A WM itinerant, born in Salisbury, where be began as a shoemaker. He was expelled from the local society for debt and laziness. John Wesley accepted him as an itinerant in 1768 and sent him to Devon, where he proved unacceptable. His eccentric character made him a difficult colleague and created problems for Wesley. He was condemned at the 1775 Conference as 'no longer fit for our Connexion', but seems to have continued until 1780, when his marriage to an equally difficult wife (whom the women of the Chatham society found 'sullen and surly') caused him to cease to travel until 1782. A stickler for the observance of the Methodist rules, he was an ingenious mechanic, especially with clocks and watches, and also dabbled in medicine. His papers at the Methodist Archives Centre, Manchester include a large amount of poetry. 'His singularities of spirit and manners prevented him from being [as] acceptable and useful as he otherwise might have been.'

Entry written by: JAV
Category: Person
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