Mr Macphie's gospel mission tent

The Primitive Methodist Leader February 27 1913 tells us that Stratton St Margaret Primitive Methodist Sunday school had won the Brinkworth and Swindon District Scripture Examination banner. As an afterthought it tells us that the local Primitive Methodist chapel had organised a mission.

“At the same church a mission has been conducted by Mr. A. W. Macphie. Great good has been done, and several conversions have taken place”

The Hill family treasure trove of pictures I am trying to clear from our garage contains three pictures of Mr Macphie’s mission tent  which visited the village each summer  for several years.  The pictures show the tent at two different sites in the village – Stratton Green in June 1913 and Stratton Park Cross Roads (just east of where the White Hart is in 2020), where the boy at the harmonium is Howard Hill.  His younger sister Frances described Mr Macphie as not a very nice man. In the third picture Mr Macphie is with his daughter Eva.

The 1911 Census shows a Mackphie (sic) family living at 5 Lyndale Terrace, Worston Lane in North Highbridge, Somerset. Mr Macphie is not there but Grace (age 43) does not describe herself as head of the house so he presumably was away overnight. She does however describe herself as an evangelist and dressmaker. Two of their 5 children are there – Eva (at school, aged 9) and Alexander (aged 16, an assistant grocer.). All three were born in Scotland.

Reference:

The Primitive Methodist Leader February 27 1913