Tickets of membership, first issued in Bristol in 1741 as 'society tickets', were later known as class tickets and were quarterly until the introduction of an annual ticket in the 1980s. In earlier years, some carried emblems or other decoration and a verse of Scripture. Because they were used in the early days to restrict admission to society meetings, love-feasts and the Covenant Service, a large capital letter indicated the quarter of issue. Separate Band Tickets were also issued, later superseded by a letter 'b' printed on the class ticket and discontinued in 1880. Some members made a lifelong collection of their tickets and even had them placed in their coffin. In December 1893 the heading 'Wesleyan Methodist Society' was replaced by 'Wesleyan Methodist Church'. (A similar change was made on PM tickets in 1902.) Junior membership tickets, introduced in the late nineteenth century, were discontinued in 1961. Other branches of Methodism issued similar tickets.

Entry written by: JAV
Category: Subject
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