Thank you everyone for your replies. As far as AI is concerned, I do not give its suggestions much credence (as yet). In fact, ordinary Google searches, but carefully crafted, tend to give better results in my opinon. However, thank you for the advice on filtering the newspaper contents. Following that advice, it appears that Up and Down the County was a series of articles
specially written for the Sentinel
The articles appeared weekly from the 24 August 1878. Unfortunately, the author still remains a mystery, as well as when the recollections were gathered. I will look up the Arnold Bennett collection to see if there's any help there. Sadly not, he would have been far too young.
My interest in the Biddulph story was particularly roused by the recollection of John Wesley visiting Biddulph, and taking a walk with William Stonier of The Hurst, and giving a sermon there. I would very much like to find out more about that, so any suggestions for where to look would be very useful as I have been researching the Stonier family of Biddulph and more information about this meeting would, I think, prove to be something well worth adding into my research.
And Hey presto:
Saturday, 21 March, 1761.- Mr. Wesley's host on this occasion was Mr. William Stonier, residing at The Hurst, in Biddulph. He was a gentleman of great respectability and wealth, chief trustee of Congleton chapel, and a zealous and laborious local preacher. He used to relate the following anecdote of Mr. Wesley. The journey from The Hurst to Congleton was performed on foot. At that time the hills over which their path lay were much more wooded than now. Divine influence had attended the word spoken on the preceding evening, while a gracious effect remained in a high degree on Wesley's own mind. This was evinced by his animated conversation. Nor did the, beautiful scenery through which they were passing escape his notice, or fail to affect his fine sense of the beauties of nature, for when he found himself in the midst of the wooded hills and valleys, he suddenly stood still, gazed upon the lovely scenery, and then, in his fine clear voice, gave out, altering the words to suit the occasion:
Break forth into singing, ye trees of the wood,
For Jesus is bringing Biddulph sinners to God.
The wonders of Google search
