GEORGE HANFORD

George Hanford is one of those illustrious characters that seems to disappear from the public record at the height of his notoriety. His fame comes from his involvement with the early Primitive Methodist Society in Sileby and Loughborough.

Details of George's life are few; it is assumed he is local to the Sileby/Soar valley area . He was born around 1791 and married Mary Pryor at Rothley in 1814. His marriage licence reveals that he was a joiner and carpenter from Quorn (Quorndon). In 1817, he put his carpentry business up for sale and moved across the valley to Sileby where he established a lace manufacturing enterprise.

In 1818, a Primitive Methodist chapel opened at Sileby, one of the earliest in the area. An organisational structure began to form around a number of new chapels in an embryonic Loughborough circuit. Hanford had a strong missionary zeal, shown to good effect in Syston: "The beginning of the Primitive cause in Syston can be traced back to 1818 when George Hanford came to Syston with about 26 followers who gradually deserted until only about 6 were left when he reached the Green where they faced a large crowd of local people. After some hectoring Mr Hanford was able to preach and the (Primitive Methodist) cause went on from that time."(1)

The Primitive Methodists came together in conference at Nottingham in August 1819 to form rules for the society; George was one of the delegates there. His energy and tenacity led to his nomination as the first President of the national Primitive Methodist society when it convened at Hull in 1820.

After this, evidence for George's activities becomes more patchy. In April 1821 he was robbed by two men near Trent Bridge, Nottingham, whilst on business there. The two men were subsequently captured and sentenced to death in a trial later that year (and reprieved). It is not known whether he died or emigrated with other lace workers in the 1820s but without further research coming to light it is hard to comment. However, his wife Mary was still alive and recorded as living at Mountsorrel, Lambeth and Barrow until her death in 1870. In 1861 she was listed as a widow, and as George is not mentioned in earlier census at all, it is fair to assume his death, estrangement or emigration for those events.

(1) https://www.systonmethodistchurch.org.uk/history