Portraits of the past: Hill Farm

In a series of memoirs titled "Leaves From My Journal," Elder Wilford Woodruff tells the story that occurred when he was preaching at the John Benbow home at Hill Farm near Castle Frome, England. A constable entered and announced that he was sent by the rector of the local parish to arrest Elder Woodruff for preaching. The constable was invited to sit until the end of the sermon, and he did so. At the conclusion of the sermon, rather than arrest Elder Woodruff, the constable requested baptism, one of seven to do so at that time. Following this episode, the rector sent two others to learn what was being preached and find out what had happened to the constable. They, too, were converted and requested baptism. The church from which these three were sent is St. Michael and All Angels, a Church of England parish church at Castle Frome. Official literature notes that this historical structure is Norman, built about 1125 adjacent to a hill that was once a Roman fortress. Louise Manning, owner of the nearby home that once belonged to John Benbow at Hill Farm, currently serves as a churchwarden in that parish and is most supportive of those interested in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this historical house of worship and the property where she and her family live.