God was stopped here for a while; but at the feast of love, last March 21, (glory be to God forever!) there was an outpouring of his Spirit among us"
Wesley visited Burslem for the first time in 1760.
In 1762 he received letters from Congleton, Cheshire, Burslem, and
Staffordshire reporting on God's work through Methodism.
On August 1, 1762, Wesley quoted the letter that said that "the work of God for a time stood still here; but at the feast of love, last March 21, (glory be to God forever!) there was an outpouring of his Spirit among us. Five persons were sure of their acceptance with God, of whom, by his free grace, I was one; four believed that he had not only forgiven their sins, but had cleansed them from all unrighteousness. Many more found him gracious and merciful: not even his hand remained yet," Wesley reported.
"The power of God is
present with us, and the fire of his love is kindled among us"
Wesley claimed that people in society were
"biting and devouring one another; and many who had once known God, were
'in their works denying Him.' Society at large was cold and dead, and only two
were converted to God in a whole year," [15] he said.
"But, glory be to God,
the case is now changed"
But Wesley exclaimed, "But, glory be to
God, the case is now altered. These complaints are removed. The power of God is
present with us, and the fire of his love is kindled among us. We are very
weak; but, blessed be God, we are all alive. Many cry out in the bitterness of
their souls, 'God be merciful to me a sinner!' Sometimes we have had two,
sometimes six or seven, justified in a week; others find the very remains of
sin destroyed, and expect to be filled 'with all the fullness of God.'[16]
Poor potters
"These poor potters, four years ago, were as wild and ignorant as
any of the Kingswood colliders"
On Monday, June 20, 1763, "I preached at Maxfield about noon,"
Wesley said. "As I was unwell and not completely recovered, our brethren
insisted on sending me on a chaise to Burslem. Between four and five I got out
of the chaise and took my horse. Shortly after, hearing a scream, I looked back
and saw the chaise upside down (the wheel having hit violently against a
stone), and almost shattered," [17] he said.
The Lord's Power
"Lord, You have power over your own clay"
"About seven o'clock I preached to a large congregation in
Burslem," he wrote. "These poor potters, four years ago, were as wild
and ignorant as any of the Kingswood colliders. Lord, Thou hast power over
thine own clay."[18]
Poor potters
"Some stood with their hats on; but no one spoke a word or offered
to cause the least disturbance"
On Friday, July 20, 1763, "it rained all day until seven o'clock in
the evening, when I began to preach in Burslem," Wesley said.
"Even the poor potters here are a more civilized people than the
best kind (so called) in Congleton. Some stood with their hats on; but no one
spoke a word or offered to cause the least disturbance."[19]
Chapel built in 1766
With Wesley's visits, Methodism advanced in Burslem.
"In 1766 the Society of Methodists built a chapel at Burslem - the
construction of this chapel marks the establishment of the first lasting
nonconformist meeting in this area." [20]
More than 15 times
"John Wesley visited the area now known as the town of Stoke-on-Trent 15 more times between 1760 and 1790, preaching at Hanley Green (now Hanley), Lane End (now Longton), and Tunstall, as well as Burslem. At first, progress was slow but eventually strong churches were founded and built among what Wesley called 'poor potters'. In fact, toward the end of his life and ministry, genuine revival had come to the area."[21]
Burslem, the city of ceramics
"The main potters began to build houses and potbanks that reflected their prestige"
In the eighteenth century, it was a city isolated from the rest of
England because it had no navigable river and no good roads.
