The Wellingborough Wesleyan Circuit

The Wellingborough Wesleyan Circuit, in 1838, consisted of Mears Ashby, Earls Barton, Bozeat, Burton Latimer, Finedon, Grendon, Hannington, Harrowden, Irchester, Isham, Orlingbury, Wellingborough, Wilby and Wollaston. In 1843 Lavendon appeared on the circuit plan, and was later joined by Great Doddington, in 1846, and Yardley Hastings three years later in 1849. Orlingbury then left the circuit in 1848, and by 1870, Burton and Isham had left the circuit too. Easton Maudit joined in 1866, but was no longer on the plan twenty two years later in 1886. In 1907 the Wellingborough Primitive Methodist circuit comprised of the chapels at Doddington, Irchester, Raunds, Rushden and Wellingborough West Street. In 1915 Doddington had left the circuit, which then remained the same until the amalgamation of circuits, due to the Methodist Union 1932.

After the Methodist Union, the Wellingborough Methodist Circuit consisted of Mears Ashby, Earls Barton, Bozeat, Finedon, Harrowden, Irchester, Wellingborough Park Road and West Street, Wilby and Wollaston.
In 1933, the ex-Primitive Methodist chapel at Raunds joined the Raunds Methodist circuit and the ex-Primitive Methodist chapel at Rushden then joined the Higham Ferrers Methodist circuit. The circuit remained the same until Mears Ashby closed in 1958 and, in 1959, Kingsway joined the circuit. In 1977 the circuit consisted of Earls Barton, Bozeat, Finedon, Harrowden, Irchester, Wellingborough Kingsway, Park Road and West Street and Wollaston. Services at Wilby had been discontinued and their services and were held at H.M. Borstal, Wellingborough. [That site in Miller's Park became a prison, and then closed in 2012. During 2019 the site is being developed in to what is termed a “Super prison”. It is being built by Kier for a price of £253 million, and is meant to open in the Autumn of 2021, housing nearly 1700 inmates.]

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