Read Part One HERE
In this post I will focus on a Methodist Woman named Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, who lived from 1739 - 1815
Mary was born in September 1739. Her family were Anglicans of Huguenot descent. He father was lord of the manor in Leytonstone, as well as one of the chief merchants in London. She was introduced to Methodism about the age of seven when a Methodist servant girl began to discuss religion with her. However, the servant was dismissed when the parents objected.
Through her father, Mary was confirmed as an Anglican at St Paul's Cathedral at the age of 13. However, Mary's older sister then introduced her to a member of the London Foundery Society, a Mrs Lefevre. This furthered Mary's interest in Methodism, and she began to reject her luxurious lifestyle.
In 1757, Mary met Sarah Crosby, who at the time was a Methodist Class leader. Meeting Sarah was the final impetus behind Mary's conversion to Methodism. She then dedicated her life to the Church and charity, rejecting her wealth and becoming active in the Foundery Society. She began to visit Sarah Crosby and Sarah Ryan in the Moorfields to learn more about religion.
By 1760, tensions between Mary and her family had become pronounced and her family eventually asked her to leave. She moved into unfurnished accommodation in Hoxton Square where she soon settled in company with Sarah Ryan.
Mary had something of a change of heart over her wealth in 1763; she decided to accept it, but use it for charitable purposes. On 24 March 1763, Mary and Sarah Ryan moved to one of the family's properties, The Cedars, in Leytonston and turned it into an orphanage. Over time other Methodist women, including Sarah Crosby and Mary Clark, joined them in their work.
Mary was not just the owner of the orphanage, but was in charge of much of its operation. She would plan and lead worship, administer the finances, teach the children, conduct weekly children's meetings, act as a supervisor for Methodist meetings and nurse the sick.
Mary and Sarah Crosby instituted nightly Scriptural readings and prayer, as there was no Methodist Society in Leytonstone. To improve the religious environment in the orphanage, the women asked John Wesley to supply them with a preacher. Wesley sent a Mr Murlin to preach, who evidently had success, as the orphanage soon became a Society. Mary and Sarah continued to hold their own religious services on Thursday nights and began to attract large crowds. So successul were they that The Cedars became a centre of Methodism in Leytonstone. Though some Methodist men began to express opposition toward Mary's and Sarah's activities, they were unable to stop them.
In 1768, the orphanage relocated to a farm named Cross Hall in Morley, Yorkshire where Mary continued to hold Methodist meetings at night. In the summer of 1771 she wrote to John Wesley, to defend their work, This is seen as the first full and true defence of women's preaching in Methodism. Marys argument was that women should be able to preach when they experienced an "extraordinary call," or when God asked them to. John Wesley accepted the idea and formally began to allow women to preach in Methodism in that year. Her preaching attracted, in fact, large numbers of people - in September 1776 she addressed a crowd of 2,000 in Golcar.
Mary married John Fletcher in 1781 and they moved to Madeley, Shropshire where she continued to hold Methodist meetings. Sadly, her husband passed away in 1785. However, Mary continued to preach and teach at Madeley and started to do so at the nearby villages of Coalbrookdale and Coalport.
She continued her work with the Wesleyan Methodis Connexion until shortly before she died in 1815.
Read Part Five HERE
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