Protestant Dissenting Associations

Printed copy of The Case of the Protestant Dissenters with Reference to the Test and Corporation Acts (London, 1787).

Printed copy of “The Report of the Committee appointed to conduct the Application to Parliament, for the Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts.”

MS. report from Jeffries about a meeting of Protestant Dissenters at Chelmsford, Essex, on 31 March 1789 and submitted on 7 April.

Printed copy of the resolutions passed at the “Annual Meeting of the Protestant Dissenting Ministers held at Dudley in Worcestershire, and attended by Ministers from Warwickshire, and other neighboring Counties, on Tuesday, June 2, 1789,” signed by William Wood, the Chair.

Printed copy of the resolutions passed at a “Meeting of Protestant Dissenting Ministers, residing in the Counties of Northumberland and Durham, and in the Town and County of Newcastle upon Tyne, held at Newcastle on Tuesday, June 9, 1789,” signed by Charles Toshach, moderator.

Printed copy of the resolutions passed at a “General Meeting of the Protestant Dissenting Ministers, of the Three Denominations, in the County of Worcester, and of Deputies from the Congregations, held in the city of Worcester, June 24, 1789,” Joseph Gummer, Chair.

Printed copy of the resolutions passed at the initial meeting of Dissenting Ministers from Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and a part of Yorkshire, signed by  George Walker at Alfreton, 25 June 1789, and sent to Wood.

Printed copy of a report from Jeffries in London to the various county committees, dated 26 July 1789, presenting the activities and resolutions of the “Second Report” of the London Committee which met on 18 June 1789. 

Printed letter of the proceedings of the initial meeting of the Protestant Dissenting Ministers for the county of Gloucester, which met at Gloucester on 31 July 1789, signed by R[ichard]. Chandler, chairman, and sent to Wood.

Printed letter of “a numerous meeting of Protestant Dissenting Ministers of the the three denominations in the West Riding of Yorkshire, held at Leeds, August  13, 1789,” William Wood, chairman.

Printed letter from a Meeting of the Delegates from the several Congregations of Protestant Dissenters at Devizes, in the County of Wiltshire, on 14 September 1789, at the Bear Inn, Benjamin Hobhouse, chairman.  

Printed copy of the resolutions sent to Wood from the initial meeting at Taunton of the Dissenting Ministers in the county of Somerset, 23 September 1789, William Hawker, chairman.

Printed letter of resolutions, sent to Wood, from a “Meeting of Delegates from Congregations of the several Denominations of Protestant Dissenters in the County of Devon” on 1 October 1789, Samuel Milford, chairman.

Printed copy of the resolutions from the initial meeting of the Protestant Dissenting ministers in Dorset, held at Dorchester, 14 October 1789, William Blake, Esq. , chairman, sent to Rev. Moorhouse at Huddersfield, along with a note by Blake to Wood, signed and dated 15 October 1789.

Printed announcement of the resolutions from a “Meeting of Deputies from the seven Congregations of the three Denominations of Dissenters, in Birmingham, held at the Hotel, in Birmingham,” 14  October 1789, William Russell, Esq., chairman, along with a printed letter by Russell to Wood, 15 October 1789.

Printed resolutions from a meeting of the West Riding committee of York at Wakefield, 11 November 1789, Thomas Grove, chairman, with Turner, Fawcett, Deane, Parsons, Langdon, and Wood present.  Also a copy of a printed letter to Wilberforce, undated [but apparently written on the 14th, from the committee and signed by William Wood, now acting as secretary.

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee for Nottingham, 24 November 1789, George Walker, chairman, along with a copy sent to Wood.  

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee for Northampton, 26 November 1789, William Hanbury, chairman.

Newspaper clipping of meeting of ministers at Stowmarket, 1 December 1789.

Printed copy of the letter recommending the Plan of Union suggested by the Birmingham committee; also a copy of Walker’s letter to the Leicester District Committee on 8 December 1789 approving the proposed Plan of Union [previously cited]; also a newspaper clipping of the resolutions from the Committee meeting at Liverpool, 19 January 1790, Arthur Heywood, Jun. Esq., chairman.

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee at Leicester for 9 December 1789.

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee for Nottingham, 9 December 1789, George Walker, chairman.  The resolutions are followed by a printed letter recommending the Plan of Union.  On this printed copy is a manuscript letter by Walker to Wood, undated.

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee for Manchester, 10 December 1789, John Mitchell, chairman.

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee for Bolton-Le-Moors, Lancashire, 17 December 1789, James Darbishire, Chairman.    Attached is a manuscript letter by John Holland, Unitarian minister at Bolton, to Wood, 29 December 1789.

Announcement on 18 December 1789 of an upcoming meeting of the committee for West-Riding of Yorkshire at Leeds.

Printed resolutions from the 14 October meeting at Birmingham, along with a report of their meeting on 26 December 1789, and a copy of the letter sent by the Nottingham committee to the committee at Leicester on 9 December 1789 by George Walker.

