William Bramwell
1759-1818. Wesleyan preacher and revivalist. Born in Elswick, Lancashire, of well-to-do, devout Anglican parents, he was the tenth of eleven children. He was apprenticed to a currier but, devoting his spare time to Bible study, he came under deep conviction of sin and found Christ as Savior for himself. Lacking Christian companionship among Anglicans, he joined the unpopular “Wesleyan devils” to the consternation of his parents. After entering the ministry he preached in various Wesleyan circuits, often with great power, for the rest of his life. He is remembered for the hundreds he led to God, for his unfailing generosity, for his self-denial, and his remarkable clairvoyant power by which he came to know intimate details about the lives of those he encountered. Preaching to the last, he died suddenly after declaring that the Lord had told him that he had only a little while to live.