Perhaps they dozed, because streaks of red and gold were filling the eastern sky when a sharp rap on the carriage door brought its occupants back to the present world.
“It appears the hand of the avenging angel has passed us by. I must say, if I were the Almighty, I would be hard pressed to find a reason for such mercy.” The Countess of Huntingdon held the door for them to step out. “I have ordered breakfast served. I have an announcement for which I wish you to be present.”
Everyone looked drowsy after their night’s vigil, but not the least bit chagrined that they had spent the night awaiting a calamity which failed to occur. Joseph, Audrey, and Elmira Smithson were passing around cider and pork pie as the morning sun broke over the meadow.
Standing in the center of the group, his arms held up to Heaven, Vincent Perronet prayed, “For our deliverance, our Father, we Thank Thee. Help the lives which Thou hast spared to be lived worthily unto Thee, we ask in thy most holy name. Amen.”
And the people who had sung through most of the night responded, “Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.”
Stepping lightly over the dew-spattered grass, Lady Huntingdon took her place in the center of the group. “Since the world has not ended, it appears the Almighty intends that we should go on with our work. My chaplain, Mr. Whitefield, is soon to depart for America, and I shall be in need of a replacement for his services. I hereby appoint Mr. Phillip Ferrar to fill his vacancy.” She looked at Phillip, “You, Sir, are not to go to America. I have determined it will not suit.”
Catherine gasped and turned to Phillip. The look of astonishment on his face told her he had no idea this was coming.
“This position is, of course, only temporary.” Her Ladyship paused. “I have determined to build a private chapel in Tunbridge Wells and install a permanent chaplain there. Mr. Ferrar, you shall have that position.”
With the precision with which he did everything, Phillip rose to his feet and bowed to the Countess. “Yes, your Ladyship.”
Only Catherine saw the twinkle of amusement behind his smile of pleasure.
“And,” the Countess turned a half-circle to take in the entire company, then focused directly on Phillip, “you are to marry this young lady.”
The amusement and pleasure on Phillip’s face were eclipsed by the look of open love he turned on Catherine as he extended his hand to help her to her feet.
“Yes, your Ladyship,” they said to the Countess. But they looked only at each other.
HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE
This book is a work of fiction with a great deal of history woven in. Especially when many of the characters are familiar to the reader, it can be important to separate fact from fiction. The accounts given of: The Wesleys, the Foundry, the Methodist Society, the Countess of Huntingdon, George Whitefield, and William Law are accurate, taken from the journals and biographies listed in my Bibliography.
The earthquakes and reactions to them are matters of historical record; the “earthquake theology” sermons were preached as quoted.
The story of the Perronets is as accurate as I could make it, but here the novelist’s imagination was called into greater service, as the references to members of this large family in journals and historical accounts are tantalizingly brief. I have used all I could learn of Catherine—she was indeed on the eligibility list John presented to Charles, but of her later life nothing is known.
Edward Perronet completed his most famous hymn “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name” in 1779, some years later than this telling, whilst a missionary to India. But perhaps he had begun working on the ideas as a young man in England. Who’s to say?
Phillip Ferrar is entirely fictional, but is in many ways a composite of the early Methodist preachers recorded in history; most of his sermons are from John Wesley. None of the hardships encountered on the preaching tours are made up. All are taken from the journals of John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield. As Betty Waller, who previewed the manuscript dedicated to her, said, “And to think, we sit Sunday after Sunday in our nice comfortable pews and don’t have any idea what others went through for our faith.”
Emmanuel College has made posthumous amends to William Law for the deprivation of his Fellowship. Only two Emmanuel men have been honored by being pictured in the stained glass windows of Emmanuel College Chapel—John Harvard and William Law. On April 28, 1961, the Rector and people of King’s Cliffe held a service to commemorate the two-hundredth anniversary of Law’s death. A party of members of Emmanuel, including the master, several fellows and the whole of the chapel choir, went up to King’s Cliffe for the occasion.
In spite of Wesley’s great desire that the people saved under Methodist preaching would become the “saving salt” for the Church of England, that was not to happen. In 1784 Wesley sat in an Anglican service and heard a tirade against Methodists. That night he sorrowfully recorded in his Journal, “All who preach thus will drive the Methodists from the church, in spite of all that I can do.” That is what happened after Wesley died in 1791. Not all ties with the establishment were broken, however; for when Wesley’s New Chapel, built in 1778, was reopened after complete restoration on All Saints’ Day in 1978, H.M. Queen Elizabeth II attended. Her comment as she thanked the minister at the door was “You Methodists do sing loudly.”
The church of St. Peter and St. Paul at Shoreham continues to serve its parish. I visited Shoreham on a day filled with sunshine, flowers, and birdsong and suggested to the vicar Geoffrey Sedgwick Simpson, an American from Vermont, that he had chosen to serve in Shoreham because he didn’t want to wait until the afterlife for heaven.
