Oliver Beckerlegge Methodist Church Circuit Plan Collection 1850-1997
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Oliver Beckerlegge Methodist Church Circuit Plan Collection 1850-1997 Published for Drew University Methodist Archives By General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church, Madison, New Jersey P.O. Box 127, Madison, NJ 07940 2014-10-02 Oliver Beckerlegge Methodist Church Circuit Plan Collection Oliver Beckerlegge British Methodist Circuit Plans Collection 1850-1997 19.10 cubic feet drew.ms.5603 The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers, followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection. To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved. Biographical Note Oliver Aveyard Beckerlegge (1913-2003) was a Methodist Church in Great Britain minister, historian, and collector of early printed Bibles. He was born to a Methodist family in Sheffield, United Kingdom in 1913. He read French, German, and Medieval Literature at the University of Sheffield, earning his B.A. in 1935, M.A. in 1936, and D.Phil in 1940. Beckerlegge taught English in Dusseldorf, Germany, before returning to England to train for the ministry. He studied at Richmond College in 1943 and later served alongside his wife, Joyce Cole (married 1951) at churches in Northamptonshire, Glasgow, Alston, Settle, Cornwall, Sheffield, Stoke, Cheshunt, and Brigg, before retiring to York in 1981. An expert on John Wesley’s writings and Charles Wesley’s hymns, Beckerlegge was also a founding member of The Charles Wesley Society and member of the Voice of Methodism. He wrote extensively on the history of British Methodism. Selected published works include his doctoral thesis, "Le Secre´ de Secrez of Pierre d’Abernun of Fetchem"(1944), "The United Methodist Free Churches: A Study in Freedom" (1957), "The Story of the Bible" (1965), "United Methodist Ministers and their Circuits 1797-1932" (1968), "Back to the Bishops! Some Methodist scholars on the Episcopacy and the C.U.C." (1978), “The Bibliography of the Bible Christians” (1988), “The Bibliography of the United Methodist Church” (1989), "The Three Expelled: James Everett, Samuel Dunn, William Griffiths" (1996), and his memoirs, "A Methodist Life" (2002). Beckerlegge was also an editor of "The Voices of Methodism" periodical and a co-editor of "The Works of John Wesley, Volume 7: A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists" (1983), and "The Unpublished Poetry of Charles Wesley, Volumes 1-3" (1990). Scope and Content Note This collection contains circuit plans for The Methodist Church in Great Britain, collected by Oliver A. Beckerlegge, dating from 1850-1999. These plans include circuits where Oliver and Joyce Beckerlegge served as ministers or visiting ministers including the Settle, Tadcaster, Truro, and York circuits. This collection also includes Beckerlegge's personal correspondence and his collection of historical correspondence, Methodist Church quarterly class tickets, postcards, and pamphlets. Circuit plans are arranged alphabetically by circuit name along with related church notices where the circuit is clearly specified. A guide to the London District, incomplete circuit plains and oversized plans for the following circuits are boxed together: Bathhurst, Bellingham, Birkenshaw and Gomersal, Camborne, Cape Coast, Chepstow and Caldicot, Freetown Central (Sierra Leone), Freetown Ebenezer (Sierra Leone), Freetown Wesley (Sierra Leone), Glossop Third, Grassington, Hastings (Sierra Leone), Kilkhampton, Kirkby Stephen, Kirkoswald, Launceston, Llantrisant, Manchester, Maryport, North Shields (Howard Street), North Sunderland, Oldbury, Olowogbowo, Otley, Peterborough, Poole, Sirhowy Valley, Stratton, Spilsby, Waterloo (Sierra Leone), Wisbech, Wooldale, and York (Sierra Leone). Oversized plans for the Settle General Commisson on Archives and History Page 1 Madison, New Jersey Oliver Beckerlegge Methodist Church Circuit Plan Collection Circuit are boxed together. This collection also contains a scrapbook with documents ranging from 1868-1907, consisting of circuit plans, church notices, obituaries, correspondence, church calendars, and newspaper clippings for the Gloucester Street Circuit, Newcastle Prudhoe Street Circuit, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Circuit, Shieldfield Circuit, and the South Shields Circuit. The pamphlets in this collection date from 1882-1992 and are arranged by topic. These pamphlets include missionary tracts, bulletins, church notices, and sermons. The majority of these pamphlets relate to the British Church Union debates in 1975-1976. Beckerlegge's personal correspondence dates from 1940-1997. Also included is Beckerlegge family correspondence from 1903-1911. The historical correspondence dates from 1752-1992 and includes letters from prominent Methodist ministers. Three scrapbooks originally contained historical letters with corresponding entries for each document including the name of author and the date. The arrangement of these letters was disturbed previously. They are placed in folders for each scrapbook in the approximate order they appeared in the original scrapbooks. Other letters were inserted into these scrapbooks but since there are no corresponding entries, these are now placed in a separate folder entitled "Loose Correspondence from Scrapbooks." Methodist Post Card Albums 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 contain loose materials which are placed in the folder following the appropriate album. Album 1 loose materials, found in the front of the album, include a 1905 advertisement for Methodist Pictorial Post Cards, an index to the postcard album and a 1978 letter to Beckerlegge. Album 3 loose materials were found in the front of the album and include contain a photocopy of the 1905 advertisement for Methodist Pictorial Post Cards, as well as various photographs, postcards, and letters. Album 4 loose materials are postcards, the first five of which were from the front of the album while all others were found in the back of the album. Album 5 loose materials include three photographs found in the front of the album and postcards, photocopies and a 1980 letter to Beckerlegge. Album 6 loose materials include two postcards from the front of the album with the remaining notes and photocopies of postcards placed in the back. The Class Ticket collection dates from 1753-1991. Class Ticket Albums 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 contain various loose documents now in placed folders. The folder following Album 1 contains loose tickets and correspondence related to class tickets which was originally inserted in the front of the album. The folder following Album 2 contains loose tickets and explanatory notes originally inserted in the back of the album. The folder following Album 3 contains the birth certificate of Nancy Philip, originally folded and placed in the middle of the album. The folder following Album 5 contains a letter dated 1988 describing the contents of the album which was previously inserted in the back of the album. The folder following Album 7 contains a membership certificate for Doreen Waiman from 1950 which was originally inserted in the front of the album. The folder following Album 8 contains a note from the front of the album describing the contents of the album. The Class Ticket collection also contains signed loose quarterly tickets dating from 1834-1967. These tickets have been organized by date and family name and placed in protective sheets. Arrangement Material has been arranged in the following manner. basic CIRCUIT PLANS. POSTCARDS. CORRESPONDENCE. PAMPHLETS. CLASS TICKETS. General Commisson on Archives and History Page 2 Madison, New Jersey Oliver Beckerlegge Methodist Church Circuit Plan Collection Related Material The Oliver Beckerlegge Bible Collection at the University of Sheffield Library. Access Restrictions Copyright owned by Drew University. Permission to publish must be directed to Drew University Methodist Library. Use Access Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required. Preferred Citation When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Oliver Beckerlegge British Methodist Circuit Plans Collection, Methodist Collection - Drew University, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor. Index Terms Subject Terms Christian union conversations Church historians Church history-19th century