Benjamin Carvosso
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Carvosso was the first Wesleyan
Minister to preach in Australia
in 1820. He built/started the Hobart Wesleyan Church (in Hobart
, Tasmania
, which is an exact replica of the church in Mousehole
, Penzance
, Cornwall
(except that it is larger in size). The church still owns a clock that he left as a present on his departure.
Carvosso was son of William Carvosso
, born near Mousehole, in Mount's Bay
, on 11 March 1750, first a fisherman, then a farmer, and afterwards for sixty years a most active class leader and local preacher in the Wesleyan Methodist connection, who died at Dowstal, in the parish of Mylor, on 13 Oct. 1834. The son was born in Gluvias parish, Cornwall, on 29 Sept. 1789, and, although brought up by very pious parents, was not converted until his twenty-second year.
He was admitted as a probationer by the Wesleyan conference in 1814, and, after labouring for five years as a minister in England, offered himself as a missionary. He arrived in Van Diemen's Land
in 1820, being the second minister of the Wesleyan denomination sent to the Australian colonies, and on 18 Aug. introduced Methodism into that island by a public service in Hobart Town. It was not long before he proceeded to New South Wales
, where, in the towns of Windsor
, Sydney
, and Parramatta, he passed the next five years of his ministration.
He had a high sense of the importance of the press as a means of promoting religion, and in conjunction with his brethren commenced in 1820 the publication of the ‘Australian Magazine,’ the first of its class seen in the colony. In 1825 he removed to Hobart Town; here his labours were arduous; in the pulpit, the prison, the prayer meeting, the class meeting, and the family, he was constantly engaged. Returning to his native land in 1830 he continued in the full discharge of his ministerial duties in various parts of England throughout the remainder of his life.
He died at Tuckingmill, Cornwall, on 2 Oct. 1854.
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
Minister to preach in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1820. He built/started the Hobart Wesleyan Church (in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, which is an exact replica of the church in Mousehole
Mousehole
Mousehole is a village and fishing port in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately 2½ miles south of Penzance on the shore of Mount's Bay.The village is in the civil parish of Penzance...
, Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
(except that it is larger in size). The church still owns a clock that he left as a present on his departure.
Carvosso was son of William Carvosso
William Carvosso
William Carvosso was an early Wesleyan leader in Cornwall, England. He was converted to Christianity at age 21 and went on to become a Class Leader in the Wesleyan Connexion and a prominent figure of the church. Towards the end of his life he roamed all over Cornwall preaching...
, born near Mousehole, in Mount's Bay
Mount's Bay
Mount's Bay is a large, sweeping bay on the English Channel coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom, stretching from the Lizard Point to Gwennap Head on the eastern side of the Land's End peninsula. Towards the middle of the bay is St Michael's Mount...
, on 11 March 1750, first a fisherman, then a farmer, and afterwards for sixty years a most active class leader and local preacher in the Wesleyan Methodist connection, who died at Dowstal, in the parish of Mylor, on 13 Oct. 1834. The son was born in Gluvias parish, Cornwall, on 29 Sept. 1789, and, although brought up by very pious parents, was not converted until his twenty-second year.
He was admitted as a probationer by the Wesleyan conference in 1814, and, after labouring for five years as a minister in England, offered himself as a missionary. He arrived in Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
in 1820, being the second minister of the Wesleyan denomination sent to the Australian colonies, and on 18 Aug. introduced Methodism into that island by a public service in Hobart Town. It was not long before he proceeded to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, where, in the towns of Windsor
Windsor, New South Wales
Windsor is a town in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Windsor is located in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury. It sits on the Hawkesbury River, on the north-western outskirts of the Sydney metropolitan area. At the 2006 census, Windsor had a population of...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and Parramatta, he passed the next five years of his ministration.
He had a high sense of the importance of the press as a means of promoting religion, and in conjunction with his brethren commenced in 1820 the publication of the ‘Australian Magazine,’ the first of its class seen in the colony. In 1825 he removed to Hobart Town; here his labours were arduous; in the pulpit, the prison, the prayer meeting, the class meeting, and the family, he was constantly engaged. Returning to his native land in 1830 he continued in the full discharge of his ministerial duties in various parts of England throughout the remainder of his life.
He died at Tuckingmill, Cornwall, on 2 Oct. 1854.
Works
- The Great Efficacy of Simple Faith, a Memoir of William Carvosso 1835, many editions.
- Drunkenness the Enemy of Britain arrested by the Hand of God 1840
- An Account of Miss Deborah B. Carvosso 1840
- Attractive Piety, or Memorials of William B. Carvosso 1844, several editions.