William Booth was born on 10th April 1829 at 12 Nottintone Place in the Nottingham suburb of Sneinton. At the age of thirteen he was apprenticed to Pawnbroker Francis Eames in Nottingham's Goose Gate. His own religious upbringing was somewhat sketchy to say the least, although his father insisted he attended church regularly for appearances sake. As a teenager he was won to the Methodists.