John Hallam, "The Blacksmith of the Peak", of Sparrowpit, Derbyshire, 1780-1846
John Hallam was born on 20 Jan 1780 in “bleak, barren” Sparrowpit, the son of George Hallam, the village blacksmith, and his wife Hannah nee Vernon. John grew up as the second son in a family of nine children, his older brother George having died at the age of two in 1768. He was energetic and strong in his youth, and he once “undertook to mow a field of two acres in eight hours; and not withstanding the heavy crop, he accomplished the herculean task within the time proposed, and that evening attended a neighbouring wake not too much fatigued to prevent his fighting several battles”.
His parents George and Hannah were “moral and respectable” but John did not grow up in a particularly religious household. As a young man John learned the trade of his father and became the village blacksmith, but also laboured in the nearby limestone quarries.
At the age of 26 John converted to methodism. With a methodist chapel first established in the hamlet in 1738, Sparrowpit and the surrounding area were amongst the earliest methodist communities in the country and thus there was a well-established methodist community in existence. This conversion apparently came about on Easter Monday, 7th April 1806, following a night of watching over an ill cow in the cowshed and praying to god. In truth, it would appear John had for some time been dissatisfied with the way he was leading his life and was looking to make a change.
This conversion to the methodists was at first not welcomed by his wife of then three years, Sarah. She was said to orchestrate that his evening meal would not be ready in time to allow John to attend his meetings, but John simply went without having eaten, and so Sarah eventually relented.
John and Sarah had six children between 1805 and 1816: Elizabeth, Hannah, Jane, George, Sarah and John.
John often led his friends and workmates in prayer, and was known to rebuke those who proved reluctant to join in with a pithy but dignified response. He was known to often quote scripture.
John was a hardworking man and nothing was too much for him to ensure the comfort of his family. He worked at the quarries in the day and laboured as a blacksmith at dawn and into the night. His daughter Jane once said, “[I remember] often to have grieved on waking, to hear the sound of the same hammer usher in the dawn of the day, which served for the evening’s curfew during part of my night’s repose.”
Not long after his conversion he became leader of the local band of methodists, and held this post until the end of his life, forty years later. John had a paticular relish for the so-called “love feast” celebrations, and these were known locally and long after his death as being somewhat legendary.
John died after an illness on 16 August 1846 attended by his family and his funeral was held in his home village of Sparrowpit. Such was the quantity of mourners that the ceremony was held in the main street of the village. He was buried in St Thomas Becket churchyard in Chapel-en-le-Frith.
His parents George and Hannah were “moral and respectable” but John did not grow up in a particularly religious household. As a young man John learned the trade of his father and became the village blacksmith, but also laboured in the nearby limestone quarries.
At the age of 26 John converted to methodism. With a methodist chapel first established in the hamlet in 1738, Sparrowpit and the surrounding area were amongst the earliest methodist communities in the country and thus there was a well-established methodist community in existence. This conversion apparently came about on Easter Monday, 7th April 1806, following a night of watching over an ill cow in the cowshed and praying to god. In truth, it would appear John had for some time been dissatisfied with the way he was leading his life and was looking to make a change.
This conversion to the methodists was at first not welcomed by his wife of then three years, Sarah. She was said to orchestrate that his evening meal would not be ready in time to allow John to attend his meetings, but John simply went without having eaten, and so Sarah eventually relented.
John and Sarah had six children between 1805 and 1816: Elizabeth, Hannah, Jane, George, Sarah and John.
John often led his friends and workmates in prayer, and was known to rebuke those who proved reluctant to join in with a pithy but dignified response. He was known to often quote scripture.
John was a hardworking man and nothing was too much for him to ensure the comfort of his family. He worked at the quarries in the day and laboured as a blacksmith at dawn and into the night. His daughter Jane once said, “[I remember] often to have grieved on waking, to hear the sound of the same hammer usher in the dawn of the day, which served for the evening’s curfew during part of my night’s repose.”
Not long after his conversion he became leader of the local band of methodists, and held this post until the end of his life, forty years later. John had a paticular relish for the so-called “love feast” celebrations, and these were known locally and long after his death as being somewhat legendary.
John died after an illness on 16 August 1846 attended by his family and his funeral was held in his home village of Sparrowpit. Such was the quantity of mourners that the ceremony was held in the main street of the village. He was buried in St Thomas Becket churchyard in Chapel-en-le-Frith.