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Mow Cop is very much associated with the Primitive Methodist movement;
in fact it is Primitive Methodism that put Mow Cop on the map much more than
The Castle or its centuries of industry. On the first page in a book published
in 1939 called `MOW COP AND AFTER - the story of Primitive Methodism’ is a
passage that states in a Wesleyan Chapel in London,
Mow Cop Castle
is a part of a stained glass window.
"There is in the apse of Wesley's Chapel, London, a beautiful
window that symbolises the origin, spirit and evangelistic purpose of the
Primitive Methodists. The artistic treatment is both conventional and modern.
The famous Mow Cop `Castle’ is outlined against the blue sky while Peter preaches
with boldness in the open-air on the Day of Pentecost. On Peter’s left are
one or two fellow-apostles, like John, and listeners from the four points
of the compass, but on his right typical working people to whom the early
Primitive Methodists proclaimed the Gospel in the market places an on the
village greens of the country” |
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Hugh Bourne was born April 3, 1772, in Stoke-on-Trent;
he was the son of Joseph and Ellen Bourne. He was apprenticed to his uncle
as a wheelwright, and eventually pursued this trade being focusing on windmill
and watermill wheels. At the age of
twenty seven, Bourne became a believer in Jesus Christ he subsequently joined
the Methodist movement and began to pursue a career as a preacher. His trade led him to Mow Cop, while working
and living in the area Hugh Bourne described the people of Mow Cop and Harriseahead
as a bunch of godless people, and stated that you could not walk the area
without physical or verbal assault. Undaunted by the lack of Christianity
in this neglected area, Bourne began to organise prayer meetings at a
local house, he had no idea how popular these meeting would become and
before long there was not enough room in thehouse. He
promised the people that they would one day have a full day of prayer on Mow.
After a visit from an American Evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777-1834), Hugh became
convicted that he should organise a camp meeting, and on the 31st
May 1807, he put his knowledge and conviction into practice by organising
the first English camp meeting at Mow Cop.
The day started cloudy and rained threatened to spoil the day,
however it soon brightened and people had travelled from as far as Macclesfield
and Warrington, it was not well organised. Pulpits were made from piles of
rocks, and yet so many turned up. The first meeting lasted 14 hours and ended
at 8:00pm. The day had been a success, and so began the organising of a second
camp meeting. This took place some 3 months later on the Saturday August 22nd
1807, and was much better organised. This was to be a day and night affair
and started at 4 o’clock in the afternoon and continued throughout the night.
There were many, mainly from the Methodist church that tried in vain to get
the camp meeting abolished. The Methodist authorities condemned the proceedings
as "highly improper in England,"
and excluded Bourne from the circuit in 1808. Bourne and his followers organised
under the name Camp Meeting Methodists. |
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In 1811 Bourne was joined by another evangelist who had not been
allowed to join the Methodist
Church due to his support
of camp meetings William Clowes (1780-1851). The Camp Meeting Methodists were joined by the Clowesites and became
known as the Primitive Methodists. It is believed they agreed to this name
to show they wished to get back to Wesley’s Primitive ways for street and
field evangelism. It was this year that the first Primitive Methodist
Church was built in Tunstall.
By 1820 the Primitive Methodist movement had 7,842 members and
they held their first conference in Hull.
Churches were established up and down the country; and overseas the movement
continued to grow and grow.
In 1841 a chapel was built on Mow Cop this was a small building
and was built on the sight of what is now the Coronation Fustian Mill.
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As the need for a larger building became apparent they moved and
built a larger church just across the road next to Pointons Farm where it
all began; The Primitive Methodist Memorial Church. Work commenced in 1857
and the Church was opened in 1860. It then had to be re-built in 1882 due
to storm damage.
In 1907 the Primitive Methodists celebrated their centenary with
Camp Meetings up and down the country, it was however to be another spectacular
day at Mow Cop with an estimated attendance of 100 000 people. The meeting
started on the Saturday May25th and continued to Monday May 27th.
There were over 80 speakers invited, these would
conduct their brief sermons at four different stands and in two tents. On
the Sunday morning joint services were held in Tunstall and Crewe
and a mass meeting on Mow Cop at 6:30am. Processions left Bradley Green, Tunstall,
Kidsgrove and Congleton and made their way up the hill in four directions
to Mow Cop. This meeting continued all through till Monday and finished with
a public tea Meeting in Tunstall and Mass Meetings in Crewe, Bradley Green, Tunstall, Congleton and Mow Cop.
The Camp Meeting returned to Mow Cop in 1910 as part of the yearly
conference with events and meeting held all up and down the country, it was
well attended but not as large as the 1907 meeting. |
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The
next large camp meeting recorded was the 150th anniversary where
I believe the attendance to have been 5000, a some what smaller number than
50 years previous. It was just before this meeting the memorial stone was
placed in front of the castle with the inscription
"TO THE GLORY OF GOD" Camp meeting near this spot on
May 31st, 1807, began the Religious Revival led by Hugh Bourne and William
Clowes known as Primitive Methodism." |
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