John Holland, Unitarian minister at Bolton, to William Wood, Leeds, 29 December 1789. Letter is on the back of the printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee for Bolton-Le-Moors, Lancashire, 17 December 1789, James Darbishire, Chairman.  

MS. note announcing decision by Nottingham committee to send Walker to confer with the committee from West-Riding at Wakefield on 30 December 1789.

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee for West-Riding which met at Wakefield, 30 December 1789, Pemberton Milnes, chairman. 

Printed announcement for a meeting of the Protestant Dissenting Ministers and Lay Deputies from congregations in the West-Riding, held at Wakefield on 30 December 1789, Pemberton Milnes, Esq., as Chair.

Printed letter from the clergy of Leeds and the West-Riding country, responding to a resolution passed by the committee of the West-Riding Dissenters at Wakefield, 30 December 1789, seeking support from the clergy in the repeal effort and “friends” of repeal. 

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee for Warrington, 6 January 1790, Samuel Gaskell, chairman, along with a note by Gaskell to Wood informing him that he has sent these resolutions.

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee for London, 6 January 1790, Edward Jeffries, chairman, announcing to the County meetings that they will introduce another petition in the upcoming parliament. 

Printed resolutions of the meeting of the committee “appointed by the General Body of Protestant Dissenting Ministers, of the Three Denominations, in the Counties of Lancaster and Chester,” held at  Manchester, 6 January 1790, Thomas Barnes, chairman.

Newspaper clippings from Lancashire of a letter to the editor by James Darbishire, chairman of the Lancashire committee, from Bolton-Le-Moors.  

Printed copy of the resolutions from the Committee meeting of the Midlands District at Leicester, 13 January 1790, Samuel Shore, Jun. Esq. chairman.  

Printed letter of resolutions from the Leicester District meeting of 13 January 1790, Thomas Arnold, chairman.  Attached are four newspaper clippings, two letters  probably to the Bury Post, one by “A member of the Church of England”; others by “freeholders” of Suffolk, to the clergy and to the editor; and one to the Bury Post by “A Dissenter on Principle.”  All of these letters concern the repeal debate.

MS. report [in Wood’s hand] of the meeting for West Riding at Wakefield on 26 January 1790, with Revds Ashworth, Turner, Wood, Fawcett, Langdon, and Parsons and a few others present.

Printed announcement for a meeting of the Dissenters at Worcester,  27 January 1790, with Nicholas Pearsall, Esq. in the chair, and Samuel Kenrick as Secretary; MS. letter from Samuel Kenrick, Bewdley, to William Wood, Leeds, 18 February 1790.

Printed announcement for a “Meeting of Protestant Dissenters, of the three denominations, within this city,” held at Chester, 27 January 1790, William Boult, chair.  Also a newspaper clipping of the meeting at Blackburn on 1 February 1790, John Parker, Chair, in which they announce that they have chosen delegates to attend the District meeting for Lancaster and Chester, at Warrington, on February 4th.

MS. report [in Wood’s hand] of a meeting of the General Committee of Protestant Dissenters in the West Riding, held at Wakefield 28 January 1790, Samuel Walker, chairman.

Printed copy of “Facts and Observations respecting the Corporation and Test Acts.”  10 reasons why the Test Acts are wrong.

Printed announcement for a meeting of the Dissenters at Trowbridge, 2 February 1790, for the county of Wiltshire, with Benjamin Hobhouse, Esq. as chair, and John Moggridge as the other delegate to London.

Printed circular titled Constitution against Innovation. Also a printed copy of the resolutions of the meeting of the clergy at the Hotel in Manchester, 3 February 1790, concerning their rejection of the validity of a repeal, signed by Edward Place, chairman.

Printed copy of a notice of Protest by concerned citizens of Manchester concerning the way the meeting of 3 February was handled by the authorities, essentially disrupting and dismissing a legal and law-abiding  meeting.

Printed announcement for a meeting of “Deputies from the Congregations of Protestant Dissenters” at Warrington, for the counties of Lancaster and Chester, on 4 February 1790, with Thomas Cooper in the chair.

Printed sheet about the Manchester meeting, entitled “A Dialogue between A respectable Farmer, not versed in the Merits of the Hotel Contention, and a Town’s Gentleman of minuter Information,” dated 6 February 1790, from Manchester. 

Printed announcement for a meeting of the Dissenters at Taunton, for Somerset, on 11 February 1790, with William Hawker as chair and Joshua Toulmin as a delegate and secretary. 

Printed announcement of a meeting at York on 15 February 1790 of the Clergy of the Archdeaconry, chaired by Henry Zouch [sent by Willliam Wood to Mr. W. Walker at the London Coffee House].

Printed announcement from Gloucester, 17 February 1790, concerning a meeting of Dissenters at Booth-Hall to discuss a proposal by Richard Bright of Bristol that a district should be formed with Bristol, Monmouth, Somerset and Wiltshire, and to meet at Bristol on February 23, Richard Chandler, Chairman; with attached letter from John Tremlett, Gloucester, to William Wood, Leeds, 19 February 1790.

