The early Methodists were so-called because they approached their faith in a very methodical way. I could not lay my hands on any direct references by Wesley or Pilmoor to children being born out of wedlock. They were not turned away, as long as they embraced the Methodist way of life. So perhaps Joseph Pilmoor used his own experience as an example to his flock. On the subject of the word ‘bastard’, regular reader Clare Proctor said: “When I was young the word 'bastard' was still being used to refer to children born out of wedlock.
