What is "ramshorn"

Ram \Ram\ (r[a^]m), n. [AS. ramm, ram; akin to OHG. & D. ram, Prov. G. ramm, and perh. to Icel. ramr strong.]

1. The male of the sheep and allied animals. In some parts of England a ram is called a tup.

2. (Astron.)

   1. Aries, the sign of the zodiac which the sun enters about the 21st of March.

   2. The constellation Aries, which does not now, as formerly, occupy the sign of the same name.

3. An engine of war used for butting or battering. Specifically:

   1. In ancient warfare, a long beam suspended by slings in a framework, and used for battering the walls of cities; a battering-ram.

   2. A heavy steel or iron beak attached to the prow of a steam war vessel for piercing or cutting down the vessel of an enemy; also, a vessel carrying such a beak.

4. A hydraulic ram. See under Hydraulic.

5. The weight which strikes the blow, in a pile driver, steam hammer, stamp mill, or the like.

6. The plunger of a hydraulic press. Ram's horn.

   1. (Fort.) A low semicircular work situated in and commanding a ditch. [Written also ramshorn.]
      --Farrow.

   2. (Paleon.) An ammonite.

n. A low semicircular work situated in and commanding a ditch.

The tiny hamlet of Ramsor (Methodist spelling) in North Staffordshire played a significant part in the origins of Primitive Methodism. Listed in the Domesday Book as Ramshorn, this ancient hamlet is a typical example of the depopulation of the countryside. Very little now remains of this village apart from a few farms and cottages. The Primitive Methodist Chapel is the only surviving public building.

Ramsor, spelling the name as it was pronounced, is the usual spelling in Primitive Methodist documents while Ramshorn is still the official spelling. The variant spellings will be used here to distinguish these.

Because of the importance of Ramsor in Primitive Methodism, this article
a) Sets out some background information on Ramshorn, and
b) Illustrates the place of Ramsor in Primitive Methodist history.