William Batten started his ministry in 1804 at the age of 25. I have recently found a piece in Ancient and Modern Denbigh page 340 which tells a little of The Wesleyan Methodists and you can read the extract here:
“The Wesleyan Methodists had a Welsh Chapel in Old factory Ward, built in 1801, with an upper room in the chapel yard, adjoining Wesley Place, in which English services were conducted. They also have a chapel at Henllan, within the borough. The first ‘District meeting’ ever covered in Wales was held at Denbigh, in May 1804. Denbigh was made a separate ‘circuit’ by the Conference held in London, in July 1805 having been originally served by preachers connected to the Chester circuit”.
Although no names were mentioned I would like to think that William Batten as he started his Ministry in 1804 and his first circuit was at Denbigh would have been at this meeting.
The circuit list below shows where he served, it is taken from Hill’s Arrangement which was an alphabetical arrangement of the Ministers, Missionaries and Preachers dated 1862. The list shows the year, place and length of time William served.
BATTEN, WILLIAM
Place Years
1804 Denbigh 1 1805 Beaumaris 2
1807 Merthyr-Tydvil 1 1808 Crickhowell 1
1809 Llanidloes 2 1811 Llanfyllin 2
1813 Machynlleth 2 1815 Llangollen 2
1817 Ruthin 1 1818 Holyhead 2
1820 Llanfyllin 3 1823 Merthyr-Tydvil 2
1825 Cardiff 2 1827 Ruthin 2
1829 Holywell 2 1831 Llanfyllin 3
1834 Llanwrst 2 1836 Dolgelly 3
1839 Beaumaris 3 1842 Pwllheli 1
1843 Llanfyllin Sup. 19
Thank you to Lorraine at John Ryland’s University for supplying a copy of the above information.
The obituary for William Batten appears in ‘Minutes of Conference’, 1864 pages 216/217.
WILLIAM BATTEN; a native of Denbigh, who was one of the first fruits of Wesleyan Methodism in North Wales, and there entered on the labours of an Itinerant Minister, in 1804. After thirty-nine years of faithful toil. he became a Supernumerary in the year 1843. As a Christian Minister, his course was one of usefulness. He was for several years Chairman of the North Wales District, discharging the duties of his office with credit to himself, and a satisfaction to his brethren. For twenty-two years he bore the infirmities of age with exemplary patience. He possessed great shrewdness and sagacity, was a cheerful disposition, enjoyed a deep acquaintance with spiritual and experimental religion, and closed a life of undoubted piety at peace with God, and honoured by all who knew him. He died in Llansantffraid, on 1st of September, 1864, in the eighty-sixth year of his age, and sixty-first of his Ministry; saying, in his native tongue, “I shall be satisfied, when I awake with Thy likeness.” Source: My thanks for Paul and John Rylands University for sending me copies of the above obituary. Note that his last words were in his “native tongue”, which tells us that Wm Batten was Welsh speaking.
mypastonline.uk 