Beckside Lights

Reverend Frederick Robert Smith (1854-1917), was a Wesleyan Methodist minister who wrote popular tales of Lancashire working-class folk under the pen name John Ackworth. He was a notable author in the Lancashire dialect. Ackworth's tales while not overtly religious, adhere strictly to the beliefs, the dogmatism and the ways of life of a close-knit rural Methodist community. As a preacher, he was described as striking, original, fearless, thought-provoking, and conscience-stirring. In 1896, he ac