Sukey Harley, “The Joyfullest Woman on the Face of the Earth!”

By Jane Gilpin

A true story that will encourage everyone struggling at times in the Christian faith. Sukey Harley, Elizabeth Wallbridge the Dairyman’s Daughter, and Billy Bray of Cornwall have several things in common. They received little or no schooling. They had no interest in Christian teaching and mocked the faith, living what would be described as worldly lives. Sukey Harley and Elizabeth Wallbridge were invited to chapel by friends, and only went to make fun. Billy Bray found his faith through his wife, who had lost her Christian faith. Yet the Lord sought them out and called them to be great witnesses for Him. Without the help of Sukey’s friend, Jane Gilpin the Rector’s daughter, Sukey’s story would be unknown today. It’s a story that deserves to be told again and again. This White Tree Publishing Edition is illustrated throughout with paintings and photographs, old and new, and maps. It also has a detailed Appendix by a Pulverbatch resident, specially commissioned for this edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Tree Publishing
• Release date: Nov 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781912529988

Book preview

About the Book

A true story that will encourage everyone struggling at times in the Christian faith. Sukey Harley, Elizabeth Wallbridge the Dairyman’s Daughter, and Billy Bray of Cornwall have several things in common. They received little or no schooling. They had no interest in Christian teaching and mocked the faith, living what would be described as worldly lives. Sukey Harley and Elizabeth Wallbridge were invited to chapel by friends, and only went to make fun. Billy Bray found his faith through his wife, who had lost her Christian faith. Yet the Lord sought them out and called them to be great witnesses for Him. Without the help of Sukey’s friend, Jane Gilpin the Rector’s daughter, Sukey’s story would be unknown today. It’s a story that deserves to be told again and again. This White Tree Publishing Edition is illustrated throughout with paintings and photographs, old and new, and maps. It also has a detailed Appendix by a Pulverbatch resident, specially commissioned for this edition

Sukey Harley

The Joyfullest Woman on the Face of the Earth!

A True Account by Jane Gilpin. the Rector’s Daughter

© White Tree Publishing 2021

This eBook ISBN: 978-1-912529-98-8

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this edition

Published by

White Tree Publishing

Bristol

UNITED KINGDOM

www.whitetreepublishing.com

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Book

1830s map of Shropshire

1830s map close-up

White Tree Publishing Introduction

Ashes Hollow, Church Stretton, painting

Original Introduction by Jane Gilpin

Chapter 1

Long Mynd painting

Chapter 2

Church Stretton centre painting

Church Stretton view painting

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Frankwell Shrewsbury painting

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

View from Cothercott towards Pulverbatch village

View from Cothercott towards Stiperstones

Chapter 12

One of the cottages in Churton old photo

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Churton Square Pulverbatch old photo

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

The old Rectory photograph

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

St Edith’s Church tower, Pulverbatch

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

St Edith’s Church Pulverbatch 1851 before rebuilding work

St Edith’s Church south porch today

Pulverbatch Church interior today

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

St Edith’s Church tower across fields

View of Pulverbatch Village from St Edith’s Church tower

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Beach Bank, Pulverbatch, a lane Sukey would have known

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Epilogue

Sukey’s grave

Appendix: More about Sukey, by Sue Morris

Jane Gilpin portrait

About White Tree Publishing

More Books

1830s map of Shropshire

The 1830s roads that Sukie would have known and travelled on in the area

A modern map link

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.6207334,-2.8440996,231m/data=!3m1!1e3

White Tree Publishing Introduction

Sukey Harley, Elizabeth Wallbridge the Dairyman’s Daughter, and Billy Bray of Cornwall have several things in common. They were born in England towards the end of the eighteenth century, and received little schooling. They had no interest in Christian teaching and mocked the faith, living what they all describe as bad lives. Sukey and Elizabeth Wallbridge went to church and chapel to make fun, yet the Lord sought them out and called them to be great witnesses for Him

Of the three, there is no doubt that Billy Bray is the most famous, and his sayings and episodes from his life are widely quoted. With the help of a Quaker friend he wrote his own Journal of which parts were published at the time, and his complete Journal has been published more recently in Billy Bray in His Own Words by Highland Books

The life of Elizabeth Wallbridge, The Dairyman’s Daughter, was written shortly after her death by the local vicar, Legh Richmond. In 2019 a fuller account was published by White Tree Publishing as an eBook with several appendices

Because Sukey Harley received no education, she had to ask her small daughter to read things for her. The local Rector’s daughter, Jane Gilpin, provided Sukey with much spiritual and practical help, and wrote down much of Sukey’s life story from Sukey’s dictation. An early edition of the book was well received, and Jane Gilpin published a fuller account for a new edition, which is the edition used here

Perhaps we should add a fourth contemporary character to this list, William Haslam. He is famous for being converted while preaching one of his own sermons! However, he was articulate and a gifted writer, and several of his books are available in abridged form from White Tree Publishing, including his autobiography Haslam’s Journey

