A small evangelical Methodist denomination. "The Independent Methodists have their roots in the eighteenth century revival. Their first churches came into being in the north-west of England and met together for the first time in 1806 at Manchester. Annual Meetings and exchange of preachers constituted the only tangible link between the churches for many years. Of the early leading figures, the most prominent was Peter Phillips of Warrington; he is generally regarded as the denomination’s founding father. By trade he was a chairmaker, but as an unpaid minister and preacher he travelled a wide area of the country and was instrumental in the affiliation of many churches to the Connexion during a period of over 50 years." IMC website.