Mapping Methodism – St Agnes Parish Open Air Preaching Locations

The list of preaching houses and chapels in St Agnes is extensive and there are probably others yet to be discovered. Alan Green of Goonown talks of the possibility of an old chapel in the valley below Butson’s Farm, Goonown, there may have been another in Mithian Woods and Two Traps Chapel was near Banns (probably the now demolished Bryanite chapel at Towan Cross).

In the early days of Methodism, small meetings were often held in people’s houses or in preaching houses, but these were clearly too small for the crowds drawn to listen to John Wesley and he had to preach in the open air. Ironically, John Wesley had resisted preaching in the open air until persuaded to do so by fellow Methodist, George Whitefield.

Gradually the societies built their chapels and in 1760, John Wesley wrote, “The congregation at St Agnes in the evening was, I suppose, double to that of Port Isaac. We had nearly as many on Tuesday the 9^th at five in the morning as the Preaching House could contain.” This statement makes it clear that the village had a preaching house of some sort by this time although where it was remains a mystery as the large chapel at Goonown had yet to be built.

In the “Chronological History of the People called Methodists” by W Myles it states that 1780 is the date of the first Methodist Chapel in St Agnes but this must be wrong considering John Wesley’s comment unless, of course, he is making a distinction between a preaching house and a chapel. Wesley himself made a distinction between a preaching house and a meeting house.

Open Air Preaching Locations

In 1762 Wesley referred to the death of the curate, Mr Phelps. He attended the memorial service in the Church and as it ended, the rain and wind arrived. A crowd had gathered to hear him preach and he wrote, “No house could contain the people neither could I preach as before on the top of the hill; I therefore made a halt at the bottom. The congregation gathered round me in a few minutes; we were tolerably sheltered from the wind and the rain ceased till I had done.” From this it seems that Churchtown was a regular meeting place for open-air preaching with the more sheltered area of Peterville used when the weather was stormy.

In 1776 John Wesley wrote, “… I rode on horseback to St Agnes, where the rain constrained me to preach in the house”. It seems that his preference would have been to preach outside.

Colin Butson of Goonown recalled a tradition within his family that John Wesley preached in the open-air at Goonown: “… from the steps of Butson’s barn”.

“On one of those occasions he [John Wesley] is said to have stood on a mound in front of a cottage on the corner of Vicarage Road and Penwinnick Road; where Dales Garage and The Cornish Range shop are now.” (Written by Bill Morrison in the first journal of the St Agnes Museum Trust 1985)

It is claimed that Methodism in Porthtowan has existed since 1796, maybe earlier if we include Aunt Betty Chegwin’s open-air classes in Tom Tonkin’s garden.

The Revd Thomas Shaw wrote: “… a young Methodist and mine manager, Thomas Garland, arranged the use of a cottage belonging to Tom Tonkin, the middle of a row of thatched cottages just below where the chapel now stands. If ever that was not convenient then they could meet in Tom’s garden under a cherry tree where Betty Chegwin held her meetings. He wrote, “The first class was held on the 26^th February 1796 and its members were mostly elderly women”.

It seems certain that there were other open air preaching locations within St Agnes Parish and information on these, or in any other area, will be welcomed at mappingmethodism@gmail.com