1987
Names and Places: Locales of British LDS Interest
July 1987


“Names and Places: Locales of British LDS Interest,” Ensign, July 1987, 17

Special Issue:
150 Years of the Church in the British Isles

Names and Places:

Locales of British LDS Interest

Image
Historical Sites of the Church in the British Isles

Historical Sites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Isles

Key to the Map

Stakes

1. Aberdeen Scotland

11. Dundee Scotland

21. London England Hyde Park

31. Plymouth England

2. Ashton England

12. Edinburgh Scotland

22. London England Wandsworth

32. Poole England

3. Belfast Ireland

13. Glasgow Scotland

23. Maidstone England

33. Preston England

4. Billingham England

14. Huddersfield England

24. Manchester England

34. Reading England

5. Birmingham England

15. Hull England

25. Merthyr Tydfil Wales

35. Romford England

6. Bristol England

16. Ipswich England

26. Newcastle-under-Lyme England

36. Sheffield England

7. Cardiff Wales

17. Leeds England

27. Northampton England

37. Southampton England

8. Cheltenham England

18. Leicester England

28. Norwich England

38. St. Albans England

9. Chester England

19. Lichfield England

29. Nottingham England

39. Staines England

10. Crawley England

20. Liverpool England

30. Paisley Scotland

40. Sunderland England

Districts

41. Dublin Ireland

42. Munster Ireland

Missions

A. England Bristol

C. England Leeds

E. England London South

G. Ireland Dublin

B. England Coventry

D. England London

F. England Manchester

H. Scotland Edinburgh

Alston: An early branch of the Church was organized here in 1837 through the efforts of Elders Isaac Russell and John Snider, Englishmen who had been converted in Canada and then had returned with Heber C. Kimball to preach the gospel in their homeland.

Bedford: An early branch of the Church was organized here in 1837 through the efforts of Elders Willard Richards and John Goodson. Elder Richards endured great opposition but succeeded in baptizing over forty members in seven months.

Belfast: Elder John Taylor visited here in 1840, but a branch was not organized until several years later. Belfast served as headquarters for the Church in Ireland through the nineteenth and much of the twentieth centuries, and the first stake in Ireland was organized here on 9 June 1974.

Biddenden: The birthplace, on 11 December 1821, of John R. Winder, a Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric from 1887 to 1901, and First Counselor to President Joseph F. Smith from 1901 to 1910.

Birmingham: Headquarters of the Church in the early twentieth century, when the mission office was located at Handsworth.

Bishopton: Site of the first baptisms in Scotland. On 14 January 1840, Elder Samuel Mulliner baptized Alexander and Jessie Hay in the River Clyde. Elder Mulliner and his companion, Alexander Wright, were native Scots who had been converted in Canada and returned with members of the Twelve that year, serving as the first LDS missionaries in Scotland.

Carlton: The birthplace, on 16 September 1864, of John Wells, a Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church from 1918 to 1938.

Castle Frome: site of the “Hill Farm” where, between March and July 1840, Elder Wilford Woodruff preached and baptized many of the United Brethren, including John and Jane Benbow, who lived there. Elder Woodruff brought all but one of the six hundred members of the United Brethren into the Church. Nearly two thousand other residents of the area joined the Church in the early 1840s.

Chatburn/Downham: Two small villages in the Ribble Valley visited by Elder Heber C. Kimball in 1837–38. Elder Kimball found the people very receptive, and he organized branches in each village. He experienced powerful spiritual manifestations during his visits here and later learned from the Prophet Joseph Smith that the area had been dedicated by prophets in ancient times.

Douglas: Elder John Taylor visited the Isle of Man in 1840, dedicated the land, and held a celebrated debate with a local minister. Elder Taylor organized a branch in Douglas and also preached in other towns on the island to relatives of his wife, Leonora Cannon Taylor, aunt of George Q. Cannon.

Dublin: The birthplace, on 4 May 1865, of Elder Charles A. Callis, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1933 to 1947.

Dymock: The home of Thomas Kington, head of the United Brethren. Elder Brigham Young preached here and healed young Mary Pitt, an invalid of fourteen years who had joined the Church.

Eccleston: Home of Hannah and Matthias Moon, converted in 1837 through the efforts of Elder Heber C. Kimball. Their sons all served missions for the Church in Britain, and one of them, John Moon, led the first company of Saints across the Atlantic to America in 1840.

