[note this page forms a slightly updated section of my paper delivered to Manx Methodist Historical Society AGM, Nov 1998 - see index for other sections and tabulated returns]

1851 Religious Census Returns

Individual Returns

The returns were organised by Parish which cuts across both the towns and the circuit organisation of the Methodist Chapels. The largest attendances for both Anglican and Methodists were in the towns, especially Douglas which at that time did not have its own parishes, rural attendance at Anglican services was not high.

I have selected out the towns but elsewhere kept the parish organisation - the order of chapels etc. follows that in the returns which are in census registration order.

The small engravings are mostly from Johnson's 1850 Guide ; the biographical details of C of E vicars etc from Gelling 'A History of the Manx Church'.

The name in Bold is that given in the return - for many rural chapels this was often just WM or PM chapel - I have included in [...] any additional information needed to identify the chapel. If additional information was given on the form re location or use it is shown following the name.

If no average attendance figure are shown these were not given on the returns, likewise if Sunday Scholars were not given.

No remarks were given against any Methodist Chapel.

In some cases I have been able to supply missing information from, inter alia, various Wesleyan Statistical Returns which give seating capacity - the incumbents of the established church were particularly lax in their returns. Anything in [...] was not on the original return




Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor © F.Coakley , 2001