The United Brethren

The Gadfield Elm Chapel.

In early 1840, after some success in the industrial areas in the north, Wilford Woodruff felt inspired to travel south to rural Herefordshire to preach. Near Ledbury, he met John Benbow, a prominent local farmer. Benbow and his wife, Jane, were members of the United Brethren, an organized group of Primitive Methodist congregations throughout Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire.

On March 17, 1840, Woodruff preached to the United Brethren in their meetinghouse at Gadfield Elm. Soon after, many of the United Brethren were baptized, including Thomas Kington, superintendent of the group. Within a few months, Woodruff baptized more than 1,000 people in Herefordshire. After most of the United Brethren joined the Church, their leaders deeded the Gadfield Elm meetinghouse to the Church, making it the first Church-owned meetinghouse in Europe.

English clergy and the press were less welcoming and often warned people against listening to the missionaries. In response, Jane Benbow and Thomas Kington, both of Herefordshire, financed the Apostles’ publication of a newspaper—the Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star—as well as several missionary tracts, an edition of the Book of Mormon, and a new hymnal compiled by the Apostles for use by British members.

Many early British Saints gathered to Nauvoo, Illinois, and later to Utah, where they made up a large percentage of the Church. Others remained in Britain and shared the gospel with friends and relatives, maintaining a lively Church presence across the country.