Help information

This page provides information about what can be found within this dictionary, how to find it and how to suggest changes to it.

This dictionary contains entries relating to Methodism in Britain and Ireland. These entries have been categorised as follows:

  • person
  • occupation
  • place
  • denomination
  • school/college
  • subject
  • publication
  • organisation
  • other

Note: only those categories which have entries defined will be available as options when searching the dictionary.

The content of each entry is separated into the following sections:

heading
the name of the entry including any relevant dates
main text
the main description of the entry
quotations
any significant quotations relating to the entry
sources
sources of further information

If there is no content for any section then its heading is not displayed. Clicking on a heading will hide or reveal the contents of that section. Links at the top of the page enable all sections to be hidden or revealed.

Entries may also be associated with one or more occupations and to cross-references identified in the text by an asterisk. These are listed on the right-hand side of the entry page. Clicking on an item in a list will display its details. If there are no relationships of a particular type, the list is not displayed.

Each entry may have one or more contributors associated with it. These are listed as initials at the end of the entry; the full name can be viewed by placing the mouse over the initials (may not be supported by all browsers) or by clicking on the initials to display a page listing all the entries contributed by this person. (Where no contributor is indicated, the details of the entry are taken from one or more standard sources of information.)

As with all web applications, the pages of this dictionary comprise words and images. Some of the words are clickable (called hyperlinks). Hyperlinks are identified by being in a different colour from the main text and when the mouse is placed over the text it becomes underlined. Click on a hyperlink to open the page to which it refers.

Pages which seek to display a long list of similar items may be divided into a set of multiple pages. Lists are displayed in three columns; beneath the columns a page number is displayed with arrows which can be clicked to display the next (right-hand arrow) or previous (left-hand arrow) pages. If there is no next or previous page then the relevant arrow is coloured grey and is not clickable. If all of the entries can be displayed on a single page, then the paging arrows are not displayed at all. The number of entries shown on each page can be selected when searching for dictionary entries (see below).

In addition to the dictionary entries, there are also pages which display news items and details of the latest changes. News items are used to bring users' attention to matters of interest such as significant changes to the application. The latest updates page will list all of the records which have been updated to a significant degree over the past 3 months. Both these pages can be accessed via the links provided at the bottom of each page. The home page also displays the 3 most recent news items and updates.

On most pages, a quick navigation toolbar is displayed at the top of the page. This provides access to simple searching options. Links at the top-right of each page, provide access to the home page, the search page and this help page.

The editor of this dictionary welcomes feedback on the contents. An online feedback form is provided for this purpose. If you wish to suggest a correction or addition to an existing entry the easiest way is to click on the Comment on this entry link displayed at the bottom of the second column of the entry page. This will open the feedback page with details of the relevant entry already entered.

To propose new entries just click on the Feedback link provided on the home page and enter the details of your entry. Please provide as much information as possible, including any relevant sources. All feedback should be accompanied by your name and email address; a copy of the feedback provided will be sent to your email address.

This application should be compatible with all up-to-date releases of web browsers for any operating system. For the best user experience your browser should be set to allow JavaScript and to accept cookies. However, the application should be usable without these features. If you experience any problems with accessing the dictionary, try the following:

  • close all your browser windows and then try again
  • try a different browser on your machine, if available
  • try using the same browser on a different machine
  • clear your browser cache/temporary Internet files (for example, see the Tools, Internet Options menu in Internet Explorer)

If the problem continues to persist, please report it to the webmaster using the link provided at the bottom of each page. We will endeavour to rectify any issues as quickly as possible.