William Clowes (1780–1851) was one of the founders of

Primitive Methodism The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primit ...

Biography

William Clowes was born at

Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent. ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands C ...

, on 12 March 1780, son of Samuel Clowes, potter, and of Ann, daughter of Aaron

Wedgwood Wedgwood is an English fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. It was rapid ...

, grandson of Gilbert Wedgwood. He was employed during his early years as a working potter. For many years Clowes led a dissipated life. He was a fine dancer and aspired to be the premier dancer in the kingdom. On 20 January 1805 he was converted. He soon established a

prayer meeting A prayer meeting is a group of lay people getting together for the purpose of prayer as a group. Prayer meetings are typically conducted outside regular services by one or more members of the clergy or other forms of religious leadership, but the ...

in his own house and led a Wesleyan Methodist class. Clowes attended the first Primitive Methodist camp-meeting ever held in England, at

Mow Cop Mow Cop is a village split between Cheshire and Staffordshire, and therefore divided between the North West and West Midlands regions of England. It is south of Manchester and north of Stoke-on-Trent, on a steep hill of the same name rising ...

near

Harriseahead Harriseahead is a village in the county of Staffordshire, England, just north of the Potteries (Stoke on Trent) and about south-west of Biddulph and close to the border with Cheshire. Population details from the 2011 census can be found under K ...

on 31 May 1807. He was joined in this meeting by Hugh and James Bourne and others. In October 1808 he preached his trial sermon with the Wesleyan Methodists and was duly appointed a local preacher; but, continuing to associate with the Bournes and to attend camp-meetings, his name was omitted from the preachers' plan in June 1810, and in September his quarterly ticket as a member of the society was withheld from him. After this he made common cause with the Bournes and James Crawfoot. With them he founded the

Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a 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 teaching ...

Connexion, and became one of the best-known preachers of the new society. He worked mainly in northern England, as well as in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

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, were most successful in adding members to the church. In 1819 he introduced Primitive Methodism to

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

. In 1821 his evangelizing in Leeds was so successful that

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, Sarah Ecland and Martha Williams were sent from Hull to join him. These new arrivals caused some problems as they were both popular and undisciplined moving from circuit to circuit as the will took them. On 10 June 1842 he was placed on the superannuation fund, but still continued his labours as before, and was at his work until a day or two before his decease, which took place, from paralysis, at Hull on 2 March 1851. He was a man of strong common sense and of great mental powers. One of his daughters married her cousin, John Wedgwood, an Anglican priest.

References

*
William Clowes collection
The John Rylands University Library * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clowes, William 1780 births 1851 deaths Converts to Methodism English Methodists People from Burslem