Methodist Women: Ann Cutler P/11

                                                                    Please read part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Methodist Woman Ann  Cutler. She lived from 1759 - 1794. Ann was born in the Lancashire parish of Thornley-with-Wheatley. Her parents and schooling are unknown but she became a hand loom weaver. She came to notice in 1785 when she converted from established Christianity to Methodism by William Bramwell.

Ann was with Hester Rogers, one of the first women preachers. Their devotion laid the foundation for friends Sarah Crosby and Mary Bosanquet Fletcher to later become Methodist preachers. Ann had met the Methodist leader John Wesley in 1790 and it was he who had agreed to women preachers.

Martha Thompson teamed up with Ann and the two evangelists would claim converts in Lancashire who had witnessed Martha's singing and Ann's praying. Martha was warned to stay clear of Ann because of her strength and enthusiasm which Martha's father feared would kill his daughter. Ann went to work with William Bramwell and they are credited with leading revivals in Derby, Lancashire, Cheshire and Lancashire in the years following John Wesley's death in 1791.

Her mentor, William Bramwell, had a respect for Ann. She was known as "Praying Nanny" because of her frequent, loud and at times public prayers. When Bramwell got into difficulty then he would benefit from Ann's prayer techniques. Ann never married and was keen to ensure there was no gossip. When she was returning late at night she would refuse a male escort in order to avoid any suspicion. She died in Macclesfield in 1794 at the age of 35.

Read Part Twelve HERE

Methodist Women: Barbara Heck P/10

Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Methodist Woman Barbara Heck-Ruckle. She lived from 1734 - 1804  at Ruckle Hill, Ballingran, Limerick, Ireland. At 18 she united herself with the Methodist Church. She married Paul Heck in 1756 and in 1760 she, along with her husband, her brother Paul Ruckle, and other families from the same village went to America, where they settled in New York. in 1766 Barbara encouraged Philip Embury, who had been an itinerant Methodist preacher in Ireland, to begin preaching once again to their community. The congregation grew from a small one in Embury's house to one large enough to fill space in the Rigging Loft in William Street in New York, and eventually into a strong community with the resources to build their own Wesley Chapel. In 1768 the first Methodist Chapel in America was opened on John Street and was named the Wesley Chapel, and a plaque dedicated to Barbara Heck and Philip Embury in the church reads: "Their works do follow them."

In 1774 Barbara moved with her family to Montreal, where she repeated her activities on behalf of Methodism. In 1786 she encouraged the construction of a Wesleyan Chapel and brought the style of Methodist prayer to this area. This is believed to be the first Methodist Chapel in Canada. Barbara's husband died in 1792. However, Barbara continued her devotion and leadership in this Methodist community as a lay leader until her death in 1804. 

Pease read Part Eleven HERE

Methodist Women: Mary Tooth P/9

                                                           Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Methodist Woman Mary Tooth. She lived from 1778 - 1843 and was born in Birmingham, UK. Mary did not consider either of her parents to be "pious" during her childhood, though her mother "tried her and proved to do her good in her latter end" answering the prayers of Tooth's pious grandmother.

Mary visited Madeley for the first time in 1795 when she came to work as a teacher and domestic servant in the house of Mrs Mickelwright. When Mrs Mickelwright's son returned from sea and proposed to Mary she felt obliged both to decline and to find employment elsewhere, though she had no desire to leave Madeley. To stay as close as possible, she accepted employment in the neighbouring parish of Shifnal with a Mrs Lutton. Mary experienced a religious conversion in a meeting in "Mr Fletcher's Room (the vicarage tithe barn which had been converted by Mary Fletcher into a preaching room in 1788) in Madeley when Mary Fletcher was preaching on the Minor Prophets. Between 1795 and 1799 she was joined with the Methodists in Birmingham at Cherry Street Chapel during visits to her parent's home.

