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Oil on canvas
By unknown artist, Early 1800s

Charles Atmore (1759 - 1826) was born in Heacham in Norfolk. He was an itinerant preacher and was ordained in 1781, opening the first Methodist preaching house in Glasgow. Atmore became a close friend of John Wesley and was included in the 'Legal Hundred'. This was a group of one hundred of Wesley's most able leaders, chosen by Wesley and appointed by him as the policy making body of the Methodist Church following his death.

Oil on canvas
By John Jackson R.A. (1778 - 1831), Early 1800s

The Revd. Robert Newton (1780 - 1854) was the son of a farmer and became a Wesleyan Methodist minister in 1799. He was an enthusiastic advocate of overseas missionary activity, raised enormous sums for this purpose. and rose high within Wesleyan Methodism.

For further biographical details, see also the portrait of Robert Newton by William Gush in the Collection, 1993/1610.

Oil on canvas
By unknown artist, Mid to late 1800s

The Rev. Frederick James Jobson D.D. (1812 - 1882) became a Wesleyan minister in 1834. His Promotion of the Gothic architectural style was a major influence on Methodist and Nonconformist buildings, especially after his publication 'Chapel and School Architecture' (1850).

Oil on canvas
By unknown artist, Early 1800s

William Clowes (1780 - 1851) was converted to Methodism in 1805. In 1807, he attended the first Primitive Methodist meeting, together with Hugh and James Bourne and others. This was an all day prayer meeting at Mow Cop.

Oil on canvas
By unknown artist, Early 1800s

Hugh Bourne (1772 - 1852) and William Clowes (1780 - 1851) were joint founders of the Primitive Methodist movement, the largest offshoot of Wesleyan Methodism. Primitive Methodism, the Wesleyan Methodists and the United Methodists re-united in 1932, establishing Methodist Union.

Oil on board
By unknown artist, Late 1700s

John Pawson (1737 - 1806) was superintendent of the Chapel in City Road after John Wesley. He became known for burning Wesley's annotated secular books after his death, including Shakespeare, in an effort to control Wesley's posthumous image.

Oil on canvas
By unknown artist, Early 1800s

Mrs Atmore was the wife of Charles Atmore (1759 - 1826). He was an associate of John Wesley and after Wesley's death, Atmore took a leading part and contributed to the consolidation of the Wesleyan Methodist church. Atmore became President of Conference in 1811-12.

Oil on canvas
After J. Jackson R.A. (1778-1831), Early 1800s

As a young man, David McNicoll (c. 1782-1836) showed much promise as a poet and preacher. He was held in high regard by Adam Clarke, in whose family he lived for a while. Later, McNicoll became an assistant in the London (Southwark) circuit (1828-29).

Oil on canvas
By unknown artist, Early 1800s

Watson was one of the first outstanding Wesleyan Methodist theologians and had a keen interest in promoting foreign missions. He became President of Conference in 1826. Watson is perhaps best remembered for his 'Theological Institutes' (1831), in which he tried to bring John Wesley's theology into a coherent system.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified artist, Early 1800s

Samuel Bradburn (1751–1816), was a Methodist preacher, an associate of John Wesley, and a follower of John Fletcher of Madeley. According to those who heard him preach, he was an extraordinary orator, perhaps one of the greatest preachers of his day. He became President of the Methodist Conference in 1799.

See also the engraving 1995/3066 of Bradburn and the roundel 1994/2793 associated with Bradburn in the Online Collection.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified artist, Early 1800s

Mrs Bradburn was the wife of the Rev. Samuel Bradburn (1751–1816), who was a Methodist preacher, an associate of John Wesley, and a follower of John Fletcher of Madeley. Little is known of Mrs Bradburn; she may have been the first or second wife of Samuel, his first wife passing away in 1786 of consumption (tuberculosis).

Oil on canvas
Painted by A.T. Nowell, Early 1900s

Rodney, or 'Gipsy', Smith MBE (1860 – 1947) was a British evangelist who conducted evangelistic campaigns in the United States and Great Britain for over 70 years. He was an early member of The Salvation Army.

