THE HISTORY OF NONCONFORMITY IN PLYMOUTH. 69 
Many of the descendants of the refugees still reside in this 
locality. Such names as Darton, Gruzelier, and Lamoureux, are 
of course easily identified ; but in most cases there has been some 
amount of Anglicising. Thus Cherri is Cherry ; Touzeau, Tozer ; 
Gille, Gill ; Pare, Park ; Bonnet, Bonny ; Lardieu, Lardew ; Rous, 
Bowse ; Viall, Vile ; Lavigne, Lavin ; Conde, Cundy ; Benoit, 
Benoy ; Guillard, Jillard ; Jourdan, Jordan. 
Towards the middle of the last century Conformity and Non- 
conformity alike fell dull and lethargic ; decorous indeed, but 
wanting in energy and spirit — the form of Christianity truly, 
but lacking the vitality. The religion of feeling had no place 
where all was formal and frigid. Church and chapel come under 
the same condemnation. Nor was Plymouth any exception to this 
rule, though St. Andrew boasted the polished Zachary Mudge, 
whose sermons Dr. Johnson praised so highly, and the Treville and 
Batter Street congregations were enlivened somewhat by the stir- 
rings of the Arian controversy. As to the Baptists, they were " a 
poor disjointed people," a " small remnant," the membership falling 
off until it was reduced to eight.* At Plymouth therefore, and in 
the growing town of Dock, there was ample scope for the exertions 
of the early Methodists, and both Whitfield and Wesley reaped an 
abundant harvest. 
Calvinistic Methodism was the first established. Whitfield came 
to Plymouth about 1744 with the intention of embarking for 
America. But before that date his labours had borne local fruit. 
One Andrew Kinsman, a native of Tavistock, converted by 
reading one of Whitfield's sermons, settled in Plymouth as a 
grocer; and by him and his wife chiefly (she was a Mrs. Ann 
Tiley, and gave the ground) the Tabernacle in Briton Side was 
built, in the garden behind his house. Adams and Cennick and 
Midleton, with other of Whitfield's colleagues, and Kinsman him- 
self, occupied the pulpit at first. In 1750 Kinsman became a 
regular minister, and in 1752 removed to Devonport, where he 
built the first dissenting chapel. The Tabernacle remained his 
property, and he was still accustomed to preach there, his chief 
assistants being named Dunn, Paddon, and McAll. Kinsman was 
a duly- qualified member of the church militant. When a party of 
seamen, led by their lieutenant, broke into the Tabernacle while 
he was preaching, with intent to put out the lights, and " castigate 
* Nicholson, pp. 66, 67. 
