John Collett Ryland, Northampton, to Mr. Charrier, Teacher of the French Language at the Royal Academy, Portsmouth, 4 December 1782.

Dear Mr. Charrier

  In Portsmouth Town on the Point you will find a worthy Man and a Christian Mr Pearsan attorney at Law  ask him to introduce you to some good People.

  Mr Thomas Whitewood Glazier to his Majesty. he will introduce you to Mr Wichell, to the Revr Mr Tuppen and Revd Mr Cox with other kind Christians

  As I believe you love Christ they will be glad of your Company and to Mr and Mrs Howard at the Ladies Boarding School [Lake?]. Mrs Whitewood will also introduce you. The Lord Jesus bless you for ever and ever I am 

                                                      Your cordial Friend

                                                                        John Ryland

December 4. 1782

Text: Eng. MS. 371, fol. 106, John Rylands University Library of Manchester. Jacques Samuel Charrier was a French Master at the Academy at Portsea, Hants. In October 1782, two months before the date of this letter, John Collett Ryland had been in Portsmouth to assist in the formation of a second Baptist church, located in White’s Row. Those forming this new church had previously been members of Joshua Horsey’s congregation on Portsmouth Common, Meeting-house Alley. Henry Dawson, who had been recommended by Ryland, became the initial pastor of the new congregation, but he was replaced in 1785 by Peter Edwards. Dawson would also minister briefly at Tuthill Stairs in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Others mentioned above include some attorneys in Portsea and Thomas Whitewood, a Baptist stationer in Portsmouth; also Thomas Whichell, Drawing Master, Academy at Portsea, and Thomas Tuppen (1742-90), a follower of Whitefield who preached in chapels in Portsea and Bath, 1768-90.  See “Calendar of Letters,” Baptist Quarterly 6 (1932-33), 180; P. Ridoutt, The Early Baptist History of Portsmouth  (Landport: G. Chamberlain, 1888), 32-44, 60-61; History of Bewick Street Baptist Church: A Lecture Delivered by John Bradburn, before the Bewick Street Mutual Improvement Society, on January 18th, 1883 (Newcastle-on-Tyne: J. Bell, 1883), 5; Universal British Directory, 4: 203; Arthur S. Langley, “Baptist Ministers in England about 1750 A.D,” Transactions of the Baptist Historical Society 6 (1918-19), 143; Periodical Accounts Relative to the Baptist Missionary Society, 6 vols. (Clipston: J. W. Morris; London: Burdett and Morris, 1800-1817), 2: 210.