| Description | Summary
Society administration
Trustees' minutes, 1849-1977; trust accounts, 1849-1973; chapel accounts, 1874-1911; trust annual statements, 1960-1974; trustees' bank pass books, 1919-1928; trustees' bank statements, 1955-1971; specific property trust accounts, 1905-1968; miscellaneous papers on chapel, 1878-1899; papers on renovation, 1894-1900; papers on new church, 1968-1974; quinquennial report, 2009; papers relating to new schoolrooms, 1854-1859, 1877; deeds of Orchard House, Castle Hill, 1863-1945; papers on 1-3 Kingsway Chambers, 1904-1905, 2001-2009; details of church tenants, 1966-1967; Chapel Restoration Committee accounts, 1886-1887; papers relating to alterations to church, 1928-1930; plan of chapel site (Bridge Street), c.1833; appointments of trustees, 1897-1963; photographs of plans, 1937, 1970s; Chapel Keeper's House Committee minutes, 1889-1890; Wesley Hall letting accounts, 1933-1935; papers on rebuilding church halls, 1963-1975; papers on sale and purchase of manse, 1966-1967; bills for heating system for manse, 1973; leaders' meeting minutes, 1855-1973; Church Council minutes, 1974-2009; General Church Meeting minutes, 1979-2009; society steward's accounts, 1829-1858, 1879-1946, and cash accounts, 1925-1955; annual statements, 1900, 1936, 1963/4-2002/3 (incomplete); poor steward's cash accounts, 1858-1907; pew rents, c.1850, 1875-1891; schoolroom letting accounts, 1875-1890; collection accounts, 1858-1981; building subscription accounts, 1878-1881; general accounts, 1882-1893; Gift Day subscriptions, 1961-1964; Property Stewards’ annual statements of accounts, 1996/7-2005/6; Renovation Committee minutes, 1886-1887; Bazaar Committee minutes, 1929-1936, 125th Anniversary Committee minutes, 1953-1954; Appeals Committee minutes, 1959-1961; 150th Anniversary Steering Committee minutes, 1976-1979; Consultation on Worship Committee minutes, 1974-1988; Finance Committee minutes (unsigned, incomplete), 1974-1991; Property Committee minutes, 1974-1991; Missions and Outreach Committee minutes, 2000-2019; Envelope System Committee minutes, 1920-1932; letter on completion of repairs, 1887; papers relating to Kathleen Woodbridge Fund, 1956-1960.
Society organisations
Women's Pleasant Hour (later Women's Fellowship) minutes, 1945-1970, annual reports, 1950/1-1969/70, and Provident and Clothing Club accounts, 1956-1960; Ladies' Luncheon AGM minutes, 1974-1989, committee minutes, 1977-1984, balance sheets, 1979/80-1987/8 (incomplete), and programmes, 1980-1986 (incomplete); Mutual Improvement Society (later Guild) accounts, 1905-1939; Guild AGM minutes, 1967-1971; photograph of Guild outing, c.1909; Band of Hope pledge book, 1855-1863; Band for Jesus rules, c.1867-1873; Wesleyan Missionary Society branch minutes, 1881-1896, accounts, 1853-1891, and miscellaneous, 1889-20C; Juvenile Missionary Society (later Juvenile Foreign Mission Association, then JMA) minutes, 1880-1961, annual reports, 1882-1954 (incomplete), accounts, 1893-1925 (incomplete), and miscellaneous, 1887-1859; Maidenhead Penny Bank managers' minutes, 1859-1919, treasurer's accounts, 1886-1919, journals, 1859-1915, ledgers, 1887-1915, vouchers relating to disposal of balance of accounts, 1916-1919, and correspondence relating to managers' liability, 1897.
Service of the Church
Pulpit notices, 1968-1972 (incomplete); special orders of service, 1939-1993; workers' plans, 1872-1910 (incomplete).
Registration
Baptism registers, 1836, 1846-1950; burial register, 1843-1903 (Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion to 1858); burial accounts, 1858-1893, 1903; graveyard plan, c.1858; return on graveyard, 1883; papers relating to levelling cemetery, 1961, 1968.
Membership
Address book, c.1955; lists of members, 1957-1967, 1994; membership rolls, 1966-1979; class books, 1829-1834, and Sunninghill or Sunningdale class, 1841-1846; class tickets, 1829, 1837, 1904.
Sunday School and Sunday Institute
Teachers' meeting minutes, 1838-1911 (incomplete), 1923; Sunday School Council minutes, 1912-1944; Sunday School sub-committee minutes, 1945-1959; Children's Department AGM minutes, 1971; treasurer's accounts, 1835-1931; cash accounts, 1915-1933 (incomplete); annual statements, 1901, 1912-1914; collection accounts, 1878-1900 (incomplete); admission register, 1845-1846; summary attendance register, 1902-1907; girls' intermediate attendance register, 1914; cradle roll, 1909-1931; register of teachers, 1832-1891; teachers' attendance register, 1867-1873; annual reports, 1839-1907 (incomplete); superintendent's book, 1845-1849; rules, c.1838; visiting book, 1843-1845; miscellaneous, 1868-1943, 1973.
