This Registration Division, fanning out north-westwards from the London area, with the two university cities at its extremities, was predominantly rural. In Methodist terms it had neither cohesion nor recognizable characteristics apart from the absence of any Methodist strongholds. John Wesley passed through the area on many of his journeys to or from the north, and had friends and supporters here and there (e.g. Miss Elizabeth Harvey of Hinxworth, John Berridge, vicar of Everton, and Philip Doddridge at Northampton), but remained a bird of passage. Except in the vicinity of London, his societies were widely scattered.

In 1851 WM predominated, but with a significant PM minority in Cambs and Bucks. The Religious Census recorded 702 Methodist places of worship in the Division (including WM: 493; PM: 188; WR 18). By 1989, with the disappearance of Middlesex, there were only 450 churches. Total attendances reported in 1851 were 187,688 (15.2% of the population), with evening services (usually the best attended) totalling 77,978 (6.3%). In 1989 adult worshippers and members totalled between 0.6% and 1% of the population, with no very marked difference between the counties.

Entry written by: JAV
Category: Place
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