Introduction

Biography

Lyth was edu­cat­ed at Mr. Heigh­am’s Aca­de­my in Don­cas­ter, Eng­land, and Pe­ter’s School in York. He was then ap­pren­ticed to a print­er and a deal­er in Hull.

Shortly af­ter his old­er bro­ther went to Fi­ji as a mis­sion­ary in 1839, Lyth be­gan serv­ing as a lay preach­er, work­ing in Col­ches­ter, Stroud, Glou­ces­ter, Dept­ford, Not­ting­ham, Ha­li­fax and Burn­ley. He seems to have done ear­ly mis­sion­ary work in Cey­lon (now Sri Lan­ka).

Later, he went to Würt­tem­berg, Ger­ma­ny, as the first Me­tho­dist mis­sion­ary to Ger­ma­ny. He was Ge­ne­ral Su­pe­ri­nten­dent of the Wes­ley­an Me­tho­dist com­mu­ni­ty there, 1859–65.

On re­turn from Ger­ma­ny, he be­gan re­gu­lar cir­cuit work in Great Bri­tain, serv­ing in Shef­field, Hull, and oth­er large towns un­til re­tir­ing in 1883.

Works

• History of Meth­od­ism in York, 1843
• Wild Flow­ers; or, a Se­lect­ion of Orig­in­al Po­et­ry, ed­it­ed by J. L., 1843