Piggott, Henry James - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IX, p. 886

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

PIGGOTT, HENRY JAMES. - Founder of American Methodism in Italy, b. at Lowestoft (England) on 18 July 1831, d. at Rome on 30 Nov. 1917. Educated at the Wesleyan school of Kingswood, he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the University of London in 1848.

Ordained a minister, he was entrusted with opening the Methodist mission in Italy. In 1861 he settled at Ivrea with the apostate Lissolo; in 1862 he moved to Milan and visited various cities in Lombardy. In 1866 he established at Padua the centre of the Wesleyan Methodist mission, which he transferred to Rome in 1872. A man of extraordinary activity, he founded many Methodist stations, the orphanage at Intra, the Wesleyan theological school, and two propaganda journals, which preceded the Risveglio. A promoter of apostate priests, he always displayed great incomprehension towards the Catholic Church. For the instruction of the pupils of his International College he wrote a Breve storia del metodismo (Padua 1868).

BIBL.: T. C. Piggott, Life and Letters of H. J. P., London 1921; G. G. Findlay-W. W. Holdsworth, The history of the wesleyan methodist Missionary Society, 5 vols., London 1922, passim; C. Crivelli, I protestanti in Italia, 2 vols., Isola del Liri 1936-38, passim.