Oh, those Ranting Methodists
A sign on a building in Hexham, England
These days Methodists are a mainstream denomination--if anything a bit on the boring side. Not so 200 years ago when they were an impassioned sect, with itinerant preachers holding "camp meeting" style outdoor services. They came in for quite a bit of criticism from the Church of England who decried them as "ranters". They seem to have adopted the insult as a badge of honor.
The local newspaper, the delightfully named Hexham Courant, has kind of a fun feature. When a historic property is for sale-and in that part of the world most everything has a bit of history to it-the realtor writes up a brief history of the place. Here is some background on Ranting Methodists
As near as I can figure the property with the bronze plaque was at some point a Reading Room. It was not clear if it was still in service as such.
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