Tucked between the Malt Shovel pub and modern houses on the Newton Road in Great Barr is a pretty unremarkable 17th Century cottage.
This was the childhood home of Frances Asbury (1745-1816), a man who would become an influential preacher and patriot in the founding of the USA - so much so that a statue was dedicated to him, and still stands today, on Washington's Capitol Hill.
Asbury was a Methodist preacher. In his early twenties, he was selected by Lichfield born John Wesley to be a travelling preacher and in 1771 went over to North America. Up until his death in 1816, Asbury preached throughout the colonies, and when war broke out, he decided not to return to the UK or West Midlands. For the remainder of his life, Asbury travelled across the frontier and colonies.
Asbury never returned to the UK, and although little is known of him in the UK, his impact on the world can be seen in the schools, churches, hiking trails, caved and even WW2 battleships, that were named after him from the US to China.
Asbury's status is found on Washington's Capitol Hill with the inscription: 'If you seek for the results of his labour, you will find them in our Christian Civilisation.'
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