Collection: Epworth Old Rectory

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  Epworth Old Rectory was, from 1709 to 1735, the family home of Samuel and Susanna Wesley and their 19 children (10 of whom survived into adulthood), including John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism.

  The Rectory is a Queen Anne Grade 1 Listed Building which had a number of extensions during the early 19th century, all of which were later demolished. Some outbuildings were added in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The property still retains over 3 acres of glebe land – referred to by the Wesleys as ‘the Croft’ – in addition to formal gardens.

  The building continued to be used by the Church of England as a rectory for the parish of St. Andrew’s until 1954 when it was bought by the British Methodist Church with strong support from the World Methodist Council. It was then opened in 1957 to the general public as a museum dedicated to the life and times of John and Charles Wesley, and their family.

  A collection of historical objects, ceramics, paintings, prints, period furniture and other “Wesleyana” has grown over the years, with a library of books and documents connected with the Wesleys being donated to the museum in the 1980s.

  In December 2009, the Rectory was first awarded full accreditation status with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Our Accreditation was further re-awarded in 2014. EOR is in the process of submitting a renewal application, renewing accreditation status, in Autumn 2019.

  In 2015, EOR became the specified repository for objects pertaining to the women’s movements within the Methodist Church.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  Items belonging to John, Charles, Susanna or Samuel Wesley and other members of the family, including furniture, letters, and personal possessions.

  Items relating to the history of Methodism including notable Methodists, events, organisations and general history including:

  1. Archives
  2. Books
  3. Ceramics – reflecting the history of Methodism and world-wide Methodism
  4. Costume
  5. Paintings
  6. Prints
  7. Paper based ephemera
  8. Photographs

  The Methodist Women’s Collection, the purpose of which is to illustrate how women and women’s groups from the late 17th century to the present have driven forward the Methodist movement, describing their organisational character and development, and exemplifying this with the stories of individuals and their objects. The scope of this collection includes the following:

  1. Connexional (or Connexionally-significant) artefacts relating to the history of the women’s movement in Methodism from the late 17th century to present, such as from the following organisations:
     • Women’s Work
     • Women’s Fellowship
     • Women’s World Federation (latterly World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women)
     • Women’s Network
     • Young Wives
     • Girls League
     • Methodist Women in Britain
  2. District or Circuit artefacts, for example, District banners that once formed a Connexion-wide campaign display, banners, souvenirs, badges of office and Presidential insignia
  3. Artefacts from individuals that uniquely characterise what it is or was tbe a woman within the movement
     • Personal testimony manuscripts
     • Presentation/goodwill gifts
     • Archive material
     • Photographs
     • Paper based ephemera
     • Souvenirs
     • Lockets containing locks of hair from women prominent in the Methodist Society

  The Gwyron Aston Library currently contains 3847 books

  Supporting collections:

  1. Furniture and artefacts to enable the interpretation of the house to the period when the Wesleys lived here (1709 – 1735), including both period and replica pieces
  2. Handling artefacts for reminiscence, sensory and children’s use
  3. Currently there are 3789 accessioned artefacts in the EOR collections

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC