Commonplace book of W. H. Hodge (c1796-1857), member of the Wesleyan Methodist Society of Tiverton, Devon

Scope and Content

Leather bound volume of various essays, prayers, poems and images, some of which are in colour, from W. H. Hodge (c.1796-1866) who was a member of a Methodist society in Tiverton, Devon . Several of the entries are related to Religion and Christianity, but some also discuss other subjects such as nature, family and travelling. Within the volume there are also a wide variety of images, most of which have been pasted into the book and are in colour. Like the written entries, many of the images are of a religious nature and depict Biblical scenes or figures, but there are also images of nature and flowers. Some images are painted or sketched, and there is one image which appears to have been sewn.

Administrative / Biographical History

W. H. Hodge was born c.1796. He joined the Methodist church in Exeter in 1815 when he was nineteen. In 1817 he moved to Tiverton where he appears to have lived at Park Villa until his death on 23 November 1866. According to the Wesleyan- Methodist Magazine, he was a Sunday school teacher and 'active on the Tiverton circuit'. He was married to Sarah and had two children, William and Emily, who he both outlived. William Jnr died in 1846 and Emily died in 1848. Emily was married to the Reverend John Eglington.

Sources: Swallow, W. (1867). 'MR. W. H. HODGE, who departed…' The Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine, 13, 952. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/historical-periodicals/mr-w-h-hodge-who-departed/docview/2995927/se-2?accountid=8630 [accessed 24. 11. 2021]
'Monumental inscriptions, St Peter's Church, Tiverton'; https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwimnJ3slev0AhWJzaQKHdo8DQoQFnoECAMQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fjeremysalter2014.files.wordpress.com%2F2020%2F11%2Fmonumental-inscriptions-st-peters-tiverton.doc&usg=AOvVaw1a_4BhPMdRrnZuPdVXNXf5 [accessed 17. 12. 2021]

Access Information

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Other Finding Aids

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Conditions Governing Use

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material