Thomas Wright, Bristol, to William Wood, Leeds, 4 June 1789.

Rev Sir,

        It gives me great pleasure to find that a Spirit of activity & Christian charity is operating among P Dissenters of different Denoms in various parts of the kingdom.  I hope it will become general, & flatter myself that it will be productive of much good to the Interest of Liberty & pure religion.  The Resolutions of the Ministers of the W R of York with wch you favoured me (& my Brethren of this place) were very agreeable to our sentiments, and had the Subject of addressing been proposed earlier I apprehend it wd have been adopted.   The Dissenters of this Town were then concerting measures to enable their brethren in those parts to act in conjunction on the present & any future occasion for their common benefit.  With this view & the principal steps they are taking this paper will acquaint you.  But I beg leave to point out & recommend to your particular notice one circumstance which I think of great Importance towards obtain[ing] our object on this or any other occasion viz.  that our Chairman is a lay Gentleman – that such are appointed by every Congregation to act in connexion with their Ministers.  As they are more immediately affected by the Corporation & Test Acts than Ministers, and it is natural for them to exert themselves to obtain their repeal, so their exertions may be supposed, on various accounts, to have the greatest influence whereas if they be silent & the affair be left to Ministers it may be plausibly insinuated by people in power, that our Gentlemen in general are indifferent about our concerns & Ministers alone solicitous for their welfare.

                I am Sir with great respect

                        Yr affectionate Bror & obliged Servt

                                    Thos Wright

Bristol 4th June 1789

When you see Mr Bowden be so good as to present my Compts to him

Text: Test Acts Papers, no. 13 (b), Unitarian Collection, UCC 3/6/6, John Rylands University Library of Manchester.