I wish to express my deep appreciation to John Charles Pollock who read my manuscript for solecisms and anachronisms; and to Cyril Skinner, managing curator, and Douglas A. Wollen, historian, who were so helpful during my research at Wesley’s Chapel.
Donna Fletcher Crow
Boise, Idaho
1987
WORD LIST
Abecedarian—an ABC book which also taught prayers and the rudiments of the Christian religion
Bagnio—brothel
Butter pond pudding—steamed pudding served in a pond of melted butter
Cassock—long, close garment worn by clergy
Chaise—a light carriage or pleasure vehicle
Chalybeate—spring water containing salts of iron
Collop—a small slice of meat, such as a rasher of bacon
Commination—a recital of God’s anger and judgment against sinners
Curate—an assistant to an Anglican vicar
Curate cart—a small one-horse, two-wheeled carriage
Dishabille—casual clothing, negligee
Farthing—smallest coin of English currency, valued at a quarter penny.
Fichu—a kerchief of fine white fabric draped over the shoulders and fastened in front to fill in a low neckline
The Foundry—abandoned ironworks John Wesley bought in 1739 near Moorfields and converted into chapels, school, medical clinic, living quarters, etc., for the Methodist Society
Hectic fever—a fluctuating but persistent fever, such as tuberculosis
Infant—pupil in kindergarten or earliest stage of learning
Jugged pigeons—pigeons stewed in an earthenware jug
Lappets—lace streamers falling from cap to shoulders
Lawn—a sheer, plainwoven cotton or linen fabric, as used in the sleeves of an Anglican Bishop’s robes
Methodist Society—a religious society open to all people, designed to enrich and purify all churches. Societies promoted preaching, fellowship meetings, Sunday Schools, day schools, orphanages, and numerous other services for members’ faith, education, health, and well-being
Nonconformist (dissenter)—member of a religious body separated from the Church of England
Nonjuror—Anglican clergyman who refused to take the oath of allegiance to William a
nd Mary and their descendants
Oast house—a conical shaped kiln used for drying hops or malt
Open gown—dress with skirt open in front below waist to reveal an ornate petticoat
Ordinary—a clergyman appointed to give spiritual counsel to condemned criminals; an official position comparable to chaplain
Pannier—hooped petticoat which supports a skirt
Pease porridge—split pea soup
Quid—slang for one pound sterling
Rector or vicar—clergyman of the Church of England who has charge of a parish
Riding pillion—to sit behind the saddle on a small pad
Round gown—dress with skirt closed in front, not showing petticoat
Shilling—British coin equivalent to American nickel
Sizar—a Cambridge student who receives college expenses in return for acting as servant to other students, servitor at Oxford
St. Dunstan—religious reformer who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 959 to 988
Syllabarium—a section of a primer which began with 2-letter syllables and gradually increased in length until 6-syllable words were taught
Tutball—an early form of cricket
Verger—an official in church who serves as caretaker and attendant
TIME LINE FOR
THE WHERE THERE IS LOVE SERIES
UNITED STATES
ENGLAND
George Whitefield begins preaching
1738
John Wesley’s Aldergate experience
French and Indian War
1756
1760
George III crowned
1760
Lady Huntingdon opens chapel in Bath
1766
Stamp Act passed
Boston Tea Party
1773
Rowland Hill ordained
The Revolutionary War
1776
The American War
1787
Wilberforce begins antislavery campaign
Constitution ratified
1788
George Washington elected President
1789
1799
Church Missionary Society founded
1805
Lord Nelson wins Battle of Trafalgar
1807
Parliament bans slave trade
War of 1812
1812
Charles Simeon begins Conversation Parties
1815
Waterloo
Missouri Compromise
1820
George IV crowned
John Quincy Adams elected President
1825
1830
William IV crowned
Temperance Union founded
1835
William Wilberforce dies
Texas Independence
1836
Charles Simeon dies
1837
Queen Victoria crowned
Susan B. Anthony Campaigns
1848
California Gold Rush
1849
1851
Crystal Palace opens
Uncle Tom’s Cabin published
1852
1854
Florence Nightingale goes to Crimean War
Abraham Lincoln elected President
1860
Emancipation Proclamation
1863
1865
Hudson Taylor founds China Inland Mission
Transcontinental Railroad completed
1869
1877
Thomas Edison invents light bulb
1879
1885
Cambridge Seven join China Inland Mission
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anthony Babington, The English Bastille, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1971.
Esther T. Barker, Lady Huntingdon, Whitefield, and the Wesleys Private printing, 1984.
P. Boyle, The Fashionable Court Guide, or Town Visiting Directory for the Year 1792, London.
Mabel Richmond Brailsford, A Tale of Two Brothers, John and Charles Wesley, New York: Oxford University Press, 1954.
T.D. Kendrick, The Lisbon Earthquake, London: Methuen & Co., Ltd., 1956.
Helen Knight, Lady Huntington (sic.) and Her Friends, New York: American Tract Society, 1853.