Gypsy was born in a Romany tent in Epping Forest, close to London. He received no formal education, and his family made a living selling home made wares, such as baskets. At the age of 16, Gypsy was converted and noticed by William Booth of the Salvation Army. Gypsy became an evangelist with and for the Mission and served for a number of years. Later, he travelled around the world extensively on evangelistic missions or 'crusades', drawing huge crowds.

It is believed that Gipsy never wrote out a sermon for preaching purposes, although he wrote several books. He could sing well, and sometimes he would interrupt his sermons and burst into song. Several of these hymns were recorded by Columbia Records.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified artist, c.1750-1800

The identity of the young man in this picture, like that of the artist, is unknown. It is likely he was a young Methodist preacher, possibly within John Wesley's circle. There is a tantalizing similarity to John Cennick, see 1993/1481 in the Collection. It is interesting that the sitter chose to have himself painted in front of a background of gothic church architecture when the fashion would have been for all things classical. This may indicate that he wanted to associate himself with the values of the traditional Church and emphasise the respectability of his faith. Alternatively, the work may have been commissioned as a commemorative portrait.

We know nothing of the painter but the portrait is of good quality. The colouring suggests the painter was influenced by Old Master paintings; or the client asked for this traditional rendering to emphasise the message he wanted to convey.

Oil on wood panel
Unidentified artist, ca. 1820

Roger Crane (1758-1836) joined the Wesleyan Methodist society in Preston after a controversy in the Presbyterian church in which he had grown up. He became a local preacher and became known as one of the 'Apostles of the Fylde', together with William Bramwell and Michael Emmett. Crane was known for eloquent and powerful preaching and became one of the leaders of Lancashire Methodism. He met John Wesley on a number of visits to Lancashire in the 1780s.

The portrait requires conservation.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified artist, Late 1700s

Cennick was an Evangelist and hymnwriter. Born in 1718, he was raised in a strict Anglican home but was only converted to religion in 1737, after a youthful bout of rebellion. Concerned with his spiritual life and having heard of Wesley's 'Holy Club' at Oxford, he travelled to Oxford and met both John Wesley and George Whitefield. For a while, he assisted with the Kingswood School Whitefield and Wesley had set up in Bristol, but soon found himself drawn to open air preaching with Wesley's encouragement.

Unfortunately, he and Wesley fell out over the role of Christian Perfection and Wesley's doctrine of Arminianism within the new movement. Cennick was suspended from the Kingswood Society in 1741. This brought Cennick closer to Whitefield, and soon after he became his assistant and had pastoral charge of the 'Tabernacle', Whitefield's new church in London, whenever Whitefield was away. Cennick also conducted a campaign of evangelisation in north Wiltshire, and built up a network of societies there.

By the mid 1740s, increasingly displeased with the Calvinist strand within Whitefield's Methodist movement, Cennick decided join the Moravian Church instead. He spent some time travelling in Europe and visited the Moravian headquarters at Herrnhut, after which he went to Ireland. There, he started dozens of societies and was ordained a Moravian deacon in 1749.

Cennick died early, in 1755, in London.

A number of similar portraits of Cennick exist; none is of high quality. It is likely they were all copied from a better portrait, possibly now lost.

Oil on canvas
Painted by William Gush (1813–1888), Early to mid 1800s

Newton was born at Roxby, near Whitby, in 1780. He was the son of a farmer, and was converted to Methodism in 1798. After becoming a minister, he served primarily in northern circuits and raised large sums for overseas missionary work. He was handsome, and a persuasive preacher with a powerful voice, described by Benjamin Gregory in 1841 as 'the grandest figure and the best-loved preacher in the whole Connexion'. Over the years Newton opened numerous chapels and became repeatedly secretary of the Methodist Conference. Unusually, he served as President of the Conference four times (in 1824, 1832, 1840 and 1848).

The following description by a contemporary provides an interesting perspective:

'He was not a statesman like Dr. Bunting, nor a man of high culture like W.M. Bunting, nor a theologian like Hannah, Farrar and Jackson, nor a teacher of wisdom and a cyclopaedia of knowledge like Osborn. Newton had the advantage of them all in this way, that he was nobly handsome and an orator by nature. Tall, with good features, grizzled hair, fine eyes, and very dark arched eyebrows, he was impressive even before he spoke, and when he rolled out his rich organ notes, he was irresistible. I have listened to orators at the bar and in the pulpit for half a century, and have never met with such a magnificent voice as that of Robert Newton. He was not great in conversation, nor did his sermons and speeches, when examined, show original power. He had simply the great gift of being able to present commonplaces in the most attractive and forcible way.'

R. Denny Urlin, Father Reece, the Old Methodist Minister (1901), pp.61-2

See also the other portrait of Robert Newton in the Collection, painted by John Jackson, R.A., 1997/6631.

Oil on canvas
Painted by John Jackson, R.A. (1778–1831), Early 1800s

Born Jean Guillaume de la Fléchère into an aristocratic French family in 1729, Fletcher's early life was spent soldiering and tutoring in England. There, he experienced a religious conversion in 1755, was ordained in 1757 and made the acquaintance of the Wesley brothers and Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. Fletcher became the Countess's chaplain but was also involved closely with the parish of Madeley and Colebrookdale. Fletcher proved a good preacher and got involved in Methodism more widely.

Close to Wesley and the Countess, Fletcher ultimately found himself at the centre of the controversy between Calvinist and Arminian Methodism, in which he chose (and fiercely defended) Wesley's Arminian side. His final contributions to the controversy, 'The Doctrines of Grace and Justice' and 'The Reconciliation', suggest that Calvinism and Arminianism should co-exist.

Many contemporaries regarded Fletcher as an example of John Wesley's teachings of Christian Perfection and possible successor to Wesley.

Oil on canvas
Painted by Agnes Clara Tatham (1893–1972), c.1920

Sharp was born in Dorset in 1856. After working as a carpenter, he was converted by Alexander M'Aulay, after which he trained at Didsbury and Handsworth Colleges. He became particularly interested in social issues and educational affairs. In 1906 he became Connexional Temperance Secretary. Later, between 1911 and 1932, he served as Book Steward in the Methodist Book Room on City Road, the Methodist publishing house.

Sharp strengthened the Book Room's links with the book trade and also with Churches overseas, and he oversaw many well-known publications whilst in charge. In 1921 he was elected President of Conference.

Oil on board
Unidentified artist, Early 1800s

Atherton was born in Lancashire and his first ten years in the ministry were spent in Scotland, where he had been educated. He was an advocate for Chapel building, missions and Methodist day schools. Elected President of the Conference in 1846, he was a leading opponent of Jabez Bunting. Atherton became superintendent of the circuit in Wakefield in 1849 and also Chairman of the Leeds District, but died the following year.

Sadly, the portrait is in bad condition and requires conservation.

Oil on canvas
Possibly by John Jackson (1778–1831), Early to mid 1800s

Grace Murray has been described by some as John Wesley's one true love; and he intended to marry her.

Born in Newcastle, Grace converted to Methodism in 1739. She became a member of the Foundery Society in London but returned to Newcastle after the death of her husband in 1742. There, she became a class leader and John Wesley appointed her housekeeper of the Methodist Orphan House.

Wesley was further acquainted with Grace during several visits to Newcastle and told her ‘If ever I marry, I think you will be the person!’. Shortly after during the summer of 1749, she accompanied Wesley on one of his preaching tours in Ireland, a move which was regarded as the prelude to marriage. However, Grace had another admirer who had proposed marriage and of whom she was fond also, a Mr Bennett, one of Wesley's preachers. Wesley procrastinated over the betrothal and asked his brother Charles for advice. Alarmed, Charles Wesley interfered and persuaded Grace to marry Bennett instead.

Wesley never fully forgave his brother or Bennett and wrote to the latter: ‘I left with you my dearest friend, one I loved above all on earth, and fully designed for my wife. To this woman you proposed marriage, without either my knowledge or consent...'

