XI. THE ORIGIN OF METHODISM AT DOVER.
Several writers have ascribed the origin of the Wesleyan movement at Dover to the Rev. Charles Wesley, who preached in Biggin Street in the year 1760; but the Rev. John Wesley preached in Dover in 1756. He had preached at Canterbury eight years earlier; but the 28th of January, 1756, was his first recorded visit to Dover, and it was at that date that he established his first Society here. The Wesleyan movement in Dover formed a dominant feature of religious life in this town during the last half of the Eighteenth Century, and it will be interesting to trace its rise and progress as shown by the entries, which John Wesley made in his journal, of his annual visits. The first on record runs as follows: —
"Wednesday, 28th January, 1756. — 1 preached at noon at Dover to a very serious, but small, congregation. We afterwards walked to the Castle, on the top of a mountain. It is an amazingly fine situation. From here we had a clear view of that vast piece of the cliflF which a few days ago divided from the rest and fell down upon the beach."
After a three years' interval, there is the following entry : —
"Wednesday, 19th September, 1759. — I preached at Dover in the new room which is just finished. Here also the hearers increaie, some of whom are convinced and others comforted daily."
The next year he came in December, and he was methodical enough to come about the same time of the year in subsequent visits. He wrote in his journal : —
"Wednesday, 3rd December, 1760. — I rode to Dover [from Canterbury]. Who wouUl have expected to find here some of the best singers in England? I found, likewise, what was better still, a serious, earnest people. There was a remarkable blessing among them, both in the evening and the morning, so that I did not regret having been wet to the skin on my way to them."
After an interval of four years, Mr. Wesley wrote a brief note to the effect that he visited the Society in Dover on Wednesday, December 12th, 1764. His next entry has more details: —
"Tuesday, 3rd December, 1765. — I rode to Dover and found a little company more united together than they had been for m&nj years. While several of them continued to rob the King, we seemed to be ploughing upon the sand; but since they have 'cut ofl the right hand,' the Word of God sinks deep into their hearts,"
This refers to the rebukes administered to members of the Dover Society, who were smugglers, and it was probably to show his displeasure that Mr. Wesley had for three years omitted his annual visits. At this time the room at the Cooperage in Queen Street had been abandoned, and the Society had its meeting house in Limekiln Street, two dwellings having been thrown into one, making a good-sized room. The next entry in the journal runs thus: —
" Wednesday, loth December, 1766. — I went to Dover. At all the sea ports we have multitudes of hearers. I preached at Dover."
The next two years he wrote . —
" Monday, 23rd November, 1767. — In the afternoon I rode from Canterbury to Dover ; but the gentleman I was to lodge with was gone a long journey. He went to bed well ; but was dead in the morning. Such a vapour is life ! At six I preached, but the house would by no means contain the congregation. Most of the officers of the Garrison were there. I have not found so much . life here for many years."
"Wednesday, 30th November, 1768. — I rode to Dover, and came in just before a violent storm began. It did not hinder the people ; many were obliged to go away after the house was filled. What a desire to hear runs through all the sea port towns wherever we come ! "
In 1769 Mr. Wesley was too pressed with other affairs to pay his annual visit to Dover. When he came in 1770 he made an entry in his journal of special local interest, thus : —
"Wednesday, 5th December, 1770. — We went to Dover where, with some diflSculty, we climbed to the top of Shakespere's Cliff. It is exceedingly high, and commands a vast prospect both by sea and land ; but it is nothing so terrible in itself as it is in his description. I preached to a very serious congregation in the evening as well as in the morning."
The next year he journeyed via Canterbury and Ashford, and after mentioning that he preached at those places, his journal records: —
"Wednesday, 4th December, 1771. — Hence we hastened to Dover, where the house was quickly filled with anxious, well behaved people. Here I found L H 's Preachers had gleaned up most of those whom we had discarded. They call them ' My Lady's Society,' and they have my free leave to do them all the good they can."
The reference above is to the Preachers of Lady Huntingdon's Connexion, who had that year re-opened Zion Chapel after it had been closed for a time, owing to the discontinuance of the Presbyterian services. The preachers in question were two young men named William Aldridge and Joseph Cook, who had been trained at one of Lady Huntingdon's Colleges for Preachers. The Huntingdonites were a branch of the Methodists, founded by Mr. George Whitfield, who separated from Mr. John Wesley on a point of doctrine ; and it may be that it was on this account that Mr. Wesley felt keenly the unfriendliness that was manifested towards him by these young men at Dover. He made reference to the subject again in his journal on his next visit to Dover, thus: —
"Tuesday, December 8th, 1772. — I went on from Canterbury to Dover. The raw, pert, young men that recently came hither (vulgarly, though very improperly, called students), though they have left no stone unturned, have not been able to tear away one single member from our Society. I preached here two evenings and two mornings to large and much affected congregations."
