John Ryland, Bristol, to John Saffery, Salisbury, [Friday, 24 April 1812].

My dear Bror

   As the Association is approaching, Mrs Ryland wished me to send you a line or two respecting Betsy. I suppose we shall go to Northampton about the 17th of June and as Betsy was never there, to see her Relations, on either side, we have promised to take her with us.  We sh.d be glad therefore for her to come home about the Whitsun Week, which will be a month before hand, & w.d be very much obliged to Mr and Mrs Whitchurch if they w.d do us the favor to let Miss Whitchurch come wh her, and stay with us, till the week we go to Northampton.

   We are very much obliged to you and Mrs Saffery, as well as to Miss Mason & Miss Salter, for all your Attention to our dear Girl; and are perfectly satisfied with the pains that have been taken for her improvement; but we think it probable we shall leave her for one twelve month with her Aunt Dent, which we are persuaded you will not consider as any indication that we are in the least degree dissatisfied with her present Governess and Teachers; whom we sh.d be glad at any time to recommend to our Friends; and sh.d have had not thought of removing Betsy till she had finished her Education, but solely on acc.t of our Family Connections.

   If no other Friend sh.d be coming to Bristol, and you go by the Coach to Warminster, in your way to the Association, perhaps you can see them safe so far, and then let them come on to Bristol by themselves only giving us notice.  Or if you think the Coaches will be loaded in the Whitsun week, they might come the latter end of the week before – the week after w.d hardly leave Mrs Ryland time to get her things ready.

   It w.d be best to send her heavy Box by the Waggon, containing Books &c the rest may come with her –

     We unite in cordl Respects to yourself and Mrs Saffery, we wish she could come and see us, as we have now better room to entertain a friend than before.  Respects to Miss Mason, Miss Salter, the Miss Rylands, & Love to Betsy. Her little Nephew is very well, and grows; she will be very glad to see him I dare say – her Brors & Sisters are well, so were Frances and Mary when we heard. I am

                     Dear Sir

                                 Your cordial Bror

                                             John Ryland

Rowe has written to me about Reading, it is a great Journey, unless they were pretty sure to like one another

Text: Saffery/Whitaker Papers, acc. 142, I.A.25.(b.), Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford. Address: The Revd Mr Saffery | Salisbury. Postmark: Bristol, 24 April 1812. For a complete annotated version of this letter, see Timothy Whelan, gen. ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840 (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 6, p. 328. Ryland's daughter, Elizabeth,  was thirteen at the time and most likely still at student at Maria Saffery’s school. John Ryland’s sister, Elizabeth, married Joseph Dent of Milton, Northamptonshire. The Western Association of Particular Baptist Churches met at Frome in 1812. William Rowe would soon become the Baptist minister at Weymouth.