William Harris Rule manuscripts
Manuscript of Spanish Hymns, 1832. Article entitled 'The Spanish Priesthood Rebuked', c 1856. Manuscript entitled 'A series of Discourses relating to the principal subjects of controversy between the Romish and Protestant Churches originally delivered in Spanish in the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in...
| Order number: |
MMS/Special Series/Biographical/Europe/FBN 1 (fiche 16-18) |
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| Date(s) of creation: |
1832-c1856 |
| Level: |
Sub-series |
| Format: | Archive |
| Main author: | Rule; William Harris (1802-1890); ordained missionary |
| Order number: |
MMS/Special Series/Biographical/Europe/FBN 1 (fiche 16-18) |
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|---|---|---|
| Summary: |
Manuscript of Spanish Hymns, 1832.
Article entitled 'The Spanish Priesthood Rebuked', c 1856.
Manuscript entitled 'A series of Discourses relating to the principal subjects of controversy between the Romish and Protestant Churches originally delivered in Spanish in the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Gibraltar', with accompanying letter from Rule to Rev J Beecham, 1/6/1834. |
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| Main author: | Rule; William Harris (1802-1890); ordained missionary | |
| Extent: |
3 items |
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| Admin history: | William Harris Rule was born on 15th November 1802 in Penryn, Cornwall. After a difficult childhood he was forced to leave home by his father, a naval doctor, and eventually entered the ministry in 1825. Upon ordination he was posted to Malta although after a year he re-located to the St Vincent's district in the West Indies. Through his preaching to enslaved people he became a vocal and ardent opponent to slavery and the trade in enslaved African people. He returned to England in 1831 but after a short stay in Sevenoaks, Kent, he was posted overseas again but this time to Gibraltar. Here he remained for nine years making a significant contribution to the preaching of Methodism. He was responsible for erecting the first Methodist chapel for the garrison as well as a charity school. He attempted, in the face of strong opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, to preach in Spain and thereby visited Cadiz, Seville, Madrid and St Roque. All his attempts to establish Methodist missions in Spain were frustrated. Returning back to England in 1842 he worked in a number of circuits including Louth, Plymouth and Aldershot camp. During this period he worked notably on two endeavours. Firstly, he was a Connexional Editor from 1851 to 1857 during which period (as well as for many years afterwards) he devoted himself to translating biblical texts into Spanish and writing books, mainly on Roman Catholicism. Secondly, he continued preaching to soldiers and campaigned for their right to be able to worship through the Protestant denomination of their choice. He also developed the concept of Methodist Chaplaincy and argued, successfully, for the establishment of a Soldiers' Home in Aldershot, Hampshire, in 1857. Rule became a supernumerary in 1868 residing at Croydon, Surrey. He died in neighbouring Addiscombe on 25th September 1890. He married twice: firstly, Mary Ann Dunhill on 24th February 1826 and, secondly, Harriete Ehmed on 10th March 1874. Further Reading (selective): Rule, W H, Memoir of a mission to Gibraltar and Spain : with collateral notices of events favouring religious liberty, and of the decline of Romish power in that country, from the beginning of this century to the year 1842 (1844); Rule, W H, The religious aspect of the civil war in China (1853); Rule, W H, A Jesuit saint : St. Francis Xavier, first Romish missionary to India (1861); Rule, W H, History of the Inquisition from its establishment in the twelfth century to its extinction in the nineteenth (1874); Rule, W H, An account of the establishment of Wesleyan Methodism in the British Army (1878); Rule, W H, Recollections of my life and work at home and abroad in connection with the Wesleyan Methodist Conference (1886). | William Harris Rule was born on 15th November 1802 in Penryn, Cornwall. After a difficult childhood he was forced to leave home by his father, a naval doctor, and eventually entered the ministry in 1825. Upon ordination he was posted to Malta although after a year he re-located to the St Vincent's district in the West Indies. Through his preaching to enslaved people he became a vocal and ardent opponent to slavery and the trade in enslaved African people. He returned to England in 1831 but after a short stay in Sevenoaks, Kent, he was post ... View more |
| Arrangement: | 1832, 1834 & c1856 | |
| Access status: |
Open |
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| Access conditions: |
Only to be viewed on microfiche |
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| Copyright: | Copyright probably held by Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes. | |
| User restrictions: | For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance | |
| Language: | English Spanish |
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| Related material: | Official correspondence (including extracts from his journal) written during his service in Malta and Gibraltar is extant (MMS/Europe/Correspondence/Malta/FBN 25 & MMS/Europe/Correspondence/Gibraltar/FBN 15-18). Furthermore, the synod minutes will detail his work, and that of his colleagues, in the European mission field (MMS/Europe/Synod Minutes/FBN 1). However, the survival rate for these is not good and some individual years for specific districts are not extant. An account of Rule's visit to Gibraltar, the Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Madrid and Oporto written in December 1878 is available (MMS/Europe/Correspondence/Gibraltar/FBN 17). For his papers relating to the West Indies please see his entry within the West Indies section of the biographical series. The odd letter written by William Harris can be found within the Steele Collection (MMS/Special Series/Various Papers/FBN 46). His oath taken under an Act of 52 George III governing religious worship can be found within MMS/Special Series/Biographical/West Africa/FBN 8 (fiche 324). | Official correspondence (including extracts from his journal) written during his service in Malta and Gibraltar is extant (MMS/Europe/Correspondence/Malta/FBN 25 & MMS/Europe/Correspondence/Gibraltar/FBN 15-18). Furthermore, the synod minutes will detail his work, and that of his colleagues, in the European mission field (MMS/Europe/Synod Minutes/FBN 1). However, the survival rate for these is not good and some individual years for specific districts are not extant. An account of Rule's visit to Gibraltar, the Balearic Islands, Ba ... |
| Format: | Archive |