“William Law: A Bicentenary,” (including the text of Professor Chadwick’s Sermon, preprinted from The Anglican World), The Emmanuel College Magazine, Vol. XLIII, 1960-61.
William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1906.
“Law’s Serious Call,” The Emmanuel College Magazine, Vol. XXXI, 1937-8.
The Life and Times of Selina Countess of Huntingdon, by a member of the Houses of Shirley and Hastings, London: William Edward Painter, Strand, 1844.
Ruth McClure, Coram’s Children, The London Foundling Hospital in the Eighteenth Century, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981.
T. Crichton Mitchell, The Wesley Century, Vol. 2, Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1984.
G. Moreton, Memorials of the Birthplace and Residence of the Rev. Wm. Law, M.S. at King’s Cliffe in Northhamptonshire, London: The London Printing Works, 1895.
John Pollock, George Whitefield and the Great Awakening, New York: Doubleday & Co., 1972.
John Lord Sheffield, Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esq., Vol. 1, London: 1796.
Nila Banton Smith, American Reading Instruction, Newark: International Reading Association, 1974.
Richard Tighe, A Short Account of the Life and Writings of the late Rev. William Lam A.M., London: J. Hatchard, 1813.
Silas Told, “An Account of Mr. Silas Told,” (reprinted from Life and Adventures of Silas Told,) The Arminian Magazine Vol. XI, 1788.
Rev. L. Tyerman, The Life and Times of John Wesley, Vol. III, London: Hoarder & Stoughton, 1880.
Charles Wesley, The Journal of Charles Wesley, Thomas Jackson, ed., Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, from the 1849 edition.
John Wesley, Journal, Standard edition edited by Nehemiah Curnock, 8 volumes, 1909-1916.
About The Author
DONNA FLETCHER CROW brings a lifetime love of English literature and history as well as intensive research to Where There is Love—her historical series on the work of the Evangelical Anglicans. She is the author of 45 books, mostly novels of British history. The award-winning Glastonbury, The Novel of Christian England, an Arthurian epic covering 15 centuries of English history, is her best-known work. She also authors The Lord Danvers Mysteries. A Tincture of Murder is her latest in these Victorian true-crime novels. The Elizabeth and Richard Mysteries are her literary suspense series of which A Jane Austen Encounter is the latest. An All-Consuming Fire is the fifth of Felicity and Antony’s adventures in the Monastery Murders. Donna and her husband of 50 years live in Boise, Idaho. They have 4 adult children and 14 grandchildren. She is an enthusiastic gardener.
To read more about all of Donna’s books and see pictures from her garden and research trips go to: www.DonnaFletcherCrow.com
You can follow her on Facebook at: Donna Fletcher Crow, Novelist of British History
Read the complete Where There is Love Series:
Where Love Begins
Catherine Perronet’s world is shaken when she learns Charles Wesley is engaged to marry another. After all, Catherine’s initials were on the list John Wesley gave to his brother listing acceptable matrimonial candidates.
And that’s not all that’s wrong in Catherine’s world. As teacher at a Methodist Society school in London, she sees her brother beaten while preaching in the open air, her favorite pupil forced to leave school because of his family’s poverty, and a prisoner receive his death sentence in Newgate Prison. Catherine undertakes the joys and hardships of a circuit-ride preaching tour to Canterbury where a French invasion threatens then must face the terrors of the Great London Earthquake before coming to an
understanding of the gentle calling God has for her.
Where Love Illumines
Mary Tudway is forced to choose between two worlds: the pleasurable life of her high society friends Sarah Child, heiress of Osterley Park, and the Bishop of Raphoe and his dashing Nephew, Roger; or the life of faith and service represented by the Countess of Huntingdon, her lovely daughter Selina and the witty but devout Rowland Hill.
The story moves through the fashionable worlds of London and Bath as the death of one friend, the elopement of another and the startling unveiling of the Highwayman of Hampstead Heath play their parts in Mary’s finally making a choice of lasting value.
Where Love Triumphs
Brandley Hilliard, baronet’s son, brilliant classical scholar and cripple finds his carefully ordered world turned upside down by the delightful Elinor Silbert, daughter of the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge. And his conflicts increase when Elinor’s head is turned by the debonair Marquess of Widkham.
Brandley’s search takes a destructive turn until Charles Simeon, Fellow of King’s College, takes the young gownsman under his wing and shows him a life beyond any his academic pursuits had taught him.
Where Love Restores
The disapproval of Granville Ryder’s father the Earl of Harrowby leaves Granville believing he cannot be accepted by his heavenly Father or accomplish anything of worth. Even his special friendship with Georgiana, daughter of the Duke of Beaufort, is almost destroyed by Granville’s conflicts.
In a story that moves from Cambridge to the Midlands, to London to Wales, the counsel of Charles Simeon, the example of William Wilberforce and the terrors of the Cato Street Rebellion (more dangerous than the notorious Guy Fawkes Plot) lead Granville to reconciliation and love. This is the most entirely historical of the series. Even the dogs are a matter of record.