William Seward
“Can you imagine having your eye violently blinded by a furious mob, yet choosing to go right back out and preach until they literally stone you to death?
William Seward (1702-1740) was a passionate, 38-year-old open-air preacher during the Great Evangelical Revivals of the 1700s.
He was a close friend and supporter of legendary preachers like John Wesley and George Whitefield.
But bringing the Gospel to the streets of England and Wales was an incredibly dangerous calling.
When Seward preached in the open air, his message of salvation didn't just draw crowds; it provoked furious, violent opposition.
During a ministry trip to South Wales, Seward faced a level of hatred that most of us cannot even fathom:
In one town, a furious mob rushed him, physically tearing the clothes right off his body.
They pelted him with apples, rocks, and literal animal dung, throwing hard stones directly into his face.
During the chaos, a brutal blow struck him squarely in the right eye, completely destroying his sight.
For days, the trauma was so severe that he couldn't see out of his good eye either, forcing this bold leader to be led around helplessly by the hand.
Most men would have gone home.
Most men would have decided they had sacrificed enough.
But Seward was undeterred.
Despite being permanently maimed, he refused to be silenced.
In October of 1740, he stood up in the open air to proclaim the Gospel to yet another hostile crowd.
The crowd’s anger quickly turned into a murderous rage.
They began pelting the one-eyed preacher with heavy stones.
Suddenly, a rock violently struck the back of Seward’s head, sending him crashing to the ground, completely unconscious.
He never woke up.
After hovering between life and death for several days, William Seward passed away at the tender age of 38, becoming the very first "Methodist martyr."
But perhaps the most chilling and beautiful part of his story is what they found in his journal.
Just the night before he suffered that fatal blow, Seward wrote these prophetic words:
“Oh, that I may lay down my head and fall asleep in the arms of my Lord.”
William Seward’s blood reminds us of a sobering truth: great movements of God are always characterized by great sacrifice.
He didn't just preach the Gospel; he paid for it with his life!”
Yes, the core of the story is true. William Seward (1702–1740) was a real historical figure—a wealthy stockbroker turned passionate open-air preacher, supporter of George Whitefield and the early Methodist revival, who died at age 38 after mob violence. Verified Facts
- Background and calling: He was a friend and financial supporter of Whitefield, traveled with him (including to America), and became an enthusiastic lay preacher in the open-air revivals of the 1730s–1740s.
- The eye injury: In September 1740, while preaching with Howell Harris in Caerleon, South Wales, a mob attacked. Seward was struck in the right eye by a stone (or hard object), which destroyed his sight in that eye. The injury was severe enough that for a time it affected his other eye, and he had to be led by hand. Contemporary accounts (including his own journal) confirm the pelting with stones, dirt, dung, etc.
- Death: In October 1740 at Hay-on-Wye (or nearby), he faced another hostile crowd and was struck in the head by a stone. He fell unconscious, lingered for several days, and died on October 22, 1740. He is widely regarded as the first Methodist martyr.
- Journal entry: The poignant line “Oh, that I may lay down my head and fall asleep in the arms of my Lord” appears in multiple accounts as one of his final writings.
- The fatal head injury happened at/near Hay-on-Wye, but some historians note that the exact role of the final stoning is debated. The earlier eye injury (and possible infection/complications) contributed significantly to his decline. Later “martyrdom at Hay” stories grew in the telling, though the violence and head blow are well-attested.
- He wasn’t literally “stoned to death” on the spot like Stephen in Acts—he was injured, carried away, and died days later.