William O'Bryan
William O’Bryan aka William Bryant (1778 - 1868) was a Methodist preacher and founder of the Bible Christian movement.
He was born at Gunwen, Luxulyan, Cornwall. In 1815 he changed his surname to O'Bryan, wishing to adopt Irish ancestry, and the branch became known as "Bryanites". His movement spread mainly through North Cornwall, Padstow and Bude, Launcells etc. Between 1831 and 1862 Bryant (now O'Bryan) crossed the Atlantic 13 times, spreading Bible Christians to North America.
The first Bible Christian chapel was built in Shebbear, Devon in 1817.
Reading
- Harmon, Nolan B., general ed. (1974) Encyclopedia of World Methodism
- Lewis, Donald M., ed. (1995) Dictionary of Evangelical Biography 1739-1860
- Shaw, Thomas (1965) The Bible Christians 1815-1907. London: Epworth Press
- Shaw, Thomas (1967) A History of Cornish Methodism. Truro: Bradford Barton; pp. 88–92
External links
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