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The first missionaries in Northern Wales crossed over the River Mersey into Cheshire and from there into Wales in 1840. At a general conference of the British Mission held in Manchester 6 Oct 1840, Henry Royle and Frederick Cook were appointed to work as missionaries in Cly, Flintshire, Wales. By the end of the month Henry Royle wrote that they had organized a branch in Overton, Flintshire with 32 members of the church. An American missionary, James Burnham, wrote in Dec 1840 from Wrexham, Wales, "We are laboring in this country with some considerable success. The brethren at Overton have baptized 56 converts and some more are ready to go forward. There is great opposition in this place and at Overton." James Burnham wrote of public religious debates he held there with the local clergy. In Feb 1841 James Burton wrote that they had begun teaching about the church in Oswestry and Whittington and some were baptized in Oswestry. He had organized two branches with about 150 members and expected to organize another branch at Ellsmore. When the Liverpool Conference was organized in Apr 1841, James Burnham reported 170 members of the church in Wales, mostly in the Overton Branch which was part of that conference. In Apr 1841 John Spiers and George Allen, who were missionaries in Herefordshire, held open air meetings in Presteign, Radnorshire, Wales, where a few were baptized. In July 1841 the Welsh Branch (Overton) was listed with 161 members, however in Jan 1844 it was reported there were only 88 members of the church in (Nothern) Wales. In April 1844 the church in Northern Wales was reported by Joseph Martin. |
Wales 
