Yeadon, William (1817-1893)

Primitive Methodist Magazine 1869

Early years

William was born in 1817 at Yeadon, Yorkshire. When 14, William moved to Rawdon and there attended the Primitive Methodist chapel. He was converted during a great revival in 1832. At the age of 16 he went on the plan. Under his first sermon, William’s mother was converted. He was pressed into the ministry in 1841.

Ministry

William’s obituary reveals that his journal recorded the remarkable conversions of drunkards, pugilists and others of a depraved character and life. He saw an increase of 1,100 over the 45 years of his ministry.

William was introduced early to the anxieties and responsibilities of superintendency, for on his first two circuits, both of his superintendents resigned, and he was thrust forward to take the reins; and in one of the instances the difficulties of the situation were increased by the fact that the superintendent became a Baptist minister in the same town.

During his ministry, William supervised the erection of 27 chapels, for the most of which he acted as architect. For those chapels he raised between three and four thousand pounds.

Following his superannuation, William moved to Leicester and carried out a primarily pastoral ministry with his wife.

Family

William married Sarah Ann Scrivener (1821-1904) on 2 July 1846 at Belstead, Suffolk. Census returns identify nine children.

  • William Scrivener (1847-1898) – a coal merchant
  • Sarah Ann (b1848)
  • Harriet Clayton (1850-1933) – married James Joseph Nevard, a coal merchant
  • Martha Scrivener (1852-1914) – married Ezra Shuttlewood, a warehouseman’s clerk
  • Emmeline (1853-1929) – married George Betts Gooch, a merchant. Later married John W Wakeling
  • Albert Frederick (1855-1912) – secretary for Co-operative Society (1911)
  • Evangeline (1861-1930) – married Albert Harris, a railway stationmaster
  • Emily Elizabeth (b1863) – music teacher; married Frederick William Crampin, a joiner
  • Alexander Samuel (b1865)

William died on 14 November 1893 at Leicester, Leicestershire.

Circuits

  • 1841 Stowmarket
  • 1842 Wangford
  • 1844 Upwell
  • 1846 Ely
  • 1848 Norwich ll
  • 1850 E Dereham
  • 1851 Yarmouth
  • 1853 Rockland
  • 1855 Soham
  • 1857 Ely
  • 1858 Brandon
  • 1859 Colchester
  • 1863 Docking
  • 1866 Wisbech
  • 1870 Thetford
  • 1873 Ely
  • 1876 Stowmarket
  • 1881 Colchester
  • 1884 Ipswich
  • 1886 Leicester ll (S)

References

Primitive Methodist Magazine 1869/321 (portrait); 1895/64

PM Minutes 1894/27

The Primitive Methodist, 1893, p790

W Leary, Directory of Primitive Methodist Ministers and their Circuits, 1990

Census Returns and Births, Marriages & Deaths Registers

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