Mormon history on show (From Ledbury Reporter)

Mormon history on show

8:00am Monday 21st April 2008

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THE early history of the Mormon faith will feature as part of an exhibition on baptism at St Michael and All Angels Church, Castle Frome.

The exhibition will also feature a display of christening robes and a chance to examine the church's 800 year old Romanesque font, which was actually lent to the British Museum in 1984.

The two-day exibition will open on Saturday May 3, and a young child will receive an Anglican baptism at the font on that day.

Part of the exhibition will include a display on the Ledbury area's own Western pioneers.

Exhibition spokesman, Louise Manning said:"One of the people we are celebrating is William Carter, a blacksmith from Ledbury, who was the first person to plough a half-acre in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah."

Louise actually travelled out to Utah in October.

She saw Mr Carter's plough in a museum and met descendants of people who travelled from the local area between 1840 and 1880, for a new life as Mormons in America.

Though not a Mormon herself she lives at Hill Farm, Castle Frome - the scene of perhaps the largest single mass conversion to Mormonism in history.

Perhaps as many as 600 people, including John Benbow of Hill Farm, were baptised in the tiny pond that still exists there.

Mr Benbow personally paid for 42 local people to travel out to the USA, and a chance of their own farms there.

In England at the time, it was period of depression, high food prices and few social opportunities.

Louise said that up to 2,000 local people may have taken the decision to leave England for Utah.

The world's first Mormon chapel is at Gadfield Elm, Eldersfield and the Mormon prophet, Brigham Young himself, is believed to have preached under Ledbury's Market House.

In 2000, two young Mormon missionaries to Ledbury gave an insight into what the area still means to them.

Enrico Durante, from Italy said: "I feel really blessed to be here and walk the streets where, 150 years ago, our prophets also walked."

The Baptism Exhibition will take place from 10am to 4pm each day.

Admission will be free by donated to St Michael and All Angels Church will be welcome.

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