The Wesleyan branch of the Methodist faith established their chapel in Downham Market in 1810, prior to this the region had been included within the large Bury St Edmunds & Colchester Circuit. The Downham Market circuit not only served the market town but also a wide area of western Norfolk including a large part of Fenland. Indeed the circuit at times included parts of what is now Cambridgeshire.

The records were deposited in two phases, pre-1837 registers were deposited at the National Archives and a copy of this register filmed on Microfilm MF1147 was used for that portion of the transcript. As will be noted this register was poorly kept with some years not stated. The bulk of the transcript, however, was prepared from the deposit with the Norfolk Record Office of post-1837 records. This deposit was transcribed from Microfilm MF 1778, a very recent filming and of excellent clarity.

Subject to the vagaries of hand-writing the entries were generally legible and it is to be hoped not too many errors will have occurred with the compilation of this transcript.