Rev William Grimshaw

By 1753, he was preaching to thousands, sharing his ministry with John Wesley and George Whitefield, who had both inspired him some years before. He had visions, and was famous for his fire and damnation sermons, and for walking around Haworth rounding up parishioners for the service. He was a close friend of William Darney and the Wesleys, and he made many converts for the Methodists.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing and playing cards.

He said:

Fear of the Lord is far more powerful than fear of any man

and

To us, to Live is Christ. To die is gain

He gave a great many sermons each week, and these would often last for several hours. People would travel for miles to attend services in his own church. When large crowds could not be accommodated inside the church, he would go outside and repeat the service for them. When he was at Haworth, he is said to have gone into the pubs and driven the drinkers into the church – possibly wielding a dog-whip for the task.

He campaigned against the 3-day horse race which was held at Haworth. When the authorities ignored his demands, prayed that God would stop the races – a 3-day long deluge swamped the district and the race was never held again.

In The Life of William Grimshaw, John Newton [1725-1807] writes about the incident:

There are at Haworth two feasts annually. It had been customary with the innkeepers, and some other inhabitants, to make a subscription for horse-races at the latter feast. These were of the lowest kind, attended by the lowest of the people. They exhibited a scene of the grossest and most vulgar riot, profligacy, and confusion.

Grimshaw had frequently attempted, but in vain, to put a stop to this mischievous custom. His remonstrances against it were little regarded.

Unable to prevail with men, he addressed himself to God; and for some time before the races began, he made it a subject of fervent prayer, that the Lord would be pleased to stop these evil proceedings in His own way. When the race time came, the people assembled as usual, but they were soon dispersed. Before the race could begin, dark clouds covered the sky, which poured forth such excessive rains, that the people could not remain upon the ground; it continued to rain incessantly during the three days appointed for the races.

This event, though it took place nearly forty years since, is still remembered and spoken of at Haworth, with the same certainty as if it had happened but a few months past. It is a sort of proverbial saying among them, that old Grimshaw put a stop to the races by his prayers.

And it proved an effectual stop. There have been no races in the neighbourhood of Haworth from that time to the present day

He was Curate at St Mary's Parish Church, Todmorden [1731-1742], and Perpetual Curate of Haworth from 1742 until his death on 7th of April 1763.

In 1735, he married (1) Sarah.

Children:

1. Jane
2. John

Sarah died in 1739.

In 1741, he married (2) Elizabeth Cockcroft..

In 1763, there was an outbreak of plague in Haworth. Many people died, and, through visiting the sick and dying, Rev Grimshaw caught the fever and died at Sowdens, near Haworth on 7th April 1763.