More from Flint on Francis

Some Horsley people lived in Minchinhampton, which is three miles from Horsley. In 1765 Francis had a building erected and began to preach there regularly. The ungodliness of the place is apparent from the way they treated a Whitefield preacher called Adams 21 years earlier, assaulting him and dragging him through the town before throwing him into the brook. Though Francis laboured there over a 35 year period, it was not until after his death that a congregation was finally established.

In Horsley, meanwhile, some 54 people joined the church between 1771 and 1773 and in 1774 a further enlargement of the building was necessary. The congregation was still poor but zealous and liberal with their gifts and with the help of friends the debt for the enlargement was soon paid. People attended the meeting house in Shortwood from some 15 different places, some as far as ten miles away.

During his ministry it seems he baptised 450 people. Some 42 of these came under church discipline and were removed but by the time of his death membership stood at 262. He also made monthly preaching trips into other parts of Gloucestershire and into neighbouring Worcestershire and Wiltshire.

From 1772 to 1784 on his Worcestershire trip he preached in Cheltenham 130 times, at Tewkesbury 136, at Pershore 137 and at Upton on Severn 180. His pattern was to leave home Monday morning and return on Friday evening, after covering 90 miles or more and preaching every night.

He would regularly preach in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, from 1771-1799. He preached 282 sermons there. He also preached 84 sermons in Christian Malford in the same county. He preached 56 times in Devizes and more often in Frome, Melksham, Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon, where he preached 90 times each.

He preached regularly at Uley, five miles from Horsley, preaching 350 sermons there. He also preached 803 sermons in Hampton and more than four thousand in Horsley or Shortwood itself.

Further afield, in Bristol he preached 101 times at Broadmead and 28 times at the Pithay. He preached 22 times each in Portsmouth, Plymouth and Plymouth Dock. He ventured 20 times down into Cornwall and saw many converted there and was often involved in baptising converts.

He often preached in his native Wales, both in Welsh and in English. There are records of over 150 times that he preached. In 1791 he went to Ireland and preached over 30 times in the Dublin area. he also preached often in London and in many other parts of England.