Edinburgh: Site where Elders Alexander Wright and Samuel Mulliner preached the first LDS sermon in Scotland, on 22 December 1839. Elder Orson Pratt arrived here on 18 May 1840 and the following morning climbed Arthur’s Seat, a prominent hill overlooking the city, and dedicated Scotland for the preaching of the gospel. Edinburgh served for many years as headquarters for the Church in Scotland.

Gadfield Elm: Site of the oldest standing LDS meetinghouse in the world. It was the only chapel owned by the United Brethren, who gave it to the Church when they were converted. Elders Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff both preached here.

Glasgow: Site of the first stake organized in Scotland, on 26 August 1962.

Herefordshire Beacon: Site of an important council held 20 May 1840 by Elders Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, and Willard Richards, at which it was determined to publish the Book of Mormon and an LDS hymnbook in Britain.

Hillsborough: Site of the first branch of the Church organized in Ireland, on 1 October 1840.

Hungerford: The birthplace, on 21 September 1862, of Elder James E. Talmage, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1911 to 1933.

Liverpool: Site where the first LDS missionaries landed in Britain on 19 July 1837. George Q. Cannon was born in Liverpool on 11 January 1827. Between 1860 and 1901, Elder Cannon served, first, as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve and then as a Counselor to four different Presidents of the Church. Liverpool was the headquarters of the Church in Britain from 1842 to 1929. It was also the chief port of embarkation for America and the site where the Millennial Star and other important Church publications were originally printed.

Llanelli: Site of what is thought to be the first building constructed as an LDS chapel in Britain, dedicated 28 January 1849.

London: Missionary work began here on 18 August 1840. Henry Connor, a watchmaker, was the first person baptized here, on 31 August 1840. London was the birthplace, on 4 February 1832, of Elder Charles W. Penrose, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1904 to 1911, and a Counselor in the First Presidency from 1914 to 1925; the birthplace, on 8 December 1831, of Elder George Teasdale, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1882 to 1907; and the birthplace, on 1 January 1842, of George Reynolds, a member of the First Council of the Seventy from 1890 to 1909. London served for many years as headquarters for the Church in Britain.

Loughbrickland: Site of the first baptism in Ireland, on 31 July 1840, when Elder John Taylor baptized Thomas Tate.

Manchester: Headquarters of the Church in Britain from 1840 to 1842, where Elder Brigham Young served most of his 1840–41 mission. On 27 March 1960, the first stake in Britain was organized here by Elder Harold B. Lee. The First Area Conference of the Church was held here in August 1971.

Merthyr Tydfil: Headquarters of the Church in Wales during the nineteenth century. The first stake in Wales was organized here on 12 January 1975.

Milnthorpe: The birthplace, in November 1808, of President John Taylor, who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1838 to 1880, and as President of the Church from 1880 to 1887.

New Chapel: Site of the London Temple, dedicated 7 September 1958 by President David O. McKay.

Newry: In July 1831, Elder John Taylor visited here and preached the first LDS sermon in Ireland at the town hall.

Nottingham: The birthplace, on 5 October 1926, of Elder Derek A. Cuthbert, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy since 1978. He is the first resident of Britain to be called as a General Authority.

Oldham: The birthplace, on 4 November 1898, of Elder John Longden, Assistant to the Twelve from 1951 to 1969.

Overton: The first branch of the Church in Wales was organized here in 1840.

Paisley: The first branch of the Church in Scotland was organized here by Elder Orson Pratt on 8 May 1840.

Preston: Site where Elder Heber C. Kimball preached the first gospel sermon in Britain, 23 July 1837. The first baptisms in Britain were performed here one week later, on 30 July 1837, in the River Ribble. The Preston Branch was organized on 6 August 1837. Preston served as headquarters for the Church in Britain from 1837 to 1840.

Solihull: Currently the headquarters of the Church in Britain, housing offices for members of the Area Presidency and all Church departments located in Britain.

Walker Fold: Home of Janetta Richards, baptized by Elder Heber C. Kimball in Preston and the first member in Britain to be confirmed a member of the Church, on 4 August 1837. She later married Elder Willard Richards.

Warrington: The birthplace, on 13 March 1857, of Brigham H. Roberts, a member of the First Council of the Seventy from 1888 to 1933.

  • James R. Moss and LaVelle R. Moss are Sunday School teachers in the Orem Fifty-fourth Ward, Orem Utah Northeast Stake.

A copy of the Book of Mormon that Brigham Young presented to Queen Victoria in 1841. (Courtesy of the Royal Library, Windsor Castle.)