These records relate to the Wesleyan Methodist, Primitive Methodist, United Methodist and Methodist Church Circuits and chapels in Oxford and surrounding area.
The Methodist movement was started by John Wesley in Oxford and from there the Oxford Circuit and its constituent chapels developed. Before the Methodists united in 1932 there were three different circuits in Oxford; The Wesleyan Methodists, the United Methodist and the Primitive Methodists.
As the Oxford Circuit grew in size Sections werre formed to help manage chapels in the surrounding county. These Sections odten became Circuits in their own right. As well as Oxford we hold Section records for:
Abingdon which from 1959 became the Wantage and Abingdon Methodist Circuit records. See NM6 for other records
Thame which became the Thame and Watlington Methodist Circuit. Please see NM3 for other records.
Wantage please see MN6 for other records
Historically in the nineteenth century the Oxford Circuit fell within the Wesleyan Methodist Oxford District. It was part of the Oxford and Gloucester District between 1932-1957 and is currently part the Oxford and Leicestershire District. These District records are deposited at Leicestershire Record Office.
The John Wesley Society is an Oxford University Society that is affiliated to the Wesley Memorial Church. We hold some records including the Society minutes and reports on projects.
The collection includes records of individual chapels. It is not always possible to state whether a chapel belonged originally to the Wesleyan, Primitive or United Methodist connexion, especially in villages where there were chapels of both denominations.
The collection is organised as follows:
NM5/A Wesleyan Methodist Circuit
NM5/B Oxford United Methodist Circuit
NM5/C Oxford Primitive Methodist Circuit
NM5/D Wesley Memorial Circuit
NM5/E Oxford District and Section
NM5/F Oxford University John Wesley Society
NM5/1 Abingdon, Ock Street Methodist chapel
NM5/2 Beckley Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/3 Bicester United Methodist chapel
NM5/4 Bladon Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/5 Bladon Primitive Methodist chapel
NM5/6 Bletchingdon Primitive Methodist chapel
NM5/7 Cassington Primitive Methodist chapel
NM5/8 Combe Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/9 Combe United Methodist chapel
NM5/10 Drayton, Berkshire Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/11 Eynsham Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/12 Forest Hill Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/13 Garsington Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/14 Long Hanborough Primitive Methodist chapel
NM5/15 New Headington Wesleyan Methodist chapel, later Lime Walk
NM5/16 Headington Quarry Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/17 Lower Heyford United Methodist chapel
NM5/18 New Hinksey, Berkshire Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/19 Horspath Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/20 Islip Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/21 Kennington Methodist chapel
NM5/22 Kidlington Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/23 Kirtlington United Methodist chapel
NM5/24 Murcott Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/25 Oxford: Wesley Memorial chapel, New Inn Hall street
NM5/26 Oxford: Walton Street Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/27 Oxford: Cranham Street Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/28 Oxford: Paradise Square Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/29 Oxford: New Inn Hall/St Michaels United Methodist chapel
NM5/30 Oxford: Pembroke Street Primitive Methodist chapel
NM5/31 Oxford: New Street Primitive Methodist chapel
NM5/32 Oxford: William Street, later Wesley Hall Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/33 Oxford: Temple Cowley Primitive Methodist chapel
NM5/34 Rose Hill United and Wesleayn Methodist chapel
NM5/35 Southmoor, Berkshire Methodist chapel
NM5/36 Steeple Aston Methodist chapel
NM5/37 Woodstock Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/38 Woodstock Olivet United Free Methodist chapel
NM5/39 Wootton Wesleyan Methodist chapel
NM5/40 Tackley Methodist chapel
The documents in this collection include property deeds, registers of baptisms and marriages, circuit plans, minute books, accounts, membership registers, Sunday School records, and newsletters. They were deposited as accessions 1441, 1443, 1445, 1474, 1577, 1768, 1905, 1906, 2086, 2612, 2621, 2805, 2916, 3025, 3483, 3624, 3627, 3821, 4066, 4334, 4354, 4743, 4844, 4994, 4995, 5071, 5758, 5893, 5981, 6005, 6127, 6216, 6272, 6319, 6390, 6437, 6462, 6583, 6609 and 6614 between 1977-2017. Other Oxford Methodist Circuit material was formerly deposited as the Bodleian Library and catalogued under the reference code MS.D.D.Oxford Methodist Circuit. This material was transferred to Oxfordshire Record Office has now been recatalogued with the accessions listed above. A conspectus of old and new references is included at the end of this catalogue.
Catalogued by Alison Smith in October 2009 with additions in January 2018.