Jones, Frederick (1905-1976)
Primitive Methodist Student ordained a Methodist Minister
Fred was born on a remote farm in Booley, Shropshire, the eldest of two sons of Thomas Jones and Elizabeth Millington. He was baptised in the old Prees Green PM chapel at Stanton on Hine Heath, where the family were members.
In 1927, Fred commenced his studies at Hartley College, and at the time of Methodist Union was a probationer on the Ramsor Circuit in Staffordshire. Having trained as a Primitive Methodist minister, he was ordained a Methodist minister at the Annual Conference in Leicester, in July 1934.
Not allowed to marry until after ordination because of Methodist Church ‘rules’, Fred married Madge (Maggi) Forrester in August 1934, just two weeks afterwards, at The Bourne Chapel in Rocester. Madge was Fred’s fellow worker in the life of each of his churches, and they were happily married for 42 years.
In 1970, Fred and Madge retired to Hadleigh, Suffolk. Fred continued to play an active part in the ministry in churches in the Ipswich Circuit, until a year before he died.
Fred’s obituary in The Methodist Recorder (August 1976) describes him as an interesting and helpful preacher and diligent pastor, whose leadership was exercised with characteristic gentleness and humility. Fred was my great uncle and members of the family who remember him do so with affection, particularly (as mentioned in the obituary) his delightful sense of humour.
Madge died two years after Fred, in 1978.
Circuits:
- Ramsor
- Portland – where he was also the non conformist chaplain at the Borstal Institution and at The Verne Prison
- Ludlow
- Whitchurch
- Northwich
- Buckley
- Glossop
- South Derbyshire
- Netherton
- Ripley
**I can name one other student in the Hartley College photo. His surname was Blackwell. He was ordained on the same day as Fred and married the same year.
Revd Pam Pembro comments on My Methodist History website that her father, the Rev. Fred O. Sheppard was ordained at the Leicester Conference in 1934. Could he be on the Hartley College photo?
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The answer to the question about Rev. Fred O. Sheppard is yes. See https://www.myprimitivemethodists.org.uk/content/people-2/primitive_methodist_ministers/s-2/sheppard-frederick-orum-1904-1988
I’ve added thank you letter from Portland Methodist Circuit especially Fortuneswell chapel to Rev Fred Jones and his wife Madge for their service whilst stationed in the Circuit between 1934 and 1937. You can see a picture of Fred and Madge Jones on the Fortuneswell page.
Geoff
Thank you for adding the obituary. Do all deceased ministers have an obituary in the relevant year’s Minutes of the Methodist Conference?
Jane,
The vast majority of deceased ministers have an obituary in the minutes of the Conference immediately following their death. There are some exceptions – some ministers ask not to have an obituary. Ministers who leave the ministry do not have an obituary published in Conference minutes.
This page was modified on 29 February 2016 to add a transcription of Frederick’s obituary in the 1977 Minutes of the Methodist Conference.
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