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1. Altarnun in the Eighteenth Century: The Burnard and Isbell's Families Altranun is Cornwall's largest and most sparsely populated parish. Until the middle of the eighteenth century its only roads were mediareview tracks. In 1769 a turnpike road was laid down over the moor, and presently the mail-coaches from London to Penzance passe regularly through the parish, by-passing the Churchtown, but travelling through the hamlet of Trewint. This highway is now a secton of the modern "A30" which also by-passes Trewint, leaving a fragment of the old coach road to pass the cottage door and swing round to the rear of the"Prophet's Chamber". The surroundings of the cottage, therefore, with the exception of the "Pilgram's Garden" laid out in 1958, remain today as they were inWesley's time.
The inhabitants of the parish were for centureis small moorland farmers, tin steamers, and a few artisans. Among the later, in the seventeeth and eighteenth centuries, was a family of stoneworkers called Burnard. They represented on the Protestation Roll (1641), and on the Church Rate (1671). The Church Rate also contains the name of Isbell, another family of stonecraftsmen. Among the descendants of these families were James Isbell (1756-1840), the builder of Dartmoor Prison, and Robert Whale, A.R.A. (1805-87), who was of Burnard descent. Other memebers of the Isbell family, though not resident in the parish, were the sculptors, Robert, of Stonehouse (flourished 1769-1824), and his son James, of Truro (fl. 1797-1837), whose work can be seen in many Cornish and Devon Churches. The greatest of them all was the sculptor Nevil Northey Burnard (1818-1878), whose early work can be seen at Altarnun; the head of Wesley (1836) over the door of the old chapel, and the carving on the tombstone of his granfather George Burnard (1753-1805). A delicate carving of the head of James Montgomery, the hymn-writer, on a sea sheel, is also Burnard's work and can be seen in the show-case at Trewint.
These two families were united in the persons of Digory Isbell (c.1718-95) and his wife Elizabeth (1717-1805), the daughter of Thomas and Catherine Burnard, who were married June 13, 1739, and from that date lived in the cottage at Trewint.
****(For futher information about Burnard see "Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, 77th Annual Report (1910), and Cornish Character's. S. Baring-Gould (1st Series).****
2. The Arrival of Methodism in Cornwall.
Methodism began among a group of religious societies fromed for the deepening of the spiritual life among their members. These societies were loosely attached to teh parish churches. Those which accepted John Wesley as their leader were known, from 1739, as "The United Societies (and later as The Societies of People called Methodists). Wesley's preaching tours which went on continuously for fifty years were based upon the ever growing number of these societies. Among those not originall associated with Wesley was one at St. Ives. In 1743 a Bristol Sea-captain, who was a member of WEsley's society there, visited the town and was ntroduced to the group. It was when he later reported its existence that John Wesley determined to extend his work into the far west. First, two of his lay preachers, then his brother Charles, adn finally he himself came down to Cornwall. He travelledwith three of his helpers - John Nelson, a Yorkshire stonemason, John Downes, a Northumbrian, and William Shepherd, who may have been a Cornishman. Shepherd was making his second journey to St. Ives for he had been there with Charles Wesley some weeks earlier. It was on this journey that Nelson and Downes came to Trewint on 29th August and the story is best told in the words of John Nelson:
" Mr. Downes and I had but one horse; so we rode by turns...we generally set out before Mr. Wesley and Mr. Shepherd. One day, having travelled twenty miles without baiting, we came to a villiage and enquired for an inn; but the people told us there was none in the town nor any on our road within twelve Cornish miles: then I said,'Come, brother Dounes, we must live by faith.' When we had stood awhle, I said, 'Let us go to yonder house, where the stone porch is, and ask for something'; so we did, and the woman said, 'We have bread, butter, and milk, and good hay for your horse.' When we had refreshed ourselves, I gave the woman a shlling; but she said she did not desire anything; I said, 'I insist upon it.' We got to Bodmin that night; but it was late before Mr. Wesley and Mr. Shepherd arrived, having lost the path on the twelve-mile common, and found the way again by the sound of bells."
