"A shelter from the stormy blast" : methodism and social change in late eighteen-century England
Date
1988
Authors
Batten, Michael Henry John
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Abstract
This thesis argues that the traditional historiography of Methodism leads to an inadequate understanding of the movement in the life of eighteenth-century England. Traditional approaches have tended to assess Methodism as either a "progressive" or "reactionary" influence in the lives of its members and in the life of the nation at large. Methodism was a complex organization, and the conditions under which it flourished so varied that such broad generalizations are not easily sustainable.
The theology and ecclesiology of Methodism contained many contradictory elements. As the spiritual heirs of Archbishop Laud the leaders of Methodism inherited a double legacy, at once authoritarian, and therefore disposed towards a rigid and paternalistic system of organization, yet also Arminian in outlook, and therefore inclined to a rationalistic world view. For the membership, on the other hand, much of it initially attracted by the emotional release and sense of community which Methodism fostered, the movement proved to be capable of very different connotations as it developed. The paternalism and rationalism of the Methodist leadership both found expression in the hierarchical system of Methodist organization, in which the membership acquiesced insofar as was necessary to experience the social, as opposed to the strictly spiritual, benefits of Methodism. In its membership, Methodism drew upon many of the same sources as eighteenth-century Dissent, which in turn depended for much of its success on the localized weakness of Anglicanism. Dissent tended to be strongest where demographic factors weakened the institutional strength of the Anglican parochial system. Also, Dissent tended to be most successful among certain occupational groups, particularly artisans . Methodism itself was most successful during the century between 1750 and 1850; although it continued to grow in absolute terms into the twentieth century, its relative increase had ceased by the middle of the nineteenth. The interplay of these various demographic and sociological elements is so involved, however, and the conditions under which Dissent flourished so varied, that it is difficult to see a coherent trend in the development of Dissent nationally.
A local study of Norwich provides an opportunity for a more intensive examination of Methodism at the end of the eighteenth century. At first glance, Norwich was an unlikely centre for Methodism; a well-established commercial and industrial centre and cathedral town, it nevertheless had a long-standing reputation for tolerating Dissent, both political and religious. Moreover, it was in the period 1750-1850 experiencing profound economic changes as the staple textile industry entered a period of terminal decline, leaving a large number of textile workers in a state of economic dislocation. Methodism was introduced to Norwich in the early 1750s, and generally flourished, although rather erratically. Membership could fluctuate wildly from year to year, but this was typical of the movement across the country. Local societies experienced a rapid turnover of members. Methodism in Norwich proved most attractive to artisans, in this case primarily weavers who were facing displacement as the textile industry waned. However, Methodism in Norwich also attracted an inordinately large number of women compared with the Methodist societies elsewhere in Norfolk.
The decline in Methodism's relative strength nationally after the peak of mechanization had passed, the occupations of the majority of Norwich Methodists, and the rapid turnover of members, all suggest that Methodism's primary appeal was a temporary one to workers experiencing economic and social transition. As the crisis passed, however, whether at the local or national level, Methodism lost its appeal as a temporary haven from economic dislocation and social change, and members drifted away.