Lists of Circuits and their ministers

One of the regular questions we receive in Methodist Heritage, especially when churches have an anniversary to celebrate, is can you tell me who the ministers of our church were?

Methodist ministers are appointed to Circuits, not individual churches, but we do have lists of Circuits and their ministers and are now pleased to make them available to you those which cover the period before 1923.

Joseph Hall produced two lists of Wesleyan Methodist circuits and their ministers: The Wesleyan methodist intineracy 1765-1873, and Hall's Circuits and Ministers 1765-1885. Both of these may be found online.

His work was continued in the following two works, which we are making available:

Hall's Circuits and Ministers: An Alphabetical List of the Circuits in Great Britain, with the Names of the Ministers Stationed in each Circuit, together with the Appointments to Departments and other Offices, from 1765 to 1912, revised and enlarged edition, edited by Thomas Galland Hartley. London: Methodist Publishing House, [1912], xix, [4], 609 pp.

and then by:

Hall's Circuits and Ministers: An Alphabetical List of the Circuits in Great Britain with the Names of the Ministers Stationed in each Circuit, together with the Appointments to Departments and other Offices, from 1913 to 1923, edited by Thomas Galland Hartley. London: Methodist Publishing House, [1925], [3], 94 pp.

For details of what happened after 1923,  there are printed lists available at the Methodist Archives and Research Centre, part of The University of  Manchester Libraries.

William Leary  'Circuits and Ministers 1924-1980'

William Leary  'Circuits and Ministers 1981-1993'

All these lists relate to Wesleyan Methodist circuits. Printed lists of Primitive Methodist, and Methodist New Connexion Circuits are also available in Manchester

For the United Methodist Free Churches, a list is available on our sister site My United Methodists