Benjamin Ingham, the Yorkshire evangelist, joined the Methodist movement in Oxford in the 1730s. He worked closely with the Wesley brothers initially, but later joined the German religious sect known as the Moravians. He preached extensively in Yorkshire and Lancashire forming many local societies, but leaving others to consolidate them. His societies in Yorkshire and Lancashire were transferred to the Moravians in 1742. After 12 years of association, 80 congregations, following Ingham's personal lead, separated from the Moravians and henceforth were known as Inghamites. Though the congregations were practically independent churches, they regarded Ingham as their head. The influence of the views of Robert Sandeman in the 1760s led to fragmentation of the Inghamite movement and most of the churches became Methodist. Not more than 13 congregations, including Kendal Pear Tree Chapel, remained loyal to Ingham. The movement continued after Ingham's death in 1772, but entered a period of slow decline.
The catalogues for records for these particular churches, Kendal (Pear Tree Chapel) reference WDFCI 1 and microfilm, and Warcop (Birks Chapel) reference WDFCI 2 on microfilm, held at Kendal Archive Centre, are not yet available online. Please contact Kendal Archive Centre for more details.