Bourne, Hugh

(1772–1852)

   Denomination Founder.

   Bourne was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, and, as a young man was a member of John wesley’s Methodist Church. He served as a local preacher, and, following the American model, he organised several mass camp meetings. These were not sanctioned by the official Methodist organisation and Bourne was expelled from the Church. In 1820, together with William clowes, he organised the first conference for a new group which was dedicated to the restoration of the original simplicity of Methodism. This came to be known as the Primitive Methodist Connexion and by 1852, the year of Bourne’s death, it had over one hundred thousand members. It spread to Canada and the United States, but it did not describe itself as a Church until 1901. ln 1932, the Primitive Methodists rejoined the Wesleyans and the United Methodists to form the Methodist Church.

   A. Wilkes and J. Lovett, Mow Cop and the Camp Meeting Movement (1947);

   J.T. Williamson, Hugh Bourne (1952).