Elizabeth Isbell's account of this visit was no doubt often repeated in the family circle and was eventually set down by the itinerant preacher, Francis Truscott, after conversation with one of her daughters. In this account, which may be dated 1809, the daughter says," My mother observing Mr. Nelson and Mr.Downes give thanks before and after they had received their food, and hearing them pray with her in a manner she had never heard before, was much delighted with her new company, On their asking her if she would permit them to preach in her house on their return? Se said, she did no know what preaching was, but she would consult her husband on the subject. On my father's return that evening, she related what happened in the day; minutely detailing what these strange men did and said! My father attentively heard the relation, and , after pausing a little, said 'I have read somewhere in the Bible, how that some have entertained angels unawares." 2.
When John Nelson, travelling alone, returned to Trewint some weeks later he received a welcome from the stonemason and his wife. He says, "I was benighted on the twelve-mile common, and was wet to the skin;...I knocked at the door, and the woman knew my voice, and said, "The Lord bless you! Come in.' As soon as I went into the house, they pulled off my wet clothes, and put me on dry ones, and got me something warm for supper; they took my wet clothes out of my bags, which they rinsed, dried and ironed, We sang a hymn, wet to prayer, and I gave an exhortation that night." He preached again at the cottage at seven the following morning to a congregation which Digory Isbell had hastily collected. It is clear from both accounts that Digory and Elizabeth Isbell both had and experience of conversion as a result of Nelson's preaching and that they determined right away to open their house to any of Wesley's preachers who might come their way. 3.
**** 2.The story of the arrival of the preachers at the Isbell cottage has been retold many times. The original accounts can be found in John Nelson's Journal (1767) and in Francis Truscott's account based on information given to him at Trewint by one of Isbell's daughters, and published in the Methodist Magazine, 1809,pp 165-9. The only other independent account, though like Truscott, based on Nelson's Journal, is that Edward Milward, who was in the circuit from 1707-8. In 1822 he related the story to Peter Hawley, of Wimborne, who recorded it. Millward's account confuses Wesley and Downs and adds nothing to the importance of Truscott.****
**** 3. Nelson's connection with the cottage is commemorated
by the garden sundial, a replica of one he himself erected at Birstall,
Yorks, a first edition of his Journal, and a copy of Burkitt's Notes on
the New Testament, which is reputedly the one used by him as a pillow at
St. Ives.****
3. The Prophet's Chamber
One day, when the stonemason was reading his Bible, he came to the story of the visit of the prophet Elisha to the Shunamite woman, and how the woman later said to her husband,"Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick; and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither." This passage seemed to Digory to contain a direct divine command, and he immediately set about building an extension to his house, two room, one up and one down, which could be used by the preachers whenever they were in the district. 4.
As Digory set about his work, finding himself "greatly blessed while engaged in this labor of love" he could never have imagined that two centuries later the rooms would become a place of pilgrimage for thousands.
Trewint was not the only example of a prophet's chamber in Cornish Methodism, though the others may have owed their inspiration to it. At the home of John and Alice Daniel at Rosmergy, in Morvah, Wesley and his preachers were regularly made welcome, adn the bedroom occupied by them was long preserved unaltered. The little room is still pointed out in the now disused house. A similar room was provided for the use of the Bible Christian itinerants at Gerrans Mill in Roseland. At Cubert, Joseph Hosken, the wealthy friend of Wesley and his preachers, and for a time employed one of them, John Trembath, as hes personal chaplain, The "prophets" were held in great esteem in many places; hospitality, sometimes plain and sometimes lavish, was constantly offered to thema nd they were occasionally recipients of legacies from the faithful. When Elizabeth Isbell died, in 1804, she left a small legacy of one guinea to be divided between the three preachers then in the circuit. 5. Similar bequests were made by Richard Morlen, of St. Columb Major, 1804, Charles Burn, of Liskeard, 1813, and on a larger scale, by Richard Mabyn, of Lanteglos-by-Camelford, 1821. Other testators, such as Edward Burall, of Illogan, 1779, stipulated that their homes should continue t be at the service of the preachers. Others, again, like Joseph Hosken, of Cubert, 1780, left the preachinghouses they had built for the continued use of the Methodists.
