4th December 2008
The biography of William Hopkins Pearce (1795-1832), founder of Baptist Mission Press, Calcutta, has been enlarged to include material from 'Memoirs of Rev. W. H. Pearce' by Rev. William Yates, Baptist Mission Press, 1841, at the Carey Library and Research Centre, Serampore. In an obituary in the 'Friend of India', 1832, John Clark Marshman writes: 'Speaking then of our deceased brother in the language of historic truth and sincerity, we would say that of all the Missionaries sent out by the Society he appeared to us to approach the nearest to the three illustrious men who planted Christian Missions in these regions, in his power of creating, combining and sustaining a system, the influence of which should affect the future destiny of society; though; in our humble judgment, he wanted their comprehensiveness of views.'
Material from Yates's biography is reproduced with the kind permission of the Principal of Serampore College.
Page 1. Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. Page 5. Postscript page 6.
Links to these pages can be found on the 'Miscellaneous 1.'. page.
9th October 2008
Scans of a memoir and a letter from Rev. William Robinson dated 15th April 1806, on board the 'Benjamin Franklin', have been added to the notes section of Chapter 12, courtesy of Melanie Tucker, whose husband is a descendant of Rev. William Robinson.22nd September 2008
NEWS
A decision has been made to create a new site called www.williamward.net. The name wmward.org has always been difficult to pass on verbally and, even when spelt out, has proved difficult to remember. The alternative of williamward.org is unavailable. The existing site will be re-designed over the next 6 months and all the files will be transferred to the new domain name and server space. However, the old domain name and server space will continue for the next year and when the new one comes into operation all visitors to the old site will be directed to the new one. The new re-designed site will include new material about Ward's early years in England.15th September 2008
NEWS
Contact is made, for the first time, with Susan Sharp, a direct descendant of William Ward.
Dr. Joanna Fountain of Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand, a descendant of William Ward's stepson, John Fountain, some months ago very kindly offered to research William Ward's family tree. As a result of her hard work his ancestors and descendants are now known. Contacts are continuing and the information will be posted on this site in the near future.19th June 2008
virtualserampore.org
A new web site has just been created, the result of a trip to Serampore and Calcutta in April, which sets out to visually take the web visitor around all the important surviving places associated with the 'Serampore Story', in the form of Flash slide shows and an image library.27th March 2008
William Hopkins Pearce (1794-1840) and Anna Pearce (1795-1832). A brief biography of W. H. Pearce, the founder (in 1818) of Baptist Mission Press, Calcutta. Pearce was the son of Rev. Samuel Pearce of Cannon Street Baptist Chapel, Birmingham. His sister, Anna, also went out to India and married Dr. William Carey's youngest son, Jonathan, a Calcutta solicitor. Anna and Jonathan's grandson, S. Pearce Carey, was Dr. William Carey's celebrated biographer.
This has been inserted on the 'Miscellaneous 1.'.27th March 2008
A page has been created called 'Miscellaneous 4.' to include material from the Derby Mercury, especially during William Ward's editorship. This will give a vivid insight into the challenging and dangerous times for those who supported the Reform of Parliament, the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and especially the the French Revolution.
The first page contains 'Articles of Special Interest.'
Reproduced courtesy Derby Local Studies Library.20th March 2008
The Strutt Family. The Strutts were a Derby family of dissenting mill owners. With their enlightened and common sense christian views on the reform of politics, the Abolition of Slavery, the importance of education, the well being of their employees, and many other subjects were a profound influence on the young William Ward during his time as editor of the Derby Mercury. Ward worked with William Strutt, particularly, in the Derby Society for Political Information. William Strutt distributed copies of Paine's 'Rights of Man' to his workers.
This has been inserted on the 'Miscellaneous 1.'11th March 2008
'John Thelwall, a Pioneer of Democracy and Social Reform in England during the French Revolution.' By Charles Cestre, Swan & Sonnenschein & Co, 1906.
These pages have been inserted on the 'Digital Library 2.' page.
Pages from a biography of John Thelwall which cover the period of his visit to Derby in 1797 and give a brief background to the events. Also inserted is the concluding chapter which illustrates his motives and achievements.
Courtesy Sheffield University.'The Annual Register, or a View of the History, Politics, and Literature. For the year 1797.'
published by F. C. and J. Rivington, 62 St. Paul's Church-Yard, & 3 Waterloo-Place, Pall Mall.
This has been inserted on the 'Digital Library 2.' page.
The entry for 20th March 1797 regarding the riot at the Baptist Chapel, Agard Street, during a meeting held by John Thelwall.10th March 2008
'The Centenary Manual with Historical Review, of Trinity Baptist Church, Green Hill, Derby'. January 1896.
This booklet has been inserted on the 'Digital Library 2.' page.
The Agard Street Particular Baptist Chapel was purchased by the Great Northern Railway Company in 1876 for £3,000 and a railway viaduct was built in its place. The congregation built a new church on Green Lane and called it Trinity Baptist Church. In the 1890's the then minister, the Rev. William Harris, was looking into the history of the church in order to celebrate its centenary. His best researches came up with January 1796 as the date of the church's birth, and the celebrations went ahead accordingly.
This copy of the Centenary Manual has been very kindly provided by Margaret Williams, Curator of the Carey Heritage Museum at Moulton.9th March 2008
'From Krishna Pal to Lal Behari Dey: Indian Builders of the Church in India or Native Agency in Bengal 1800-1880'
Here is a link to an external web page that may be of interest to visitors. The page reproduces a paper written by Dr. Eleanor Jackson, the former Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at Derby University's Multi-Faith Centre. The paper was published in 2000 and gives an informed and interesting view of Krishna Pal. It also reflects on the relationship between the Senior Brethren at Serampore and the Junior Brethren who created the new mission at Lower Circular Road, Calcutta.
7th March 2008
'The MARTYRDOME of JOAN WASTE, a blinde Woman in the Towne of Darbie',
from Foxes 'Book of Martyrs' first published in 1563.
The page on Joan Waste has been inserted on the 'Miscellaneous 1.'
In 1536 Henry VIII published the Great Bible. This was the first official Bible translated into English. For the first time Englishmen could freely read the Bible in their own language. The story illustrates the dangers this new found freedom brought when successive monarchs enforced their own religious views on the population. This was not resolved until William and Mary came to the throne in 1688 in what came to be known as the Glorious Revolution. In 1788 the country celebrated the centenary of the Glorious Revolution, but reactionary forces in England confused this support for republicanism. The French Revolution which was happening at this time. William Ward was much affected by the ensueing wave of political hysteria.
Extract reproduced with the kind permission of Derby Local Studies Library.6th March 2008
'THE DERBYSHIRE REFORM SOCIETIES, 1791-1793', by E. Fearn, Derbyshire Archaeological Journal, Volume LXXXVIII, 1968. A valuable insight into the pioneering Derby political reform society with which William Ward was associated in the early 1790's. The 'parent society' referred to by John Clark Marshman was the London Corresponding Society.
This article has been inserted on the new 'Digital Library 2.' page.
Reproduced with the kind permission of the Derbyshire Archaeological Society.