The impact of Black and mixed-race women on early Methodism in Antigua is not to be overlooked, women were pivotal in the growth of the Church, preaching, advocating and even managing the local Methodist society.
Among them were Mary Alley, Sophia Campbell and Bessie. Little is known about these women except that they were enslaved by the Gilbert family and that their dedication kept the Methodist tradition from extinction in Antigua.
On 17 January 1758, Nathaniel Gilbert, a lawyer and slave owner in Antigua went to witness John Wesley preaching in Wandsworth. John Wesley wrote:
The three enslaved women mentioned were named Mary, Sophia and Bessie. While the journeying of these women with their master to England was not unusual at the time, to have had the privilege of hearing Wesley preach and to have been baptised by him went against the order of the day. This incident was so out of the ordinary that Wesley records it in his diary on 29 November 1758:
After travelling back to Antigua, Nathaniel started sharing his Methodist faith with his friends and preaching to his enslaved people before his return to England in
Following Nathaniel’s death and the death of his brother, Francis, the care and spiritual nurture of the flock was left to Mary, Sophia and Bessie. By then, there were more than 200 Methodists in Antigua, many of them being enslaved people. For the three years when there was no 'official' leadership of the Antigua Methodists, Mary and Sophia kept a small school.
It has been claimed but disputed that Mary and Sophia were instrumental in establishing the first Methodist Chapel in St John’s, Antigua. The women raised funds to purchase land and played a major role by clearing the land and carrying stone and marl. Mary, Sophia and Bessie played a crucial role in spreading the message of Methodism across the island and their contributions are commemorated in the Gilbert Memorial Chapel in Antigua.