Diary of Reverend Joseph Wood

Diary of the Methodist preacher Joseph Wood, recording his work in the West Country, particularly Truro, Exeter, and Bristol, but sometimes as far afield as Birmingham.
Entries cover the period between April 1838 and August 1847 and there is a final entry for November 1851. They are often written retrospectively with long gaps in the dates between entries.
Wood describes prayer meetings in rural communities, religious ceremonies, conversions, 'notes of admissions', and the revival of faith in a godless world. Wood also sometimes discusses health issues affecting himself and his family, and mentions how on occasion he suffered from depression and how his faith helped to keep him healthy

Reverend Joseph Wood (1797-1869) was a Wesleyan Methodist preacher who moved through various English regions during his career, including numerous locations within the south west, the Midlands, London, and Yorkshire. Born the oldest child of Mr. Charles Wood in the village of Banwell, about 16 miles from Bristol, on 23 February 1797. His father, also a Wesleyan Methodist preacher and 'an eminently pious man', died when Joseph was 9 years old and he seems to have been adopted by Mr Edward Wood, an Uncle who was a farmer but also a local preacher.

Joseph Wood himself appears to have begun training for a religious life early, leaving for tuition under Mr Thomas Exley in Bristol aged 17 and attending his first Methodist Conference in 1814. After this Wood returned to Banwell to preach and assist his Uncle. Upon meeting Rev. James M. Byron in Brisol in 1818, Wood began to consider and work towards a position within the ministry. Initially considering becoming a missionary, Wood decided against this as it would mean preaching less than 'I am in the habit of doing' and in spite of being nominated for missionary work he was, in early 1821, nominated as one of the Circuit Stewards of the Banwell Circuit. By later in 1821 he was living in Weston-Super-Mare, before moving to jobs in boarding schools in Yatton in 1821 and Langford in 1822. He performed this role as a schoolmaster for a few years until in 1826, aged 29, he entered into the ministry.

Initially beginning in the 'Newport (Monmouthshire) Circuit' in 1826, Wood then moved to the Kingswood Circuit, near Bristol, in 1829, the Camborne Circuit in 1832, the Truro Circuit in 1835, the Exeter Circuit in 1838, the Bristol South Circuit in 1841, the Birmingham West Circuit in 1844, the Bristol North Circuit in 1847, Sheffield West Circuit in 1850, the London Southwark Circuit in 1853, the London Chelsea Circuit in 1856, and the Bristol South Circuit in 1859, before retiring in 1862.

Wood married Mary Ann Hellier Collings on 2 July 1821. They had several children but only one, Joseph, survived into adulthood and appears to have become an architect and helped design the Victoria Chapel in Clifton.
Both Wood and his wife appear to have had several illnesses throughout their lives, indeed it seemed to affect Wood during his residence at Peckham and latter stages of his career. After suffering with 'months of feebleness, overshadowed by the failure of his powers', Joseph Wood died aged 73 on 23 June 1869 and is buried in Banwell.

Source: Williams, Henry Wilkinson, 'The Life of Reverend Joseph Wood: with extracts from his diary', 1877. available online at https://archive.org/details/thelifeoftherevj00willuoft/page/152/mode/2up Accessed March 2022

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The provenance of this diary is unknown.