Archifdy Ceredigion Archives
WM - THE WESLEYAN METHODIST COLLECTION

Accessions 1241, 1313, 1344, 1345, 1398, 1515, 1778, 2584, 2623, 2676

Ref: WM

REF: [GB 0212] WM
DATE: 1853-2010
SIZE: 26 boxes and 1 oversized photograph. 9.5 linear metres.
LEVEL & ARRANGEMENT: fonds
NATURE AND CONTENT: This collection consists of records for the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Ceredigion. The records date from the mid-nineteenth century to the current day and provide evidence of the activities of 21 separate English- and Welsh-language Chapels in the Ceredigion area, as well as the higher-level Circuit administrative bodies. The records cover a wide range of congregational, administrative, financial and property matters. Committee minutes and correspondence form the bulk of the collection, but there are also conveyances for numerous Chapels, Sunday School registers, publications and notices for services and events (such as Circuit plans), architectural plans and photographs. Additionally, there are records within the collection relating to Aberystwyth University’s Methodist Society (MethSoc). There are also registers of marriages for the Wesley Chapel, Aberystwyth and registers of baptisms for Penparcau and Aberystwyth.

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY: The first Wesleyan Methodist society in Wales was founded in Cardiff in 1740. Until 1763 there was only one Circuit in Wales but in that year Conference (the supreme legislative body of the Wesleyan Methodist Church) divided Wales into two Circuits with two extra preachers and assistants. In 1766 Wales reverted to one Circuit with three preachers and a membership of 232. By 1790 there were 566 members in Wales and three Circuits with seven members. By 1791 the number of preachers had increased to nine.
After John Wesley's death that year it was agreed to divide the Connexion (Community) into Districts each with their own Chairman. By the time Wesley died in 1791 there were only 600 Wesleyan Methodist members, predominantly in South Wales, but Wesley along with his assistants, local preachers and committed members had laid solid foundations for future growth. The Wales District began in 1791 when districts were created after the death of John Wesley, the North Wales District, created in 1803, was mainly Welsh speaking and North Wales English-speaking Circuits fell at various times within the North Wales District, i.e. the English-speaking Newtown and Wrexham Circuits. The English-speaking North Wales District was formed in 1987.
Welsh and English speakers shared buildings for worship from the very beginning, some Ministers were appointed to a Circuit to speak both languages. Ceredigion, which became a bilingual Circuit in 1994, guarantees the use of the first language for worship, whether Welsh or English, and provides simultaneous translation for all Circuit and other important meetings. Bilingual worship, which is carefully planned, happens regularly on a Circuit basis.

SYSTEM OF ARRANGEMENT:
The fonds has been divided into four sub-fonds: WMA, WMB, WMC and WMD.

The sub-fonds WMA contains records produced by and relating to the various former and current Circuits. Each Circuit has been given its own series within the sub-fonds. Records within each series have generally been arranged in chronological order, although an effort has been made to keep thematically related records together. Larger series, marked (+) in the list below, have been divided into sub-series based on broad functions such as congregational matters, administration, property, finance, and so on.

The WMA sub-fonds is arranged as follows:
WMA/1 â€" Cylchdaith Aberystwyth (+)
WMA/2 â€" Cylchdaith Llanbedr Pont Steffan
WMA/3 â€" Aberystwyth Circuit (+)
WMA/4 â€" Cylchdaith Ceredigion Circuit (+)
WMA/5 â€" Ceredigion English Circuit and Cylchdaith Cymru, Ardal Ceredigion
WMA/6 â€" Cylchdaith Ystumtuen

The sub-fonds WMB contains records produced by and relating to individual Wesleyan Methodist Chapels. Some of these Chapels are currently open but many have closed. As with the Circuits sub-fonds, each Chapel has been given its own series. Each Chapel's records are generally arranged in chronological order but thematically related records have been kept together. Similarly, larger series, marked (+) in the list below, have been divided into sub-series based on broad functions.