It "is located in natural deposits of iron stone, clay and coal –
the essential raw materials for making pottery. By the end of the 17th century,
Burslem was the country's main supplier of pottery."[22]
The development of Burslem
"Leading potters began to build houses and potbanks that reflected their prestige. The most notable was the Big House, built by brothers Thomas and John Wedgwood in 1751 at the corner of Wedgwood Street and Chapel Bank. The most spectacular was the Fountain Place Works built for Enoch Wood in 1789, a Gothic extravaganza between Hall Street and Packhorse Lane. During the 19th century, Burslem continued to grow as more vessel banks were built."[23]
Canal and roads
"By 1777 the Trent and Mersey Canal was nearing completion and the
roads had improved considerably. The town grew due to the production of pottery
and fine canals and became known as the mother city of the six towns that make
up the town. The Hill Top Methodist Church and Sunday School were opened on
Westport Road in 1836."[24]
In 1763, potters asked Parliament to build turnpike roads.[25]
But "heavy industrial employment (mines, steel and ladles) has left
a legacy of ill health among many older people."[26]
Today Burslem is known as the mother city of pottery.[27]
"Burslem
is one of six localities that merged to form the town of Stoke-on-Trent in the
county of Staffordshire. The population of the locality was 11,314 inhabitants
in 2011."[28]
The changes in Burslem
"I returned to Burslem. How
the whole face of this country changes in about twenty years! Since then, the
inhabitants have flowed continuously from all sides"
On March 8, 1781, Wesley recorded this change in Burslem: "I
returned to Burslem. How the whole face of this country changes in about twenty
years! Since then, the inhabitants have flowed continually on every side. Hence
the wilderness is literally becoming a fruitful field. Houses sprang up:
villages, towns, and the country has not improved more than the people. The
word of God has had a free run among them; sinners are daily awakened and
converted to God, and believers grow in the knowledge of Christ. In the evening
the house was filled with people, and with the presence of God. This compelled
me to extend the service much longer than I am accustomed to do."[29]
Sad apprehensions and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Burslem
"I applied those comfortable words to them"
On April 26, 1782, Wesley
found some Burslem residents with "sad apprehensions" because of the
war with the American colonies and dismemberment of Lord North's
administration.
Wesley said, "I found
many in Burslem, under sad apprehensions of public danger; then I applied to
them those comfortable words, "I will not destroy him for the sake of
ten."[30]
Who was Lord North?
Frederick North, Lord North
was British Prime Minister (1770-1782). He led theGreat BritainDuring part of theAmerican War of Independence. Lord
North resigned on 20 March 1782 because of the British defeat atYorktownin the previous year".[31]
His resignation brought
insecurity to the residents of Burslem. On April 26, 1782, Wesley arrived in
Biurslem and brought a comfortable word.
Wesley's other preaching in Burslem
Wesley recorded in his diary other days when he was in Burslem
preaching:
·
1761, March 9;
·
1764, July 20;
·
1768, March 25;
· 1774, July
25;
· 1781, March
8.
"It's the
biggest, and the most serious"
On March 31, 1784, Wesley said, "I came to Burslem, where we had
the first society of the county, and it is still the largest, and the most
serious."[32]
Other dates Wesley visited Burslem:
·
1786, April 28;
·
1787, March 29;
·
1788, March 31.
·
1790, March 28-29
"The most elegant I have seen"
On March 19, 1790, he said, "At nine o'clock I preached in the new
chapel at Tunstall," the most elegant I have seen since I left Bath. The
people seemed to devour the word."[33]
Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
"There has been for some time this outpouring of Spirit here such
as has not been in any other part of the kingdom"
In his diary of March 29, 1787, Wesley visited Lane End, and recorded in
his Diary, "we enter the country which seems to all to be on fire—that
which the pastors of Burslem on every side; preachers and people provoking each
other to love and good works in a manner never seen before," [34]Wesley said.