Staying two days and preaching four times at Dover was a departure from Mr. Wesley's usual practice, taken, no doubt, to strengthen the bonds of unity in the Dover Society, owing to the counter attraction.
Mr. Wesley did not come any nearer than Canterbury in 1773; and on his visit in 1774 he met with a mishap. In his journal he wrote : —
"Tuesday, 6th December, 1774. — I preached at Dover. As I was setting out from thence on \Vednesday morning a waggon jostling us, disabled our chaise. Our coachman went back to procure another, saying he would soon overtake us. He did so after we had walked nine or ten miles, and brought us safe to Canterbury."
It may be mentioned that the class book made up at this visit showed that at Dover there were 34 members, and for purpose of comparison it may be interesting to mention that the nine Societies then in Kent had 282 members, distributed as follows: —
Dover ... ... 34
Canterbury ... ... 57
Ashford ... ... 11
Sandwich ... ... 8
Margate ... ... 34
Faversham ... ... 16
Sittingbourne ... ... 8
Chatham ... ... 68
Sheerness ... ... 46
The journal mentions the next visit thus: —
"Tuesday, 12th December, 1775. — I preached at Dover; as many as could squeezed into the house, and the rest went quietly away."
The next year, 1776, he visited Dover, and briefly journalised the fact : —
"On Tuesday, December 17th, I preached at Dover; Wednesilay, about eleven, at poor, drv, dead Sandwich, but I now found more hope for the poor people."
Mr. Wesley did not come to Dover in 1777. About the time of his usual annual visit he was very busy collecting materials for the first number of his Magazine. On Monday, 7th December, 1778, he wrote:—
" I took a little journey to Canterbury and Dover, and was much comforted amongst a loving, earnest people."
In 1779 he makes no special note; but under date, November 29th, he says he started on that day, Monday, to visit the Societies in Kent, and returned to London on the following Sunday. Under date, December 4th, 1780, he made a similar note as to his visits to the Kent Societies, but gave no details of Dover. In 1781 his annual v'sit was omitted ; and there is a note that on Tuesday, November loth, 1782, he preached at Dover, but no details. In 1783, he preached at Dover on November 25th ; and again at Dover on Tuesday, December 14th, 1784. On the 29th November, 1785, he preached here, and noted in his journal : —
"I found at Dover also a considerable increase of the work of God."
In 1786 he did not come further than North Kent. On the 23rd October, 1787, Mr. Wesley preached at Dover. He remarks : —
" In the evening I strongly applied the Parable of the Sower to a crowded audience."
He preached at Dover again the next momaig, and then went on to Sandwich, which he had not visited for fifteen years. On his next visit to Dover his journal has the following : —
"Tuesday, 25th November, 1788. — Though it blew a storm and was piercing cold, we were sufficiently crowded at Dover, where the work of God is very lively and continually increasing."
The last reference to Dover in John Wesley's journal is as follows: —
" Monday, 14th December, 1789. — I went to Canterbury and preached in the evening. ... It pleased God to give me uncommon liberty of spirit, as also at Dover the next evening, where the New House, large as it is, was far too small, so that many could not get in."
This was the last visit of the Founder of Methodism to Dover. Several writers have said that he came in 1790 to (/pen the new Chapel in Elizabeth Square ; but the visit was jiaid on the 14th December, 1789, and the new Chapel is what he termed the New House. It is true that there is nothing said in his journal about any special dedication; but he never made any ceremony except in the case of the larger London Chapels, his chief concern being to have the title deeds accurate. Besides, at that time, he was a feeble man, in his 87th year. He wrote in his journal a fortnight later: —
"I am now an old man, decayed from head to foot ; my eyes are dim; my right hand shakes much; my mouth is hot and dry every morning. I have a lingering fever almost every day. My move- ment is weak and slow. However, blessed be God, I do not slack my labour. I can preach and write still."
It is of some interest to note that the mahogany used in the construction of the pulpit in Snargate Street Wesleyan Chapel is the identical wood of the pulpit in the " New House " in Elizabeth Square, in which the Rev. John Wesley preached on his last visit to Dover, 14th December, 1789.