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William Morley Punshon

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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WILLIAM MORLEY PUNSHON (1824-1881), English Nonconformist divine, was born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, on the 29th of May 1824. He was educated in his native town, and, after spending a few years in business, at the Wesleyan College, Richmond. In 1845 he received his first appointment, at Marden, Kent, and soon became famous as a preacher. After serving the usual period of probation he was ordained at Manchester in 1849 and for the next nineteen years travelled in several circuits, including some of the London ones (1858-1864). In 1868 he went to Chicago as the representative of the Wesleyan Methodist conference, and settling in Canada did much to advance the cause of his denomination. His preaching and lecturing drew great crowds both in the Dominion and in the United States, and he was five times president of the Canadian conference. He returned to England in 1873, was elected president of conference 1874, and in 1875 one of the missionary secretaries. He published several volumes of sermons, and a book of verse entitled Sabbath Chimes (1867, new edition 1880).