On the weekends during which she was not in Birmingham, Mary attended the parish church in Madeley as well as Mrs Fletcher's meetings before and after the Sunday services, returning to Shifnal on Monday afternoons. It was during this time that she build friendships with a circle of evangelical women leaders in Madeley, including Mary Fletcher, Sarah Lawrence, Mrs Yates, and Mrs Purton. Mary moved into the vicarage house next to the Madeley parish church with Mary Fletcher as her companion and help-mate in ministry in 1799. In 1808 Mary's sister Rosemond came to live with her in Madeley. From this time on Mary became a prominent leader in the parish "meetings" held in the various meeting houses established by John and Mary Fletcher, where she preached, led prayer meetings, and worked with children. Mary contributed to the building of a preaching house after Mary Fletcher's death in 1815.

Mary was the last and closest of Mary Fletcher's live- in companions and confidants and also acted as her executrix. She was very active in Methodist affairs in the Madeley and East Shropshire area in her own right. After the death of Mary Fletcher in 1815, Mary continued to correspond widely and was active in promoting the role played by women. Mary herself was preaching as late as the 1830s and her obituary states that she was acting as a leader for three classes until a few days before her death on 15 November 1843. 

Read Part Ten HERE

Methodist Women: Mary Baritt Taft P/8

                                                           Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Methodist Woman Mary Baritt Taft. She lived from 1772 -1851.  

Mary Baritt was the outstanding woman evangelist of the nineteenth-century England. Born in Lancanshire, she and her older brother John were drawn to Methodist teachings at a young age, despite the objections of their father. At the age of seventeen, she became active in her brother's circuit, Dover, and while working in support of other ministers she discovered that she had the ability to inspire congregations with her preaching. 

Joseph Benson, the President of the Methodist Conference, angrily advised several ministers to stop allowing her to preach in their pulpits, but they defended her, citing the strength of her spirit and the great crowds she was attracting. in 1802 she married Rev. Zacharias Taft, a Methodist minister, with whom she travelled and preached. The following year, in direct response to her work, severe restrictions on preaching by women were ratified at the annual Methodist Conference, held at Manchester.

At that Conference the following question was asked:

Should women be permitted to preach among us?

Answer: "We are of the opinion that, in general, they ought not.                                                                                                                                                                  1. Because a vast majority of people are opposed to it.                                                                                                                                                                   2. Because their preaching does not at all seem necessary, there being a sufficiency of preachers, who God has accredited, to supply all the places in our connection with regular preaching. But if any woman among us thinks she has an extraordinary call from God to speak in public, (and we are sure it must be an extraordinay call that can authorize it) we are of the opinion she should in general address her own sex and those only: And upon this condition alone should any woman be permitted to preach in any part of our connection, and when so permitted, it should be under the following regulations:                                                                                                                                                 1. They shall not preach in the Circuit where they reside, until they have obtained the approbation of the Superintendent and a Quarterly-Meeting.                                                                                                                                                       2. Before they go into any other Circuit to preach, they shall have a written invitation from the Superintendent of such Circuit, and a recommendatary note from the Sperintendent of their own Circuit.

With remarkable foresight, in 1799 Mary had expressed her hope that God would hasten the day when "the wonder will be that the exertions of pious females to bring souls to Christ should ever have been opposed or obstructed."

P.S. The above is very much in line with what is taking place today, in 2022, in the Southern Baptist Denomination where more than 700 Southern Baptist Pastors together with two professors at Southern Baptist Seminaries have signed a letter stating that churches who allow women to be pastors should be barred.

Read Part Nine HERE

Methodist Women: Ann Cutler P/7

 

                                                           Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Methodist Woman Ann Cutler. She lived from 1759 - 1794.

Ann was born in the Lancashire parish of Thornley-with-Wheatley. She became a handloom weaver. In 1785 she converted from established Christianity to Methodism.

Ann was with Hester Rogers, one of the first women preachers in the Methodist Movement. Their devotion laid the foundation for Sarah Crosby and Mary Bosanquet Fletcher to later become Methodist preachers. 

