Churches of Tasmania

Harland Rise is an old Northern Midland property located between White Hills and Evandale. The estate was acquired by John Ward Gleadow in the early 1830’s. The homestead at Harland Rise dates back to the late 1850’s but the oldest building on the property is a small private Wesleyan chapel. Religious services may have taken place at Harland Rise before a Wesleyan chapel was built at Evandale (then known as Morven) in 1836. John Gleadow (1801-1881) is best known for his contribution to the legal profession but was also a successful businessman and politician. As a leading member of Launceston society Gleadow was active in the church and a committed philanthropist. Gleadow arrived in Hobart in 1825 and in the following year was admitted as barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Court of Van Diemen's Land. He then moved to Launceston to become the town’s first legal practitioner. For over forty years Gleadow did much to set the traditions and tone of Launceston’s legal profession. ...

Horton College, which was situated near the town of  Ross, midway between Launceston and Hobart, was one of the most significant Methodist educational institutions established in Australia in the second half of the 19th century. Horton College appears in ‘Churches of Tasmania’ for two reasons: the first is because it was an important centre of Methodism in the colony; the second being that for a brief time the College had its own chapel. Horton College’s roots lie at Somercotes homestead which is regarded as a cradle of Methodism in the Tasmanian Midlands. Somercotes was was frequented by Wesleyan ministers from about the 1830’s and meetings were regularly held regarding church business.  The homestead was built by Captain Samuel Horton in 1833. Born in Lincolnshire in 1796, Horton came to Van Diemen’s Land in 1823 after serving as a Captain in the Merchant Navy. He was persuaded to move to Tasmania by his cousin, the Reverend William Horton, the first resident Wesl...

The first recorded Methodist service at Ross was held in May 1832 and by 1836 a Methodist society was formed. A chapel was built in 1838 and opened in early 1839 at a site at the intersection of High Street and Bond Street. By the 1870’s the chapel was found to be no longer adequate and a new church was planned at the summit of the hill at the southern end of Church Street. The laying of the foundation stone of the new church was reported in the Launceston Examiner: “On Wednesday last [Wednesday 13 December 1882] a large concourse of people assembled at Ross to witness a very interesting ceremony in connection with the laying of the memorial stones of the new Wesleyan Church at this place. The trustees of the building had invited Mrs Horton of Somercotes, and Mrs Parramore, of Beaufront, to lay these stones, and all were pleased that these venerable and highly respected ladies had consented to be present…. The building is on one of the best sites on the township, and will be seen for m...