****4. There is no certain date for theaddition of the two rooms. If Truscott's account is chronological it must have been soon after the first visit of the preachers, an illustration of Digory's zeal for his new-found Methodism.*****
****5. Edward Millward, who travelled in the circuit in 1797-8, adds the information about the legacy for the preachers.****
4. John Wesley at Trewint
There is no suggestion in the early records taht the Prophet's Chamber was added only for Wesley's use though he was certainly the most honoured of the preachers who came there. Altogether he paid six recorded visits to the cottage.
On Monday, 2 April, 1744, the Dartmoor hills were covered with snow as Wesley rode towards the Cornish border but the snow was turning to rain. He says:" About two we came to Trewint, wet and weary enough, haveing been battered by the rain and hail for some hours. I preached in the evening to many more than the house would contain, on the happiness of him whose sins are forgiven. In the morning Digory Isbell undertook to pilot us over the great moor, al the paths being covered with snow; which, in many places, was driven together too deep for horse or man to pass."
He returned on Monday 16th April, on his way out of Cornwall and perhaps would have stayed the night again but John Bennet, the incumbent of Laneast, met him at the cottage, took him to Laneast for a service. lodged him there, and returned with him for 5 A.M. preaching the following morning, 17th April. According to Truscott's information George Thomson, the Vicar of St. Gennys, and George Whitefield, met Wesley and Bennet at Trewint that day, the four clergymen attending the baptism of Digory's third child, Hannah. Wesley presumably was the officiating minister. On this visit Isbell informed Wesley of local rumours that he wsa an imposter and that the real Wesley was dead, no doubt a local form of the rumour that Wesley was an agent of the Prentender.
5. "The Church in thy house"
Long before the early Christians had any church buildings they met for worship in the homes of their members- St. Paul on more than one occasion sends his greeting to "the Church in thy House." Christian history repeated inself among the early Methodists and once more "the Church in thy House" came before the chapels. The members of the society were expected to worship on Sundays at the parish church but during the week the Methodist society meetings were held in cottage homes such as that of the Isbell's. A hymn of Charles Wesley recalls these house gatherings with its blessing upon the man who has opened his home in this way:
To the good man of the house, Now let Thy salvation come.
words which perhaps were sung in the Trewint cottage while Digory bowed his head in humility.
****6. Wesley's Journal ( Standard Edition) VIII, 175.****
****7. Historical Notices of East Cornwall, Supplement,
Venning, P. 83.****
To his cottage, as the years went by, came the travelling preachers, their saddle-bags stuffed with Methodist literature. Like Wesley they preached outside the stone porch, and met the members of the society within, reading out their names each quarter and presenting them with their class (membership) tickets. Sometimes they would give a ticket of admittance to new members, and sometimes they would withhold the ticket, a dread happening which marked the expulision of an unworthy member. The Rules of Society were strictly observed, and none could hope to remain in membership if they consciously broke them. 8.
The little society faced a certain amount of opposition from their neighbours. The days were rough and there was a population of surface miners in the area among whom were unruly elements. Threats were made to attack the cottage when a preacher attended, and on one occasion, faced with this situation, the preacher resolved to continue, and gave out the hymn:
If any ask the reas, why, We thus together meet?
To such enquirers we reply, "To wait at Jesu's feet."
And if you will not seek to him too, Don't evil us entreat,
Your land, we're only passing through, Our Saviour-God
to meet.
From this day the opposition quickly died down and the society increased in numbers. 9.
****8. In his reply to the Bishop's Visitation Queries, 1779, the Vicar of Altarnun, Thomas Derisley, says of the cottage: "There is an House under ye denomination of a Methodist meeting. I know not ye names of their Teachers."
****9.Truscott is the source of our information about the mob wich threatened to pull the house down if the preachers continued to use it, and the conversation of some of the opposers. The suggestion that the preacher particularly concerned was John Downes first appears in Venning's Historical Notices (1st.edition. 1881). Truscott also tells a curious story about three youths from Tavistock who came to the cottage in teh 1780's seeking a night's accommodation. This, Elizabeth let them have, but in the morning Digory went to their romms and exclaimed" You are my prisoners." He then gave them a private exhoration on the need to live converted lives and only "released" them when they promised to attend Methodist preaching. One at least kept his promise and was converted some time later, an even which he ascribed to " the good old man's prayers and labours".
Between the visits of the travelling preachers (later to be known as ministers) services would be led by the local preachers from a wide area around, and each week the members would meet in class (one no doubt at Trewint) each under its leader, for spiritual fellowship.