Ann teamed up with Martha Thompson *) and the two evangelists claimed converts in Lancashire who had witnessed Martha's singing and Ann's praying. Martha was warned to stay clear of Ann because of her strength and enthusiam which Martha's father feared would kill his daughter. Ann later on went  on to work with William Bramwell and they are credited with leading revivals in Derby, Lancashire, Cheshire and Lancashire in the years following John Wesley's death in 1791.

Her mentor, William Bramwell, had a respect for Ann. She was known as "Praying Nanny" because of her frequent, loud and at times public prayers. When William Bramwell got into difficulty then he would benefit from Ann's prayer techniques. Ann never married and was keen to ensure there was no gossip. When she was returning late at night she would refuse a male escort in order to avoid any suspicion. She died in Macclesfield in 1794 at the age of 35. 

*) Martha Tompson lived from 1731 - 1820. She was a housemaid in London and converted to Methodism after hearing John Wesley preach in Moorfields.Martha was declared insane and sent to Bedlam, but John Wesley later freed her and rode back with her to her hometown of Preston. There she became a founder of Methodism in the region.

Read Part Eight HERE

Methodist Women: Hester Ann Roe Rogers P/6

                                                                   Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Methodist Woman Hester Ann Roe-Rogers. She lived from 1755 - 1794.

Hester was the daughter of Rev James Roe. His preaching deeply influenced the young Hester. Methodism was considered a new sect at that time and Hester believed that Methodist preachers were false prophets. Their new curate, Mr Simpson, was a Methodist, and she resolved that he should not convert her.

Hester continued seeking God continually and eventually decided to attend an early Methodist preaching service. What she heard convinced her that they were in fact truly the Lord's people. From that time she resolved to attend Methodist services, though her mother was horrified and disgusted. The intervention of an uncle prevented the irate mother from turning her daughter out of doors.

Hester offered to become like a servant and do house work for her mother in order for her to be allowed to continue attending the meetings. Her mother listened to her proposal, fully believing that the housework to which she was unaccustomed, would soon outdo her zeal, and she would give up all her resolutions. But that was not the case.

Hester married Mr James Rogers, a Methodist preacher, whose first wife had been her most intimate friend, in 1784. She began to lead classes and wherever she and her husband went, the churches grew in number. It was Mr Roger's custom to give his wife a run-down class, lete her build it up, then divide the class,and give them to other leaders, letting his wife start over again.

Sadly, she died shortly after the birth of a baby boy on October 10, 1794.

Read Part Seven HERE

Methodist Women: Mary Evans Thorne P/5

                                                           Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Methodist Woman Mary Evans Thorne, who lived from 1740 - after 1813.

Mary was born in Bristol, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Her parents, who were of Welsh heritage, moved to New Bern, North Carolina, where her father died. Her mother remarried in 1767. Mary joined the Baptists in North Carolina when she was 23 and married James Thorne, but he died in 1762. After his death, she relocated with her mother to Philadelphia. New to the city, she sought a place of worship, found a Methodist service conducted by Joseph Pilmoor, which was more to her liking that the Baptist faith. 

Around the age of 30, she joined the Methodist church, against the wishes of her mother. Then her mother and her new husband retured to North Carolina cutting off all contact with Mary. Within two years of her conversion she had three classes and two Methodist bands meeting weekly under her tutelage. She was the first women class-leader of Philadelphia, having been appointed to lead a class of women by Pilmore, and she may have been the first woman in the American Colonies to hold the position. Class leaders in this era were spiritual laity, who were accountable for the pastoral needs of their class members.Mary supported herself by teaching and taking in sewing and visited hospitals tending to and praying for the sick and dying. Her devotion continued even after the British took over the Methodist Chapel, as she then held services in her home at the early part of the Revolutionary war.

Around this time, she met Captain Samuel Parker, a ship captain from England, who was entrusted with taking some of the injured soldiers back to Britain They were married on 12 February 1778 and she returned with him to England. Her husband served as a steward in London and she served as a class leader and later when they were living in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, they held the same positions. Parker died in England after 1813 and later, he and Parker's son moved to Philadelphia.

Read Part Six HERE