Printed material/miscellaneous
Wesleyan Day School : log books, 1863-1907, committee minutes, 1887-1907, accounts, 1863-1904, memorandum book on teachers, c.1882-1899, and letter on closure, 1906; church newspapers and newsletters, 1869-1870, 1954-1979 (incomplete), 2004; yearbooks, 1956/7-1990/1 (incomplete); annual reports, 1959/60-1974; verse greeting by chapel stewards to church members, 1878; copies of documents buried beneath foundation stone, (1855-1890); memoirs of John Higgs, c.1867-1869, Eliza Symmons, n.d., and Charles Cleare, n.d.; papers on church history and celebrations, c.1916-1979; scrapbook of rebuilding project, 1961-1973; tenancy cards for 63 Larchfield Rd, 1969-1972; newspaper report of fire, 1903; introductory booklet on church activities, n.d. [c.1985]; autograph album of Jemima Higgs, 1839-1899; photographs and drawings, 20 C. |
| Admin History | Wesleyan Methodist services began in Maidenhead in 1829, intitially at the Town Hall, then in a room in Post Office Lane (an alley between 27 and 29 Bridge Street), and finally in a disused fish shop at 23 Bridge Street. The society was formed the same year, with six members. A Sunday School associated with the church started in 1832.
In 1833 a chapel was built between 23 and 27 Bridge Street, Maidenhead. In 1859 the society purchased the chapel in Maidenhead High Street formerly belonging to the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion (see D/N 34). The Bridge Street premises were sold to the recently established Maidenhead society of Primitive Methodists (D/MS 11).
In 1955 the society amalgamated with the former Primitive Methodists, the united society continuing to use the High Street church. For further details, see Peter Hardiment, Methodism in Maidenhead (1979) (copy in RBA library). |
| Acquisition | Deposited in March 1980 (acc. 2513 part); June 1988 (acc. 4239 part); June 1994 (acc. 5443 part); December 1997 (acc. 6140 and 6145 part); November 1998 (acc. 6331); August 2003 (acc. 7256); April 2004 (acc. 7396); July 2004 (acc. 7454); January 2005 (acc. 7572); November 2005 (acc. 7707); July 2006 (acc. 7856); October 2006 (acc. 7895); October 2007 (acc. 8111); October 2009 (acc. 8470); April 2010 (acc. 8572); October 2014 (acc. 9477); July 2015 (acc. 9655); January 2016 (acc. 9791); November 2018 (acc. 10398); October 2023 (acc. 11226)
Schedule of accessions
Acc. 2513 (part): 1A/1-4; 1B/3-4, 7-8, 11-15; 1C/6-10; 1D/1-2; 1F/7, 11-16; 2A/1-3; 2B/1-2, 6A, 19-22; 2D/1-2; 3D/1-2; 3E/4; 5A/1-2; 5C/1-2, 4; 7A/1-9, 11-12, 14-17; 7B/1-2; 7C/2-8, 10-12; 8/58
Acc. 4239 (part): 1B/5; 2A/4-5; 2B/7A; 2C/1-2; 3A/1; 3C/1-2; 4A/1-4; 4B/1-2; 6A/1-4, 7; 7A/10; 7B/3; 8/25A, 29-30, 40-43, 45, 48, 57
Acc. 5443 (part): 1B/1-2, 9-10; 2B/3-10, 25; 2C/6-7; 3E/1-3, 10-11, 16-17, 22; 3F/1-3; 5C/5; 6A/5; 7C/13-14; 8/26-28, 31-39, 44, 46-47
Acc. 6140: 1C/7; 1F/4; 2B/11-17; 2C/10; 3E/5-9, 12-15, 18-21, 23; 6A/6, 8-10; 7A/13; 8/1-21, 23, 50, 53, 55
Acc. 6145 (part): 4B/4-5; 8/60-63
Acc. 6331: 1B/6; 1C/1-5; 1F/1-3, 5-6, 8-10; 2B/18, 23-24; 2C/3-5, 8-9; 3A/2-5; 4B/3; 5C/3; 7C/1, 9; 8/22, 24-25, 49, 51-52, 54, 56, 59
Acc. 7256: 1C/11-13; 8/64-75
Acc. 7396: 1C/14-16; 3C/3; 4B/6-7; 4D/1; 7C/15-16; 8/76-99
Acc. 7454: 2B/26; 3A/6-12; 6A/11-12; 6C/1-2
Acc. 7572: 3F/4-14
Acc. 7707: 6C/3
Acc. 7856: 8/100
Acc. 7895: 2B/27; 7C/17; 8/101
Acc. 8111: 1C/17-18; 2A/6-7; 2C/11; 4D/2
Acc. 8470: 1A/5; 2C/12-13
Acc. 8572: 8/102-103
Acc. 9477: 2A/7-16; 2B/28-29; 2E/1-2; 6A/13; 8/104
Acc. 9655: 2C/14-15
Acc. 9791: 2E/3
Acc. 10398: 2B/30; 2C/16-17; 2E/4; 3D/3-11; 8/105-108
Acc. 11226: 2C/18 |