6. The Chapel in the Village.
The early Methodist Society at Trewint
continued to meet at the cottage frm 1748, or earlier, until the end of
the century when it became necessary, on account of growing numbers as
well as of the infirmity of the Isbells, to find fresh accommodation for
the society. Accordingly, under the leadership of Thomas Nicolls, of Trerithick,
a chapel was built in the Churchtown, the foundations of which can still
be seen in the lower part of the old chapel. This was built in 1795, the
year of Digory Isbell's death. 10. On the earliest Cornish Methodist "plan"
(1748) Trewint stands as a principal place in East Cornwall; the only one
between the Tamar and St. Ewe. In 1784 it was still a preaching place on
the East Cornwall plan, and so it continued until the opening of the chapel
at Altarnun in 1795.
From this date is ceased to appear on the plan until
after its re-opening in 1950. Over the intervening years the society has
been centred at Altarnun, which was first in the East Cornwall, then in
the Launceston, and (since 1868) in the North Hill circuits.
The 1795 chapel was enlarged in 1836, when the Burnard head of WEsley was placed over the doorway. This building, which still stands, was superseded by the present chapel in 1859.
7. The Isbell Tombstone.
Drigory Isbell died in 1795, and Elizabeth survived him, blind, deaf, and bed-ridden, until 1805. Both found comfort in the hymns of Charles Wesley as their pilgrimage neared its goal--- Elizabeth often quoted aloud:
I long to behold him array'd,
With glory and light from above;
The King in his beauty display'd,
His beauty of holiest love;
I languish and sigh to be there,
Where Jesus has fixt his abode:
O when shall we meet in the air,
And fly to the mountain of God?
*****10. Myle's Chronoligical History of the People Called Methodists (4th Edition, 1813).****
These words were not just poetry to her, every line brought well loved passages of the Bible to her mind.
At some date, it may have been years after their death, an altar tombstone was erected over their grave, on the right of the part leading from the church gate to the porch. It is a fine example of contemporary design, the work of an unknown craftsman. The inscription has attacted a great deal of attention, at least since Archbishop Temple made a copy of it in the 1870.s
"Sacred to the memory of Digory Isbell, who died in the Lord, 23rd June, 1795, in the 77th year of his age. And o fElizabeth his wife, who exchanged Earth for Heaven, 8th October, 1805, in the 87 Year of her age. They were the first who entertained the Methodist preachers in this County, and lived and died in that Connection but strictly adhered to the Duties of the Established Church. Reader my thy end be like theirs.
From early Life, under the Guidance and Influence of the Devine Grace. They strengthened each other's Hands in God, uniting to bear their Redeemer's Cross and promote the interests of his Kingdom in the Face of an opposing world, thus duly estimatin Scriptural Christianity; in Youth, Health and Strength their Conduct was regulated by its Precepts; in Age. Infirmity and Death. They were supported by its Consolations, And in a happy Immortality They enjoy their rewards." 11.
****13. THe tombstone of the Isbell may have been erected by their son James Isbell (1756-1840), the builder of Dartmoor Prison, or it may have been raised by public subscription. Public interest in the 1870's led to its restoration, presumably at the expense of one of the Dingleys of Launceston (Western Antiquary, June 1882). The claim of the inscription that the Isbells were "the first who entertained the Methodist preachers in the County" is not strictly accurate. Charles Wesley and his companions were entertained by John Nance, at St. Ives, on 16th july,1743.
8. Jack's House.
After the death of the Isbells the associations of the cottage continued to be remembered. The beginning of a legend can be sidcerned in the tradition that one could hear the bells of heaven ring by the simple expedient of running twelve times round the Isbell tomb and then putting a finger in each ear. In course of time the cottage was referred to as "Jack's House" in reference to Wesley. In 1848 the suggestion was made that the new Chapel at Altarnun, the projected, should be built at Trewint, but was not adopted.
About 1860 a local antiquarian visited
the houes and made a pencil sketch of the living room, showing a derelict
fireplace with small cupboard openings in the wall on either side, somewhat
resembling ecclesiastical piscinae. He was told by an old man that, although
the furniture had been changed, the cottage itself was exactly as his grandfather
had known it at the beginning of the century. 12.