Although the words by Jane Gilpin in Sukey’s Story are the words of Sukey herself, dictated to Jane, the sentences and paragraphs are extremely long in the original, necessitating punctuation that was common at the time. At White Tree Publishing we have broken up the sentences and paragraphs, changed much of the punctuation, but left Sukey’s words intact

Jane’s own wording, which is now in italics, except where indicated, has not been changed regarding punctuation and sentence length, although the long paragraphs have been broken up

When Jane brought out the second edition and made additions, it left the book in a rather confused state regarding chronological order. We have tried to correct this by moving several sections so that the account moves more smoothly in dates

The illustrations are taken from old postcards, old photographs, and modern photographs kindly supplied by the current Rector, Reverend Graham Phillips; Sue Morris; and local photographer David Fry. Copyright notices are attached to each photograph. Thanks to everyone who helped, especially Val Wallace from New Cubbington for introducing us to the original book

All the original spellings of the place names are left, including the earlier spelling of Pulverbach instead of the modern Pulverbatch. Where names have changed, the current names are put in brackets to enable readers to search for them on modern maps such as Google

With the majority of writers at that time, Jane Gilpin has often omitted giving the Bible reference to quoted verses. In common with White Tree Publishing practice in all our books, we have inserted the references in square brackets. Other additions and comments by White Tree Publishing are also within square brackets. Anything in round brackets is in the original

Most of the local expressions used by Sukey will be self-evident, although a couple of times we have added their meaning, again in square brackets

This was a time when church and chapel were deeply divided, yet both Sukey and Jane Gilpin the Rector’s daughter seem quite relaxed about the Methodists, with Sukey being much influenced by Methodist neighbours. Sukey is not so keen on the Baptists, but this may either be a misunderstanding on their beliefs, or a particular problem with some of the local Baptists. Sukey says that baptism in the Holy Spirit is what interests her!

The Ranters referred to in several places were more a leaderless sect than a denomination. They believed that it was impossible for a believer to sin, because they were completely free from Church and Biblical Laws. Sukey knew from her own experience that even though she had been born again, this teaching of freedom from sinning was clearly nonsense! See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranter for more details

We are extremely grateful to Sue Morris of Pulverbatch for the additional material in the Appendix and many of the illustrations. The Appendix throws light on several unexplained incidents referred to in the original

Was Sukey really The joyfullest woman on the face of the Earth? That’s how she describes herself ‒ immediately following her conversion. As we will see in this book, she admits she often then struggles with her faith, feeling quite down and neglected by God at times. Later, she calls herself The ignorantest, poorest creature, I can-na’ find a place in the Bible, I can-na’ find one verse, I can-na’ find one hymn, nor nothing. But her amazing faith, in the face of many difficulties, holds firm to the end. Perhaps she is now the joyfullest woman in heaven, with her quaint Shropshire words and expressions!

Ashes Valley [Hollow], Church Stretton

Original Introduction

by Jane Gilpin

This little Memoir might probably never have appeared in print, had not a part of it (viz., The Account Taken from Sukey Harley’s Lips) found its way into a religious Magazine about the year 1837. Afterwards this was reprinted as a separate Tract; but still without the writer’s knowledge ‒ the party reprinting it having supposed it to detail the life of a person long since dead, whereas Sukey Harley was at that time living

She was never informed of the publication herself; but she derived from it some measure of pecuniary relief, at a time when that relief was much needed; for the party, when apprized of their mistake, kindly remitted the profits of the sale for her use

The Tract thus passed through more than one edition; and Sukey Harley became known to many who expressed a lively interest in her ease. It was therefore judged expedient to add to the Account a few of her Conversations, etc., as also the particulars of her death: the whole being rightly adjusted, so as to make the publication uniform

Demand being still made for it, it is now again sent forth into the world, under a hope that the blessing of God may attend the perusal of it in many hearts

J.G

Pulverbach, Shrewsbury

July 1st, 1867

Chapter One

Chapter by Jane Gilpin

Sukey [Susannah] Harley, whose name before her marriage was Overton, was born at Prolimoor [Prolly Moor], in the parish of Wentnor, on the Longmynd [Long Mynd], a wild and beautiful part of the country in Shropshire. She was the youngest but one of sixteen children, some of whom died in infancy; but a large family of them growing up, and her parents being poor, her education was much neglected

The Long Mynd

She had not even the advantage of being taught to read, a privilege which some of her elder brothers and sisters possessed. She married very young. Her husband, Charles Harley, was a sober, quiet, industrious man, who gained a livelihood as a day labourer among the farmers

Some years after their marriage they went to live at Ryton, a small village not far from Shrewsbury. Here it pleased God to bring her to a deep and spiritual conviction of her awful state as a sinner; and in the midst of her heathenish ignorance to awaken a cry in her heart for that mercy she had never before felt the need of; in answer to which (being the cry of His own Spirit within her) He revealed to her dark soul eternal salvation through Jesus Christ

About three years after this time they went to live at Pulverbach, and here it was the writer first became acquainted with her, to whom some years