Publications
The role of soldiers in the origins of Wesleyan Methodism in Brighton and other towns on the Sussex Coast, by Michael R. Hickman, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.257-266) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:Methodism spread in England fairly unevenly and by different means. The most common ways in which Methodist societies began were through the journeys of the Wesleys, the preaching of their assistants and the arrival into an area of Methodist families who brought their faith with them. Methodism in the coastal towns of Sussex had a very unusual origin in that it was Methodists in the army who were the main or contributory founders of Methodist societies along the coast from Chichester to Bexhill and at towns like Lewes. This article looks at the role of soldiers, especially those in the Militia, in establishing and sustaining these Methodist societies, focusing on their role in Brighton. It shows that it was not until the legal changes in 1803, which allowed Methodists and others to worship freely on Sundays, that Methodist soldiers could found or support Methodist societies on such a scale.
A Story to Tell - 200 Years of Methodism in Brighton and Hove, by Michael R. Hickman, Paul Harrington and Shirley Veater, published 2007 (160 pp., Brighton and Hove Methodist Circuit, ISBN-10: 0955650607 & ISBN-13: 9780955650604) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502418]
A Church with a Mission: The History of Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Brighton and the Dome Mission, by Michael R. Hickman and illustrated by Shirley Veater, published 28 September 2008 (200 pp., Brighton and Hove Methodist Circuit, ISBN-10: 0955650615 & ISBN-13: 9780955650611) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502512]