l7. CIRCUITS AND PASTORAL CHARGES 
     
    
   
   
    
     “Circuits” and “Pastoral Charges” have always been important to Methodists 
     
     as they endeavored to divide their surrounding areas into manageable “parishes” to 
     
     maintain some sort of administrative control to spread the Gospel according to the 
     
     Methodists with greater efficiency. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Western Prince County, Prince Edward Island, was no exception, and from the 
     
     earliest days of the Wesleyan Methodists, there was a Methodist Circuit in West 
     
     Cape. By 1861, the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and the West Cape-Cascumpec 
     
     Circuit were terms which began to appear in their records. During the years 1858 to 
     
     1862, in particular, 1861, the West Cape—Cascumpec Circuit with thirteen preaching 
     
     stations had been created through the efforts of the Rev. Robert Wilson and the 
     
     Rev. William C. Brown. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 1870, Miminegash became part of the Alberton Circuit, and by 1890, 
     
     Miminegash still remained as part of the Alberton Circuit which had now grown to 
     
     six congregations. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In June, 1901, a very unpopular decision was made when Miminegash, West 
     
     Devon, and Woodstock were transferred to the West Cape Circuit by action of the 
     
     Conference. The unpopularity of this change was probably due to the greater 
     
     distances that people would have to travel to attend worship services on a regular 
     
     basis. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 1902, the vote of the Conference was considered by Miminegash, West 
     
     Devon, and Woodstock to have been a mistake, and at a meeting of the West Cape 
     
     Circuit, held at O’Leary Station in 1902, a motion was made by brother Cephas 
     
     Grigg and seconded by brother George Morsehead, that the three congregations be 
     
     returned to the Alberton Circuit. The motion was voted and approved. ' 
     
    
   
   
    
     However, the vote of 1902 may never have been carried out. Instead, there is 
     
     evidence in the records that Miminegash, West Devon, and Woodstock were 
     
     transferred to the O’Leary Circuit, Summerside District, New Brunswick and 
     
     Prince Edward Island Conference, and remained there until 1909. 
     
    
   
   
    
     No further list of Mimimegash members is made until May 31, 1911 by the Rev. 
     
     Henry Seymour Beek Strothard. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The following statement by the Rev. Henry Seymour Beek Strothard, dated 
     
     September 24, 1912 attempts to explain a change of congregations in the circuits 
     
    
   
   
    
     which had occurred at some previous unspecified time. In his own handwriting, the 
     
     Rev. Henry Seymour Beek Strothard states in the records, “In 1909, the O’Leary 
     
     Circuit was divided, the Coleman, West Devon, Woodstock, and Miminegash parts 
     
     of the circuit being added to the Alberton Circuit and Knutsford, etc. being added to 
     
     the West Cape Circuit.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 1911, Miminegash appears in the records of the Alberton Circuit with six 
     
     other congregations. By 1912, Miminegash was part of the Alberton Circuit con- 
     
    
   
   
    
     sisting of five congregations, then a member of the Summerside District, New 
     
     Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Conference. 
     
    
   
   
    
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