The earliest chronological list of WM ministers was published in 1795 by John Pawson under the title A Chronological Catalogue. Charles Atmore's Methodist Memorial (1801) included a similar list in an appendix, as did the 1813 edition of William Myles' Chronological History. Another appeared in Jonathan Crowther's Portraiture of Methodism (1815).

William Hill (c. 1771-1827; e.m. 1804) first published his Alphabetical Arrangement in 1819, listing WM ministers and the circuits in which they were stationed. (Preachers who had 'died in the work' before 1819 were not included, but these were eventually listed by Kenneth B. Garlick in his Mr Wesley's Preachers (1977).) It was followed by a second, updated edition in 1824, including a list of ministers who had 'died in the work'. Three editions between 1827 and 1841, together with a supplement dated 1833 continued to carry Hill's name, though he had died in Bradford on 22 March 1827. John P. Haswell was responsible for five editions between 1847 and 1866. He was succeeded by Marmaduke C. Osborn (four editions, to 1881) and David J. Waller (seven editions) and Arthur Twigg, who produced the 1912 and 1926 editions. After Methodist Union J. Henry Martin produced three editions, as did J. Bernard Sheldon, the last being in 1968. No further editions have appeared since that date, but a ms edition has been updated annually since 1968, a copy of which is in the Methodist Archives Centre, Manchester.

All editions since 1932 include all former PM and UM ministers, with lists of the Presidents of Conference in the pre-Union connexions, PM Vice-Presidents, Presidents of the Methodist Church inIreland (from 1868) and of the *Welsh Assembly (from 1899).

Similarly, lists of all PM ministers and of UM ministers and their stations were published by William Leary (1990) and Oliver Beckerlegge (1968) respectively.

Entry written by: WL
Category: Publication
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