Later, on March 29, in Burslem, Wesley enjoyed a mighty move of the Holy
Spirit. He said, "In fact, there has been, for some time, this outpouring
of Spirit here such as has not been in any other part of the kingdom;
particularly in the prayer meeting. 15 or 20 were justified in one day. Some of
them had been the most notorious and forsaken sinners in the whole
country."[35]
The Prosperity of Methodism in Burslem
"Burslem, where God's work still prospers greatly"
On April 1, 1788, Wesley said, "I went to Burslem, where the work of God still prospers greatly. The chapel would not hold half the people, so I ordered a table to be set in the yard, and though the wind was very high and very cold, they rose very patiently. Then I spent a comfortable hour with society, which completely filled the house."[36]
Ceramic bust of Wesley made in Burslem
"Enoch
Wood, who produced the best-known bust of Wesley, was a member of the
Burslem society"
Burslem Enoch Wood (1759-1840), was "Master potter ofBurslemfor whom John Wesley sat in March 1781. He was the nephew of Ralph Wood, who founded a dynasty of Burslem potters and with whom the Toby Jug originated."[37]
In 1781, John Wesley sat down for Enoch Wood (1759–1840), who created the model for his Staffordshire ceramic bust.
It was made during one of the five visits Wesley made to Wood's home.
"Enoch Wood, who produced the best-known bust of Wesley, was a member of the Burslem society."[38]
Wesley's most faithful bust
The bust of Wesley "was regarded by Wesley himself (and later by Adam Clarke) as the most faithful likeness of him each year. In 1830, when Samuel Manning was working on a statue of Wesley commissioned by Joseph Butterworth, Clarke sent him two copies of the bust, one of them (now in the Museum of Methodism in Wesley's Chapel) specially supplied by Wood himself from the original cast, as a model for the features." [39]
Wood's Letter to Adam Clark
In a letter to Adam Clarke, Enoch Wood wrote: "[The bust] was carried by me in the year 1781, with the greatest care and attention that I was then able to, in the twenty-second year of my age, have practised the art from a very early age. [One may] confidently rely on every line, wrinkle, or vein."[40]
The legend about a bust of John Wesley
"I've never made money so quickly, but what are we going to do with
it?"
This is a legend
about the origin of a bust of Wesley that circulated in his time.
"At an unknown
location in England, at an unknown time, an artist, Mr. Culy, invited a friend
to an evening tea. After initial applause, the two were soon circumnavigating
the portrait bust gallery of the artists' home. One bust stood out to the
visitor. Who is this, asked the friend? Why, it is a bust of the 'Reverend John
Wesley,' replied the artist. His visitor was in love, and he was not alone.
Culy told his visitor that he 'struck Lord Shelburne in the same manner as
you.' But when Lord Shelburne learned that it was John Wesley, he was
horrified: "He—this race of fanatics!" [41]
Who was Lord
Shelburne?
"William Petty
Fitzmaurice (1737-1805) was born in Dublin. His family owned estates in Dublin
and in Ardfert, Co. By 1760, now known as Lord Shelburne, he inherited vast
tracts of land in the Kenmare area through his mother, a granddaughter of William
Petty, the mapmaker of Cromwell. [42]"
"Prime Minister
of England"
"Around 1776 he
entered politics and became a member of the old Irish parliament opposite
Trinity College in Dublin. He later moved to London, where he had a successful
political career, becoming Prime Minister of Great Britain in July 1782 until
February 1783."[43]
The description of
who Wesley really was
Going back to the
legend...
"Culy had
assured Shelburne that Wesley was a very humble man, and had always refused to
have his likeness taken away, thinking it 'nothing but vanity'. But after
offering Wesley '10 Guineans' every ten minutes, he would sit down for him –
'knowing that you value money by the means of doing good' – Wesley surprisingly
agreed. So Wesley took off his coat, lay down on the sofa, and the artist
prepared the plaster, and put the wet and cold substance on Wesley's naked
face. After eight minutes, Culy 'had the most perfect bust' he 'ever took'.
