Martha Thompson (1731–1820) was an English

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

. She was a housemaid in London, and was converted to Methodism after hearing

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

preach in

Moorfields Moorfields was an open space, partly in the City of London, lying adjacent to – and outside – its northern wall, near the eponymous Moorgate. It was known for its marshy conditions, the result of the defensive wall acting like a dam, i ...

. Thompson was declared insane and sent to Bedlam, but Wesley later freed her and rode with her back to her hometown of Preston. There she became a founder of Methodism in the region. Thompson paired up with Ann Cutler and the two evangelists would claim converts who had witnessed Thompson's singing and Cutler's praying. Thompson's story was told in the 1976 musical ''"Ride! Ride!"'', written by Alan Thornhill and scored by Penelope Thwaites.

References

1731 births 1820 deaths Converts to Methodism English Methodists {{England-reli-bio-stub