joseph rayner stephens (1805â1879) was a methodist minister who offended the wesleyan conference by his support for separating the church of england from the state. thumb|upright|stalybridge, and the blue plaque born in edinburgh in 1805, he moved to manchester when his minister father was posted there in 1819. during his religious career, he worked in a variety of places (including stockholm and newcastle-under-lyme) before arriving in ashton-under-lyne in 1832. his brother was the philologist george stephens following his expulsion from wesleyanism, he set up his own "stephenite" churches in ashton-under-lyne and stalybridge, and became active in the movement for factory reform. a radical supporter of chartism, though denying he was ever a chartist, he was a key figure in the movement, and was imprisoned for several months for attending an illegal meeting. a champion of the working classes of ashton-under-lyne and the surrounding areas, rayner stephens is buried in st. john's church in dukinfield with a blue plaque marking his impact upon the local area placed on the remains of stalybridge town hall, and an obelisk monument to his memory in stamford park. ==bibliography==  edwards, m.s. (1994). purge this realm â a life of joseph rayner stephens. london: epworth press ==references== ==external links== * www.thepeoplescharter.co.uk *spartacus article on joseph rayner stephens  
1805_births 1879_deaths British_Methodists People_from_Edinburgh