Grace went on to have five children by Bennett. John, possibly on the rebound, contracted an unsuitable and unsuccessful marriage to 'Molly' Vazeille in 1751.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified artist, c.1872

John Rattenbury (1806-1879) was a Wesleyan minister and the founder of a dynasty of Methodist ministers. He grew up in Manchester and was converted by Robert Newton. It is said that he was a near hypnotic preacher, and that he was responsible for many conversions. A family tradition asserts that the first railway excursion on the Stockton and Darlington line was to hear him preach. Rattenbury launched the Metropolitan Chapels Building Fund and was elected President of Conference in 1861.

The painting requires conservation.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified painter, Probably early 1800s

Ann Griffiths (nee Thomas) was born in Montgomeryshire into a devout Welsh family. A sermon by Benjamin Jones of Pwllheli led to her conversion. In 1797 she joined the Methodist society at Pont Robert and started writing hymns with figurative language and rich scriptural allusions.

Ann Griffiths died in 1805 in childbirth, a year after her marriage to Thomas Griffiths (also a Methodist). She was remembered as 'a woman of extraordinary piety and prayer' and is still one of the best-known hymn writers in the Welsh language.

The painting was once thought to have been after a work by Gainsborough but the dates do not match; Gainsborough died in 1788, when Ann Griffiths would have been only twelve years old.

Oil on canvas
Painted by William Gush (1813–1888), Early-mid 1800s

John Mason served as Book Steward of the Book Room, the Methodist Publishing House in City Road, for thirty-seven years. With good financial acumen and business sense, he cleared many of the Book Room's debts and put the business onto a much sounder footing. Earlier in his career, he had served as Foreign Missions Secretary of the Church. Also compare this painting to 1999/6633, listed in the Collection register as a 'portrait of an unknown young man'. Painted around thirty years earlier, the similarity of the sitter is striking.

William Gush was a well-known Victorian artist. He exhibited 53 pictures at the Royal Academy and the National Portrait Gallery in London owns many of his works.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified artist, c. 1820

This portrait is listed in the Collection register as an 'unknown young man'. Likely, it is Reverend John Mason; the similarity between the sitter and Mason is striking (compare 1993/1513). Mason became Book Steward at the Book Room, the Methodist Publishing House in City Road, in 1827. For further information about him, refer to 1993/1513.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified artist, Early 1800s

Artist and sitter are unidentified. It is possible the young lady was a preacher or a Sunday School leader. The portrait is sensitively and well painted, the dark background emphasising the whiteness of the bonnet and colour of the young woman's skin.

Oil on canvas
Painted by Arthur Trevethin Nowell (1862–1940), 1906

Thomas Allen (1837-1912) trained for the Wesleyan Methodist ministry at Didsbury College. He rose to become Chairman of the Sheffield Wesleyan Methodist District (1886-1897) and Chairman of the Birmingham and Shrewsbury District; he also became Governor of Handsworth College (1887-1905). Allen was elected President of the Methodist Conference in 1900.

Arthur Trevethin Nowell was a painter of classical subjects, portraits and landscapes. Between 1882 and 1939 he exhibited widely in the UK, Europe and America.

The portrait requires conservation.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified artist, Probably late 1700s

This portrait of John Cennick is related closely to painting 1993/1481 in the Collection. One would appear to be a copy of the other or, more likely, both are copies of a third painting of Cennick. For further information about him, refer to 1993/1481.

Nothing is known of the painter.

The painting requires conservation.

Oil on canvas
C.1860

Likely, the unidentified young man in this portrait was a preacher. Sadly, we know nothing of him or his background.

Oil on canvas
Painted by Jonathan Pratt, 1892

The subject of this painting is not identified. Likely, he was a Methodist preacher or minister.

The painting is dated 1892 and it was painted by Jonathan Pratt (1835-1911). Pratt was a well-known painter of portraits, and genre and interior scenes.

Sadly, the painting is in very poor condition.

Oil on canvas
Unidentified artist, c. 1830

The subject of this painting is not identified. He is dressed in the manner of the early 1800s. Likely, he was a Methodist minister or preacher.

Sadly, the painting is in poor condition.