Preston

Preston

September 24, 2009

Preston was one of the first places in England where the gospel was preached. It was chosen because Joseph Fielding had family there. When we arrived in Preston we went to the center of the town and we saw the obelisk where the missionaries, such as Orson Hyde, preached. Preston also was the first area Gordon B. Hinckley served in during his mission.

When the missionaries were serving in Preston in the late 1830s it was during the Industrial Revolution. This led to urbanization and when the missionaries arrived they said that they had never seen such a difference between the rich and the poor. This was part of the reason there was a lot of strife and strike during the period. Karl Marx said that Preston would be England’s St. Petersburg, a place of revolution.

We were also able to see the house on St. Wilfred Street where the missionaries stayed. This was also the place where the missionaries saw the vision of evil spirits. When Joseph Smith heard about this incident he was glad because he said it meant something good was going to happen.

The Ribble River runs through Preston. This was where the first converts in England were baptized. The first saint to be baptized was George Watt, who won the footrace to get to the water first. It is estimated that between 7,000 and 9,000 people came to witness these baptisms. They referred to them as “dippers” because the baptized by immersion. Watt knew shorthand and when he emigrated to the United States he recorded for Brigham Young and eventually put together the Journal of Discourses.

We also went to a couple little towns outside of Preston, including Ribchester and Downham. Heber C. Kimball said that an ancient apostle stood on one of the hilltops in Downham.

We ended our time in Preston at the Preston temple, which is actually located in Chorley, outside of Preston. We had the opportunity to walk around the grounds. I’m sure the saints who lived and were converted in Preston during the 19^th century would be proud to see the temple that now stands there.