The cottage by this time had evidently fallen into decay,
and this was probably the period during which the lower room of the annexe
was used by a local farmer for pig killing.
There is no record of Methodist gatherings at Trewint after the passing of the Isbell's until 2nd October, 1932, when a Methodist Union celebration was held there. The cottage at that time was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. J. Wallis. A similar service was held to commemorate the Bicentenary of Wesley's conversion, in 1938. By 1947, however, the building was in such a condition that the local councilconsidered demolishing it, and it was only saved by the suggestion of the Public Health Inspector, Mr. T. A. Judd, to the Rev. Ernest Porter that the Methodist authorities might like to purchase the property and undertake the restoration. 13.
9. The Restoration of the Cottage, 1950.
The leading spirit in the restoration of the cottage was Stanley Sowton (1875-1958) who after a lifetime of energetic service at the headquarters of teh Methodist Missionary Societyretired to Rilla Mill.
****12. The Western Antiquary, June 1882.****
****13. The property was secured for ~L 50 in 1948, and
over 1,000 was spent on it's restoration.****
Mr. Sowton quickly realised the possibilities of Trewint, and rapidly conveyed his vision to a group of people who were already interested in teh cottage. A trust was formed to administer the property which was then vested in the Methodist Trustees for Chapel Purposes. Stan Sowton was appointed Secretary to the Trust.
The cottage was completely restored by Sir George Oakley, of Bristol, and furnished in eighteenth-century cottage style. On Wesley Day (24th May) 1950 the cottage was re-opened. Mr A.Thomas Isbell, of Manchester, unlocked the door leading to the prophet's chamber which his great-great-great-grandfather had built and which was no to be opened daily to the public, A dedicatory service was conducted by the Chairman of the district (the Rev. E.H. Hines) from the stone porch to which the preachers had first come in 1743. At Altarnun parish church later in the day the vicar (the Rev. W.A. Kneebone) conducted Evensong "withCommemoration of the Rev. John Wesley, Mr. and Mrs. Drigory Isbell, and the Early Methodists of Altarnun". The large church was crowded to capacity and some hundreds were unable to to gain admittance. The memorable day concluded with a public meeting in a marquee at Trewint.
On Wesley Day every year a crowd gathers at the cottage for an open air service conducted by one of the leading preachers of Methodism, and the celebratons are continued at Altarnun in the evening. The cottage remains open to all who come, and about 3,000 people visit the rooms every year.
Stanley Sowton served Trewint with unabated enthusiasm for eight years, constantly seeking ways of adding to or improving the furnishings of the cottage, busily working with his pen to keep it in the public eye, and planning details of the annual Wesley Day services for years ahead. Regular visitors to Trewint began to expect to see something new each year - in 1952 a replica of John Nelson's sundial at Birstall, Yorkshire, appeared in the side garden; ( it was made from half a granite roller which Mr. Sowton's eye had discovered in the corner of a field, and was later moved to its present position); in 1956 two oil paintings by Mr. A. W. Gay, of Bristol, showing Wesley, Nelson and Downes, at the cottage were displayed; then came the Wesley Day postcard sellers in traditional "Bal Maid" costume and in 1958, the Pilgrim's Garden was opened.
The Rt. Hon. Isaac Foot, speaking at Trewint, said without exaggeration, "These rooms now restored will stand for five hundred years as a memorial to John Wesley - Stanley Sowton." On the wall of the lower room is atablet to the memory of the first secretary of the Trewint Trust, and a photograph which shows him in a characteristic pose.
10. The Treasures of Trewint
The stone walled passage leads to the small rooms of the Prophet's Chamber, the slate floor of the lower room, the rush mats, the brass candlesticks on the namtelpiece, the brandis in the open fireplace, the "lazy-Jack" kettle on the hearth, the contemporary chairs and the warming pan all help to create the eighteenth-century atmosphere. The preaching desk (the cottage is a preaching place where services are reguarly held at certain seasons, and is not just a museum) is distinctive and looks inperiod, but it is actually a modern copy of the desk at Coad's Green.
