“I labor in the vineyard night and day and the Lord labors with me.— There has been between one and two hundred baptized in this place since we came; and Elder Kimball is now a laboring about 15 miles from this place where he has raised a small church, and I do not know but that it is a large one by this time.” — Orson Hyde¹

Preston, England, located on the River Ribble about 216 miles northwest of London, was an industrial center with a population of about 33,000 in 1831 and 35,000 in 1841. The first Latter-day Saint mission to England was established there in 1837, with missionary efforts focused on Preston and its surrounding areas.² The missionaries, including Heber C. Kimball (who presided over the mission), Orson Hyde, and Joseph Fielding, arrived in Preston following a prompting from the Spirit. They found support in James Fielding, a preacher who allowed them to preach from his pulpit at Vauxhall Chapel. The missionaries' arrival coincided with an election day, and they were encouraged by a campaign banner proclaiming "truth shall prevail," which bolstered their faith and enthusiasm for their mission.³

1. Elders’ Journal, November 1837, josephsmithpapers.org

2. “Preston, England,” josephsmithpapers.org

3. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 24, 281-282; “Kimball, Heber Chase,” josephsmithpapers.org; “Hyde, Orson,” josephsmithpapers.org