The WMB sub-fonds is arranged as follows:
WMB/1 â€" Capel Queen Street, the St. Paul, Great Darkgate Street, Aberystwyth town and parish (+)
WMB/2 â€" Wesley Chapel, Queen’s Road, Aberystwyth town and parish (+)
WMB/3 â€" Canolfan Fethodistaidd St. Paul Methodist Centre, Aberystwyth town and parish (+)
WMB/4 â€" Capel Ebeneser, Bontgoch, Llanfihangel Genau'r-Glyn parish
WMB/5 â€" Capel Shiloh, Borth, Llanfihangel Genau'r-Glyn parish
WMB/6 â€" Capel Bethel, Capel Dewi, Llandysul parish
WMB/7 â€" Capel Cilgwyn, Llangybi town and parish
WMB/8 â€" Capel Carmel, Cnwch Coch, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn parish
WMB/9 â€" Capel Horeb, Cwmbrwyno, Llanbadarn Fawr parish
WMB/10 â€" Capel Bethel, Cwmrheidol, Llanbadarn Fawr parish
WMB/11 â€" English-language Chapel, Goginan, Llanbadarn Fawr parish
WMB/12 â€" St. Thomas’s Church, Lampeter town and parish (+)
WMB/13 â€" Capel Peniel, Llandysul town and parish
WMB/14 â€" Capel Salem, Mynydd Bach, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn parish
WMB/15 â€" English-language Chapel, Penparcau, Aberystwyth parish (+)
WMB/16 â€" Capel Bethel, Pontrhydygroes, Ysbyty Ystwyth parish
WMB/17 â€" Welsh-language Chapel, Tregaron town and parish
WMB/18 â€" English-language Chapel, Tregaron town and parish
WMB/19 â€" Capel Soar, Tre'r-ddôl, Llangynfelyn parish (+)
WMB/20 â€" Capel Ebeneser, Ystumtuen, Llanbadarn Fawr parish
WMB/21 â€" Welsh-language Chapel, Capel Ficer, Llanarth parish

The sub-fonds WMC contains records and notices relating to the Aberystwyth Methodist Society (MethSoc), a society for Aberystwyth University students that has a partnership with Canolfan Fethodistaidd St. Paul Methodist Centre.

The sub-fonds WMD contains records and objects that could not be securely associated with a single Circuit or Chapel, as well as general reference works and information sheets.

ACCESS AND USE
LANGUAGE: English, Welsh. Some bilingual records. All records are in English unless otherwise described.
CONDITIONS GOVERNING ACCESS: Generally open access. Some records, particularly marriage and baptism records, have data protection issues and may only be consulted with the permission of the County Archivist. WMB/15/5/1-2 contain possibly sensitive personal data. WMB/1/4/7 and WMB/14/4 may only be consulted with written permission from the Superintendent Minister.
CONDITIONS GOVERNING REPRODUCTION: Usual copyright restrictions apply.
FINDING AIDS: This catalogue was produced as a finding aid for the collection. There is a 2009 handlist compiled by the Circuit Archivist, which contains everything in this collection and related records deposited at the NLW. It is recommended that researchers use the handlist as a companion to our catalogue, to gain a clearer understanding of the full scope of the collection.

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
ARCHIVAL HISTORY: Prior to 2000, deposits from the collection to the National Library of Wales (NLW). In 2000 the NLW began transferring the collection to Ceredigion Archives and since then the Circuit Archivist, Dr. Lionel Madden, has deposited records directly at Ceredigion Archives at regular intervals.
ACCRUALS: Much of the collection is still to be transferred from the NLW. There is also the possibility of future deposits from the Circuit Archivist.
APPRAISAL, DESTRUCTION AND SCHEDULING: The records in this collection were already appraised prior to cataloguing. A few duplicate records were identified during the creation of the catalogue but the decision was not taken to remove them.
RELATED MATERIAL: There are records related to this collection at the NLW. Some records from this collection held at Ceredigion Archives, relating to Capel St. Paul, Aberystwyth, have previously been catalogued as ANC/21.

DESCRIPTION CONTROL
RULES OR CONVENTIONS: The catalogue was created followed guidelines based on ISAD(G), 2nd ed., as well as Ceredigion Archives' Rules for typing catalogues.
SUMMARY OF DESCRIPTION: The catalogue was created between 3 February and 4 May 2012 by the following Aberystwyth University students: Simon Baker, Christopher Edwards, Courtney Morgan, Helen Phillips and Matt Tantony. It was created during a cataloguing project undertaken by the students as part of their Diploma/MScEcon course in Archive Administration.