Wesley washed his face, 'counted the ten guineas in his hand', and said: 'I
have never made money so quickly, but what shall we do with it?' For Wesley, it
seems, this was not difficult." [44]
The fate of the 10
Wesley guineas
"Soon Wesley's 10 guineas were consumed in his efforts to alleviate
this deluge of suffering"
"On his way
home, he came across the suffering scum of British society: 'a poor woman
weeping bitterly', 'a poor wretch who greedily ate a few potato peels', a 'man,
or rather a skeleton', a 'young woman in the last stage of consumption', a
'baby, quite dead1 and a highly indebted lawyer. Soon Wesley's 10 guineas were
consumed in his efforts to alleviate this deluge of suffering. Upon hearing
this story, Lord Shelburne's heart was softened against the leader of the 'race
of fanatics' and, in response, he 'immediately ordered a dozen busts to
beautify the grounds of his beautiful residence'. Shelburne's transformation
from indignation to devotion was a powerful story of how John Wesley's body
representation could overcome anti-evangelical prejudice and turn it into
devotion, all with the help of a story tied to one thing." [45]
Legend was reprinted
"Widely reprinted in America in nineteenth-century religious and
secular periodicals"
"This legend
about the origin story of the bust of John Wesley and its power was widely
reprinted in America in religious and secular periodicals of the nineteenth
century. One of the reasons for the dissemination of the story was the
increasing presence of John Wesley, not only in engravings that could be pasted
on walls, or in copper engravings printed on the frontispiece of books, or in
the name of institutions, but in the increasing ubiquity of his representation
in the form of ceramics."[46]
[1]
http://www.thepotteries.org//chapel/001.htm
[2]
https://www.barewall.co.uk/products/john-ward-burslem-solicitor-1781-1870
[3]
http://www.thepotteries.org/ history/spiritual_history.html
[4]
Ditto.
[5] http://www.thepotteries.org/ history/spiritual_history.html
[6] Ditto.
[7] https://www.british-history.ac.uk/ vch/staffs/vol8/pp276-307#p1
[8] http://www.thepotteries.org/chapel/003.htm
[9] https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/staffs/vol8/pp276-307
[10] https://bottleoven.blogspot.com/p/burslem.html
[12] https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/staffs/vol8/pp276-307
[13] http://www.thepotteries.org/chapel/003.htm
[14] Ditto.
[15]https://ukwells.org/wells/burslem-2
[16]Ditto.
[17] The Magazine of John Wesley, with an introduction by Hugh Price Hughes,
m.a., edited by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicago Moody Press, 1951.
[18] Ditto.
[19] THE MAGAZINE of John Wesley, op.cit.
[20]
http://www.thepotteries.org/hapel/001.htm
[21]
http://www.thepotteries.org/hapel/001.htm
[22] https://bottleoven.blogspot.com/p/burslem.html
[23] https://bottleoven.blogspot.com/p/burslem.html
[24] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burslem
[25] http://www.thepotteries.org/chapel/002.htm. Toll road.
[26] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burslem
[27] https://www.burslempottery.com/pages/about-us
[28] https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burslem
[29] http://www.thepotteries.org/borough/010_wesley.htm
[30] http://www.thepotteries.org/chapel/001.htm
[31]https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-North-Lord-North-of-Kirtling
[32] http://www.thepotteries.org/chapel/002.htm
[33] http://www.thepotteries.org/chapel/002.htm
[34] http://www.thepotteries.org/chapel/001.htm
[35]
http://www.thepotteries.org/chapel/001.htm
[36] http://www.thepotteries.org/borough/010_wesley.htm
[37] https://dmbi.online/index.php?do=app.entry&id=3060
[38] https://dmbi.online/index.php?do=app.entry&id=503
[39] https://dmbi.online/index.php?do=app.entry&id=3060
[40] shttps://emethpress.com/hop/9780979793554/
[41] http://commonplace.online/ article/holy-man-holy-head/
[42] https://www.shelburnelodge.com/history
[43] Ditto.
[44] http://commonplace.online/ article/holy-man-holy-head/
[45] http://commonplace.online/article/holy-man-holy-head/
[46] Ditto.
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