Newspaper clippings from February 1790.

Printed announcement of a meeting of the Dissenters at  Bristol, 23 February 1790.

Printed announcement for a meeting of the Dissenters for the County of Durham in Northumberland, 24 February 1790. Attached is a letter from William Turner, Jun., Newcastle, to William Walker, Esq., Leeds (on behalf of an absent Wood, who has already gone to London to lobby for the vote), 28 February 1790.

Printed notice of a meeting of the London Committee with the delegates from the Country, at the King’s-Head Tavern, in the Poultry, on Thursday, 4 March 1790.

Plan for allocating the 42 country delegates, created by the London Committee after their meeting at the Poultry on 4 March 1790. 

Printed letter “To the Inhabitants of the Town and Neighbourhood of Bury,” from “A Member of the Church of England,” dated Sunday Evening, 7 March 1790, from Bury.

Report of the Committee for West Riding, Yorkshire, meeting at Leeds, 21 April 1790.

Printed Announcement of a meeting at Trowbridge for Wiltshire district, 11 May 1790, with Benjamin Hobhouse as Chair; also a manuscript letter from J. H. Moddridge, Bradford, to William Wood, Leeds, 18 May 1790.

Letter from Yorkshire Dissenters, Pickering, 12 May 1790, to William Wood, Leeds. 

Printed notice by Edward Jeffries of a meeting of the London Committee at Dr. Williams’s Library, 13 May 1790, announcing the proposed plan of union and the dispersal of the 42 country delegates by counties and districts.

Printed announcement of the meeting at Leeds on 19 May 1790, with Robert Wylde Moult, Esq. as chair.

Printed notice of the meeting at Warrington for the counties of Lancaster and Chester on 20 May 1790, Thomas Cooper as Chair.

Printed notice of meeting of the Midland District at Nottingham, 17 June 1790, William Russell, chair.

Printed notice of the Bristol meeting for Gloucester, Somerset and Monmouth, held at the Charity School in Stokes-croft, 25 August 1790, and sent to Wood, with Richard Bright as chair.

MS. report of the meeting of the Delegates of the Protestant Dissenters in London and the Counties, 24 February 1791, Michael Dodson, Chair.

Printed document entitled “The Case of the English Catholic Dissenters” [1791]. 

Printed document, “We whose Names are hereunto Subscribed, Catholics of England, do freely, voluntarily, and of our own Accord, make the following Solemn Declaration and Protestation” [1791].

Printed copy of the Heads of a Bill, “To Relieve, upon conditions and under Restriction, Persons called Protesting Catholic Dissenters from certain Penalties and Disabilities to which Papists, or Persons professing the Popish Religion, are by Law subject” [1791]. 

Printed notice of a meeting of the Midland district for 2 March 1791 in Birmingham, with Russell as Chair; also a MS. letter from J. H. Moggridge, Bradford, to William Wood, Leeds, 15 April 1791; printed notice of meeting at Trowbridge, 8 April 1791.

Letter from Rotherham committee, dated 8 June 1791, signed by Mr. Robert Moult, Samuel Walker, Thomas Grove, and William Allard, reporting to the West Riding Committee concerning the creation of a depository for Dissenting church records in Yorkshire.

Printed notice of a meeting for the West Riding at Bank-Top, near Barnsley, 23 June 1791, Watson Scatcherd, Esq. as Chair.

Printed notice from the West Riding Committee meeting at Wakefield, 1 September 1791, Watson Scathcherd, Chair; also a printed notice, “An Address from the three denominations of Protestant Dissenters in Great Yarmouth, to their Brethren of the Establishment,” signed by Samuel Hurry, Chairman.

MS. list of the representatives from the provincial committees to the general committee in London [1791].  

Printed copy of the letter mentioned above (see fol. 121 [e]) by Heywood, “To the Protestant Dissenters of the Town and Neighbourhood of Birmingham, who suffered from the Riots which happened in the month of July last,” by the General committee in London, signed by Edward Jeffries, Chairman, from King’s Head, Poultry, London, 1 February 1792.

Printed notice of the meeting of Protestant Dissenters for the county of Worcester at Kidderminster, 9 May 1792, signed by S. Kenrick of Bewdley [a Unitarian banker], with a copy of “Address to the Members of the Established Church.” 

Printed notice of a meeting of the Protestant Dissenters in London at the King’s Head Tavern, Poultry, on 30 May 1792, of an “Address to the Protestant Dissenters of England and Wales,” signed by M. Dodson, Chairman (see Test Acts Papers, no. 110). 

Printed notice of a meeting of the Protestant Dissenters meeting at the King’s Head Tavern, Poultry, London, on 29 May 1793, William Smith, chair, consisting of “Address to the Protestant Dissenters of England and Wales,” signed by Smith.