1744 JOHN WESLEY - VICTORY PURDY. Early Methodist Archive of Manuscript and Provenanced Items!

A superb assemblage of important early Methodist material from the Methodist Historian and Collector, F. A. Wilshire, Recorder of Bridgewater. See his Victory Purdy. Hero of the 18th Century Religious Revival. In the Proceedings for the Wesley Historical Society, for 1939.   The collection includes: 1. A 19pp non-authorial holograph in early Methodist hymnist and lay-minister, Wesley correspondent, Victory Purdy’s [1747-1822] hand. It begins, Conference. Monday June 25, 1744. The following persons being met at the Foundery, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, John Hodges, Henry Piers, Saml Taylor, & John Meriton. After some time spent in Prayer, the design of our Meeting was propos’d, namely to consider etc. It continues through June 30th in a very neat hand summarizing the activities of the first ever Methodist Conference. Interestingly, it seems to be a holograph of an unpublished earlier manuscript. Purdy himself would not have been present, though his father, John Purdy, was one of We