Introduction

The writing of the Mormon narrative, as with any historical endeavour brings about the use of different frameworks, emplotments and construction. Within these emplotments there have been a great deal written regarding the "American Gospel Hero" which has resulted somewhat unintentionally in subordinating others' experiences. The purpose of this site therefore is to raise the profile of others who were involved in the work of the British Mission. It will focus, on people, places and events, using extant accounts as well as those that maybe are not so familiar.

Although the focus is on the Saints of the British Isles, acknowledgement is recognised of other European Saints and their part in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We remember them, but allow others who are better informed to write their accounts and give them the justice that they deserve.

The role of the British Isles can never be justifiably understated in the development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from the initial converts of the church whose ancestry and immediate families originated from Britain, to a time when there were more Latter-day Saints in Britain than any where else. Further, the importance of those many thousands of emigrants who provided the necessary infusion to build and strengthen the church needs to be developed.

American Gospel Hero

In 1987, during a conference celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Mormonism in Britain, Professor Susan Easton Black made the observation that the "American gospel hero" has left the British Saints nearly devoid of the "British gospel hero" and the magnitude of the contribution made by the individual English Convert. The historiography supports such a sentiment, as the numerous books that have been written have cast the narrative in the light of the rescuing American Mormon hero, coming to the land of their forefathers in order to save the inhabitants from destruction. This of course was within the commission of the Apostolic calling, but when informed writers neglect to mention that many of the missionaries were of local British stock, then the work of the early British Saints, and their role in the developing church, becomes somewhat blurred.

For example, Joseph Fielding, who was converted in Canada, originated from England. In a number of the texts he is referred to as a Canadian, which of course could be argued, but some historians seem to take the liberty one step further by referring to him as an American. Unfortunatley, Professor Black at the same address apppeared to make that very same assumption, whether this was intentionally ironic, or was a faux pas it highlights the issue at hand. [1] The reality was that Fielding had migrated to Canada from Britain, but the majority of his immediate and extended family remained. It was this familial network that became the foundation of missionary expansion from 1837.

The evidence suggests that the British Saints had far more success in their own endeavours in building the Church in Britain, particulalry with the knowledge that many of their own prominent leaders were called to America as part of the 'Gathering.' Such people as William Clayton, John Benbow, and Alfred Cordon are examples of such.

General Comments

This website is not here to discuss the doctrinal arguments or promote a specific theological debate but to focus on the historical narrative, that is the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Isles.

The focus will be initially on the hotbeds of Mormonsim, Preston, Staffordshire Potteries, and Herefordshire. Other areas will be also have a place in this site as the different material is examined. If a certain location needs to be represented and you have further information to help then that please free to contribute. If you believe there are inaccuracies within the site please use the "contact us" option on the top menu on every page. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Sources

Currently, approximately 85 rolls of microfilm and dozens of diaries are being examined, so the rate at which narratives become available is not easy to pinpoint. Some valuable research has already been carried out on various local diaries such as William Claytons and Thomas Bullocks among others. Transcriptions of a number of diaries have also been completed by volunteers visiting the LDS Church Archives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Other information such as charts and tables have been compiled previously and dontated to this research, but in some instances the original author is unknown. We recognise that someone has created it, and welcome any genuine attirbutation.

Theoretic Approach

History is not the past and the past is not history. History is about the past. to clarify, the past has gone and is not recoverable, but the artifacts that have been left, can be used to create a possible explanation of who and what happened depending on a particular approach. The resulting narrative can be cast in different interpretative ways, it could be cast from the perspective of the "American gospel hero" or as in this case, the British Latter-day Saint.

[1] Susan Easton Black, "A Profile of a British Saint 1837-1848", in Cannon, Donald Q. ed., Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint History: British Isles, Provo: BYU, 1990, pp. 103-114