St Just - Weslyan Chapel (1833)
A significant revival took place in St Just, the minister of the Penzance circuit reported on it. He says that in autumn 1831 numbers throughout the circuit increased and they were expectant of something happening. The revival began I Zennor on November 11th and a few were saved every week in the circuit. At the Quarterly meeting on December 27th, they decided to have a weekly meeting of leaders and to have prayer meetings or society meetings after every sermon. On January 8th the Spirit broke out at St Buryan and all over people were saying that they were having powerful prayer meetings. In St Just they had their regular meeting on February 18th but they had many more than usual. For many years they had about 430 members but now the Spirit poured out and many were added. The chapel was full and meetings went on into the early morning. ‘On the Monday night they had such a prayer meeting as had never been known in St Just, so many were present and all so deeply affected.’ Down the road at Trewellard hundreds stood in the open air, not being able to get into the chapel. In Nanquidno, close to St Just a barn could not contain them, less than half could get in so they had their meeting by moonlight upon a moor. On March 11th, The St Just chapel was, in the morning, if possible, doubly filled. Upwards of 1,200 people were present, and all were bathed in tears…At night the chapel was crowded almost to suffocation.’ From the end of the service at 8.00pm hardly anyone left and till nearly 11.0pm ‘the people were crying for mercy in every part of the chapel, both in the gallery and below.’
He reports later that ‘The oldest Methodist in the St Just parish never saw anything to equal it. More than 300 souls have been saved and added to our society during the last few weeks, and the work is still going on.’ All the area west of St Ives and Penzance was affected; people from all areas of society but very few under 18 were saved.