Printed letter by Samuel Fletcher, Little-Lever (delegate from the Independent congregation in Bolton to the meeting at Warrington), to Thomas Plumbe, Esq., chairman of the Bolton Committee, 27  February 1790.

[Here Fletcher announces his decision to separate from the committee because of the resolutions passed at that meeting and some of the statements made by the Unitarian delegates during the meeting, especially Harry Toulmin and Thomas Cooper.] 

Sir,

        Being delegated from the Independent Congregation in Bolton, to attend a Meeting at Warrington, the 4th inst. of Dissenters of different denominations: – I think in justice to myself as a Christian, to the congregation of which I am a member, and to my country as a subject, whose constitution I revere, to inform you (and I leave it to your option to publish this letter) that I, as an individual, do declare against the proceedings of that meeting.  Had they nothing further in view, than the bare repeal of the penal parts of the Test and Corporation Acts, and that for conscience sake, – I, with other Independents, would go hand in hand with them; but that they have. – For the Information of the public in general, and the Church of which I am a member in particular, I here lay before you (to the best of my recollection) what passed at that meeting, which caused us to separate from them, before the Resolutions which are published were agreed to.

        After repeated attempts to know the steps they meant to take, or if their views went any further than the bare repeal of the penal parts of those Acts: the answer from the Chairman was, ‘That it was neither reasonable nor scriptural to make them known,’ using our Saviour’s words,  –  ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now,’ – and added (after having heard the further sentiments of the respective Delegates from the Independents and Anabaptists) ‘that if that were all they were then met for, he would not give the nip of straw for the repeal.’ After which, a Mr. T – --n [Harry Toulmin], a neighbouring Minister, rose up, and said, ‘Their intentions were to remove the Liturgy from the Church, and abolish the Tithes.’ These with their refusing the Independents and Anabaptists an equal number of representatives at the general meeting in London, and not approving our method for obtaining the repeal which was wished to be done by supplication, and not by claiming it as a right, were the reasons for myself, with several other Delegates, for entirely withdrawing ourselves from their further meetings and associations.

                        I am, Sir,

                                        Your humble Servant,

                                                                        Samuel Fletcher.

Little-Lever, Feb. 27th, 1790.

St. John, xvi. 12.

Text: Test Acts Papers, no. 89, Unitarian Collection, UCC 3/6/6, John Rylands University Library of Manchester.