03 May 2007
From World's End to Mow Cop: 50 miles in 1807 dress
If you go for a walk in the countryside over the Spring Bank
Holiday weekend, you might find yourself in the company of a couple
of people from the early 19th century. On 25-27 May the Revd
Jonathan Kerry and Anthea Cox are donning period costumes to walk
over 50 miles from World's End near Wrexham to Mow Cop near
Stoke-On-Trent. The walk is to raise money for the Methodist Church
Fund for World Mission and to mark the 200th anniversary of the
first open air Camp Meeting.
A special service will be held a Mow Cop on Sunday 27 May to
celebrate the anniversary of the first open air Camp Meeting, which
took place on 31 May 1807 and marked the origins of the Primitive
Methodist revival. Many people are expected at the service,
although most will travel by car or public transport. For Anthea
and Jonathan, however, the journey will take three days on foot.
They will leave World's End on Friday 25 May and arrive at Mow Cop
in time for the service on the afternoon of the 27th.
The journey from World's End will take them past Chirk, Ellesmere,
Whitchurch, Nantwich, Crewe and Kidsgrove, calling in at the Museum
of Primitive Methodism at Englesea Brook. For much of the first day
they will follow the Llangollen canal, including a dramatic
crossing of the 130ft high Pontycyllte aqueduct. On Saturday they
will follow country lanes as much as possible, although several
features not found in 1807 will play a part, says Jonathan: 'We
have to deal with various dual carriage ways and of course the M6.
We have found a route that sticks to the back roads as much as
possible, which is not only nicer for us but also closer to the
reality of two hundred years ago. Most of the early Methodist
Preachers had to travel on foot, and we will be remembering them as
well as taking time to appreciate the wonderful countryside.'
Anthea says 'we chose to start the walk at World's End because we
both liked the idea of starting at the End! And it recognizes both
the work that the Fund for World Mission supports people throughout
the world and the way in which primitive Methodists traveled many
miles to preach. It is also good to start inside Wales, within
sight of Offa's Dyke, to remind us of all the history of this area.
The birth of Primitive Methodism at Mow Cop was an important event
in local history and in the story of The Methodist Church, but it
didn't happen in a vacuum. It took off because it appealed to the
people of the time, and walking their landscape helps us to see
that.'