In the upper room where the preacher slept (and unto which the modern congregation sometimes overflows from the staircase!), are display cabinets housing many items of Wesleyana". Here are two letters of John Wesley (one surely, his shortest, reads; August 13, 1774. My dear Brother, All is well. Yours sincerely, J. Wesley"), many pottery statuettes, commemorative plates and medals. Here also may be seen letters and early writings of John Nelson, Thomas Coke, and Adam Clarke, and two volumes of the Journal of James Chubb, a Cornish Methodist exciseman of the late eighteenth century. Here also are possessions of the early member of the Isbell family, strangley perserved- a family Bible, a portrait and a class ticket.
11. The Significance of Trewint.
There is no other place in Cornwall, and few in the country, where the authentic atmosphere of early Methodism can be so keenly felt. Perhaps that is the chief value of the cottage. It was in surroundings such as these that the converts of the Wesleys met regularly to build each other up by sharing together their intense religious experience. In the words of the hymn announced by the preacher at Trewint, while the mob stood at the door,
If any ask the reason, why
We Thus together meet?
To such enquirers we reply,
"To wait at Jesu's feet".
No new donomination had been formed for these early Methodists like their neighbors were communicants at the parish church. The inscriptions on the Isbell tomb records the fact that they "lived and died int he Connection", but strictly adhered to the duties of the Established Church". Nearby is the Gravestone of Johathan Harris, of Trewint, who died in 1853, of whom the inscription says, "He was for seventy years a member of the Methodist Society, and died in that Connixion; yet strictly adhered to his duty as a member of the Established Church". In response to the Bishop's Visitation Queries in 1821, the Vicar of Altarnun reported that there were in his parish "many Westleian Methodists; who for the most part frequent the Church".
The members of the Society, however, found increasing spiritual sustenance in the ministry of the itinerant preachers, and this led in time to a seperation from the Church of England even in parishes where the clergy were sympathetic to Methodism. For a careful discussion of this development see Dr. H.Miles Brown's unpublished thesis Methodism and the Church of England in Cornwall, 1738-1838, which can be consulted at the County Library, Truro.
The preachers came to Trewint, and later to Altarnun villiage, in the course of a large round which covered the whole of Cornwall until 1764, and the eastern half of Cornwall until 1794 when Launceston Circuit was formed. Even after this subdivision the circuit was extensive as can be seen from the Launceston Circuit Plan of 1808 on the cottage wall. Each society was divided into classes, and each member received a quarerly ticket from the itinerate preacher. A ticket of Petronelle Isbell, dated 1826, can be seen in the showcase.
This old preaching-place has been discribed in recent years as a shrine, but it is not a museum. Since the re-opening Trewint has again been on the circuit plan, and it serves the District as centre of evangelism, conference and retreat.
The significance of Trewint for the student of Methodist history is not that it adds anything to the information that is availabel elsewhere but that it offers a perfect illustration of all that we know about the early Methodists, and provides an ideal setting for a study of Methodist beginnings in the countryside. To the ordinary wayfarer who turns off the busy "A30" into the calm retreat Trewint offers a surprise, and to many it offers also a benediction.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Background
Baker,Frank A Charge to Keep, (Epworth Press, 1947). Auseful history of Methodism.
Church, Leslie
A Early Methodist People (1948), and More About the eArly Methodist People
(1949),
(Epworth Press).
Shaw, Thomas Cornish
Methodism: from 1743 to the Present Day, (Barton, Truro, in preparation,
1967).
2.Trewint
Pearce, John The Wesleys
in Cornwall; Extracts from the Journals of John & Charles Wesley,
and John Nelson: edited with Introduction. (Barton, Truro, 1964).
Methodist Magazine 1809, pp. 165-9.
Wesleyan Methodist Magizine, 1838, p.317.
Venning, James Historical Notices of East Cornwall, Published by the Aurhor, 4th Edition,1934,p. 7-14; and Supplement, pp.80-86.
Bolitho, Herbert Truly Rural: The History of Morth Hill Circuit, 1743-1946.
3. Trewint Leaflets
Maker, Lawrance
Trewint, a Methodist Shrine for Cornwall.
Porter, Earnest Trewint, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.
Harrison, G. Elsie Trewint, A Shrine of Memory.
Lea, Richard A. The Prophet's Chamber. A Poem.
Hopkins, A.W.
Trewint, a Story in Stone, A sermon.
