William Bramwell ( – 13 August 1818) 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 ...

itinerant preacher An itinerant preacher (also known as an itinerant minister or evangelist or circuit rider) is a Christian evangelist who preaches the basic Christian redemption message while traveling around to different groups of people within a relatively shor ...

who led a successful Christian revival in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

Early life

Born in Elswick (near Preston),

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, he was raised in a devout Anglican family. In pursuit of spiritual assurance, Bramwell first explored

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

devotions such as

self-flagellation Self-flagellation is the disciplinary and devotional practice of flogging oneself with whips or other instruments that inflict pain. In Christianity, self-flagellation is practiced in the context of the doctrine of the mortification of the flesh ...

, before returning to the established Church of England and preparing for confirmation.

Ministry

In Preston, a friend persuaded Bramwell to attend a Methodist meeting, where he was converted by the evangelical preaching; he soon enrolled as a member of a Methodist society in 1780. An encounter with Methodism's founder, John Wesley, in 1781 left a deep impression on Bramwell, and he took up local preaching – he was committed to promoting the novel

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

doctrine of entire sanctification. In 1785, Bramwell was admitted by Wesley into full-time

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

. He was stationed first in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

for a brief period and then, successively, in Preston,

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

and

Colne Colne () is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. Located northeast of Nelson, north-east of Burnley, east of Preston and west of Leeds. The town should not be confused with the unrelated Colne Val ...

. In late 1791, Bramwell was stationed in the Dewsbury circuit, which was experiencing division. By the following year, such were the effects of his powerful preaching that a revival spread from the town and throughout West Yorkshire. This period of spiritual renewal (and mass conversion) began in 1793 and diminished around 1797. Bramwell became a close associate of fellow minister

Alexander Kilham Alexander Kilham (20 July 176220 December 1798) was an English Methodist minister. Early life He was born to parents Simon and Elizabeth Kilham at Epworth, Lincolnshire, possibly at a former farm, now known as Prospect House, otherwise 79 High S ...

. Amid the disarray following Wesley's death in 1791, Kilham founded the

Methodist New Connexion The Methodist New Connexion, also known as Kilhamite Methodism, was a Protestant nonconformist church. It was formed in 1797 by secession from the Wesleyan Methodists, and merged in 1907 with the Bible Christian Church and the United Methodist F ...

, but Bramwell declined to join the new connexion and it soon disappeared. Through his evangelism, Bramwell established several societies throughout the North of England, in numerous towns including Birstal and latterly

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. For all his success, however, his intense revivalist preaching style engendered controversy.

Jabez Bunting Jabez Bunting (13 May 1779 – 16 June 1858) was an English Wesleyan Methodist leader and the most prominent Methodist after John Wesley's death in 1791. Bunting began as a revivalist but became dedicated to church order and discipline. He w ...

, then the dominant authority of the Methodist connexion, had little sympathy with Bramwell's revivalist ministry and expressed desire for Bramwell and his supporters to follow other secessions from the Wesleyan Methodist Connexion. He died suddenly in 1818, at the age of about 59.

Early life

Ministry

References

Further reading