John Smith of Sheffield

The Methodist preacher associated here with Sheffield is John Smith of Cudworth, who lived from 1794 to 1831. The geographical description is important because it distinguishes him from other religious figures with the same name. Sheffield was connected with both his early employment and his final appointment.^[1]

He was apprenticed to a Sheffield grocer at fourteen but was sent home because of his conduct. His conversion in 1812 changed the direction of his life. The following year he attended Sigston's Academy in Leeds, where David Stoner influenced him, and he began local preaching.^[1]

Smith developed a reputation as a revivalist. In 1816 he went to the York Circuit as an evangelist and entered itinerant Methodist work soon afterwards. His ministry was interrupted by poor health, which led to a period of retirement in 1828–1829.^[1]

The Methodist Conference appointed him to Sheffield in 1831, but his health deteriorated and he died there on 3 November. A memoir by Richard Treffry appeared in 1832. His short life belongs to the history of Methodist evangelism, while the memoir remains an identifiable source for further reading.^[1]