Historical Background
The earliest surviving records for the Chipping Norton circuit include in this collection registers of baptism which date from 1837.The circuit could have been created much earlier but the records do not reveal it.
The earliest surviving records for the Stow circuit include registers of baptism also which date from 1868. However, in 1814, Stow became part of the Witney circuit, so it must have been created between 1814 and 1868.
In 1923 the Chipping Norton and Stow circuit combined and in 1932 the Methodist Union took place when all the surviving methodist connexions combined.
A full list of the chapels covered in the Chipping Norton and Stow circuit includes Ascott-Under-Wychwood, Barton Worton Road, Barton South Street, Chadlington, Chipping Norton Diston's Lane, Chipping Norton West Street, Enstone, Fifield, Hook Norton, Kingham, Ledwell, Lyneham, Milton-Under-Wychwood, Salford, Sibford, South Newington, Swerford, Wigginton in Oxfordshire
Lower Brailes, Long Compton and Stourton in Warwickshire.
Bledington, Northleach, Oddington, Stow-On-the-Wold, Upper Slaughter and Westcote in Gloucestershire.
Shipton-on-Stour in Worcestershire.
The Records
The records date from 1760-1990s and include registers of baptism, circuit plans and directories, minutes of various kinds, accounts of various kinds, correspondence, circuit schedules, photographs and administrative papers.
The bulk of the records were deposited in the 1980s and 1990s; the largest deposits include the accession numbers 2075, 2076, 2134, 2283, 2488, 2621, 2726, 2763, 3601 and 3692. A large number of deposits were for individual circuit plans, including accession numbers 2407, 2655, 2227, 2338, 2339, 2370, 2250, 2345, 2349, 2417, 2475, 2502, 2552, 2580, 2609, 2625, 2844, 2690, 2944, 2743, 2755, 2779, 2901, 2939, 2978, 3002, 3022, 3091, 3098, 3119, 3142, 3168, 3227, 3238, 3300, 3325, 3356, 3623 and 3666. More records were deposited as Acc 5192 in September 2003, Acc 5983 in November 2010, Acc 6038 in October 2011, Acc 6090 in June 2012, Acc 6276 in May 2014 and Acc 6374 in May 2015.
Catalogued by Jeanette Grisold, October 1992, additions made by Mark Priddey in November 1996. Further additions by Alison Smith in September 2009, August 2012 and January 2017.