Mary Porteous
Mary Porteous (born Mary Thompson) was a British Primitive Methodist preacher. She was born in 1783 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Her father, Thomas, was a cabinet maker and a strict Presbyterian; her mother’s name is not known. She left school at seven to work in a factory, but taught herself to read and write. She stopped working at eleven for health reasons, though she read while spinning yarn to earn money. In 1803 she married a sailor named Thomas Porteous and began attending Presbyterian services.
She became more involved with the Primitive Methodists, helping with classes, visiting people, and teaching Sunday School. In 1827 a new rule said married women could not travel as preachers unless their husband was in the same circuit, but Porteous was allowed to continue. She moved between circuits over the years, preaching in places like Ripon, Carlisle, Hexham, North Shields, Sunderland, and Durham. She travelled a lot, walking many miles and often begging for food and lodging while carrying her own luggage.
She worried about preaching in Scotland, where she thought a woman preacher might not be welcome. Many itinerant women preachers stopped by 1837 because the work was hard, especially for mothers. Porteous developed rheumatism and stopped touring in 1840, but she continued preaching locally in Durham and Sunderland. She had strokes in 1857 and 1859 and died in Durham on 18 April 1861.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:14 (CET).