e, then Superintendent Minister, for which the classroom of
the Sunday School was to be available for their use, every evening except
Sunday, supplied with daily papers, magazines, &c.; classes also being
held for the consideration of important subjects and for mutual
improvement; these are still continued. There is also a Wesley Guild,
which meets every Friday evening, in the band room, Queen Street, at 8
o'clock, during the winter months, and on the first Friday evening in the
month during the summer. Marriages are celebrated in this chapel. {71b}

THE PRIMITIVE METHODISTS.

We have given an account of the rise and progress of Wesleyanism, but, as
that society eventually made a complete separation from the Church of
England, of which its founder remained through life an ordained minister
and communicant, so the seeds of disruption spread in itself. At
different periods it threw out off-shoots, amounting in all to some eight
different daughter societies; such as those which are named "The Original
Connection," "The New Connection," "The Primitive Methodists," &c. Of
these the last alone is represented in Horncastle. More than 50 years
ago {71c} the Primitives had, in this country, 2,871 places of worship,
with 369,216 sittings; with the exception of the "Original Connection,"
none of the other off-shoots had then as many as 100,000 sittings.

In Horncastle the first chapel, opened in 1821, was a small building,
situated on the left side of what is now Watermill Yard, to the north of
the town. This proving too small for the growing congregation, a larger
structure, an oblong building, with front gable at the east end and a
gallery, was erected in 1837; the minister's house being at the west end.
This was about half way up Watermill Road, on the north side, now a
stable, but still retaining a pointed window. This building was of the
date of the superintendency of the Rev. John Butcher. The residence was
found to be too damp to be comfortable, and a house was taken for him in
Prospect Street. In the early days of this chapel Mary Crossley, a
Revivalist, occasionally preached here. Possibly the services at this
time were rather too demonstrative, as they were not unfrequently
interrupted by roughs, and the sect acquired the name of "The Ranters."
{72} An amusing anecdote is related of Mr. Butcher; he was a somewhat
eccentric character, and in the discharge of his intinerant ministrations
he usually rode o