William Hopkins Pearce was born in Birmingham on 14th January, 1794. His father, Rev. Samuel Pearce, was minister of the Particular Baptist Chapel, Cannon Street Birmingham. Samuel was also one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary Society and a bosom friend of William Ward.

In December, 1798, Samuel Pearce was taken ill. William Ward proceeded from Ewood Hall, Yorkshire, to Cannon Street, Birmingham, to fill the pulpit at Samuel's particular request. The stay extended to early March 1799 when Ward had to leave to prepare for his journey to India.

Samuel Pearce's fifth baby arrived in March of that year, but, after giving birth, his wife's life was in grave danger. For days her life hung in the balance. All the children, except the baby, were stricken with the fever. Samuel Pearce was unable to attend Ward's ordination and farewell at Olney on 7th May, 1799. Exhaustion from his labours meant he did not survive long after Ward's departure. He died on 10th October, 1799.

The five-year-old William Pearce was, on his father's death, immediately adopted by Rev. William Nichols, of Collingham, Nottinghamshire. In 1803 William's mother spoke of the Nichols "unbounded tenderness and attention". In 1804, at the age of ten, he saw his mother die. In 1810 his oldest sister Louisa also died. Such a cumulation of tragic family bereavements "led him to the Bible as his only refuge".

The young William was placed by Rev. Nichols in Mr. Goodacre's school 'which was the best seminary in the place'. On Sundays he used to accompany Rev. Nichols to Arnold, just north of Nottingham, where Rev. Nichols preached.

It was decided that William should attend Bristol Baptist College under Rev. Dr. Ryland 'and with the exception of sermonizing went through the regular course of four years studies'. He realised that his voice, 'which was rather weak, and his utterances rapid' was an insuperable obstacle to his intention of becoming an English teacher.

In March 1809 William's elder sister died.

While at Bristol Baptist College an incident happened which was to determine the course of the rest of his life.

'While at Dr. Ryland's, Mr. Collingwood, the printer to the University of Oxford, paid the family a visit, and while sitting in the study a youth came singing into the study with a book in his hand, and having placed it on the shelf and taken another, went out as blithe and gay as he had entered. Mr. C. was struck with the appearance of the youth and with his good temper and cheerfulness, and was led to make enquiries respecting him. The precise circumstances in which he was placed were related to him, and they induced him, although he had before made up his mind not to take another apprentice, to signify to the guardians, if they thought it right for him, to enter on the business of printer, that he would gladly take him under his own care and instruction. All agreed.'

William Pearce moved from Bristol to Oxford and was 'placed in the family of Mr. Collingwood.' He stayed there for two or three years. 'His master was all that could be desired as scholar, a gentleman and a Christian; and the Clarendon Press afforded every advantage calculated to fit him for that extensive sphere of usefulness which he was destined to fill in India.'

The Clarendon Press was the learned press (the Bible press was quite separate) and it had many important visitors. Mr. Collingwood wrote to him many years later saying, "It occurs to me while writing, that Mr. Canning, who is going out as Governor General of British India, once had some conversations with you at the Clarendon Press, and I afterward learnt from good authority, that he was highly impressed in your favour."

Mr. Collingwood's eldest daughter influenced Pearce to read the Bible and other religious books every day. It was in Oxford that his religious views became fixed. He writes: 'After hearing a very impressive sermon from Mr. Price from the words 'Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.' I resolved, as in the presence of God, and by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, to devote myself to his service.'

Pearce was baptized into the church in Oxford by 'a fellow-student of his father's', Rev. Chas. Hinton, on Sunday 24th October, 1813, with six others, and requested membership of the Oxford Church. He was soon "panting for the privilege of preaching Christ to India". His enquiries were directed to Andrew Fuller and Dr. Ryland. He also wrote to Serampore but having had no definite news he returned to Birmingham.

Mr. Collingwood was anxious about William's plans knowing his extreme weakness of constitution.

Pearce established a good printing business on the High Street, Birmingham. Amongst other things he won the contract to print books for the Committee of the Baptist Missionary Society through Black, Parbury and Allen, booksellers to the East India Company. In 1817 he printed the English edition of William Ward's 'History, Literature and Religion of the Hindoos'.

On 3rd April, 1817, William Pearce married Martha Blakemore, the second daughter of a pious and respectable Birmingham merchant.

According to William Yates, 'He had, while at Birmingham the fairest prospects of establishing himself and of being useful in the church over which his father had presided; but when intelligence was received from Mr. Ward of Serampore, signifying how happy he should be to receive the son of his beloved friend Samuel Pearce, and to have him as his companion and assistant in printing the Scriptures, Tracts, etc. he renounced all other prospects for the purpose of devoting his life to the important objects; and it is believed, would have done so, even had those prospects been a thousand times more flattering.'

Pearce wrote to a friend soon after 'I hasten to inform you that, after a very pleasant discussion in the Committee this morning, they had determined unanimously that we should be sent out by the first conveyance we shall choose; that a committee of our Birmingham friends shall be appointed to see our possessing everything we need; and that Mrs. Ward and her family shall be invited to accompany us, if they can make it convenient.'

At the age of twenty-three, on 7th May, 1817, he set sail with his new wife for Serampore. Accompanying the Pearce's on the voyage was Mrs. Ward, who, having been sent to England in the summer of 1815 by her medical advisor, was returning to Serampore much restored, with her elder daughter Hannah. During the voyage Pearce 'suffered considerably from violent headaches, occasioned by the motion of the vessel.'

Pearce wrote to Eustace Carey on 21st August 1817 from off the Western Reef. 'I am a passenger with my dear wife, (late Miss Martha Blakemore, of Birmingham and acquainted with your esteemed Mrs C.) and Mrs. Ward, and Hannah and John Fountain on board the 'Ganges', Capt. Chapman, from Liverpool to Calcutta direct. We left England May 7th, and saw Ceylon August 11th, and of course have been at sea only 15 weeks. You have heard, I suppose, of my appointment in January to assist Mr. Ward in the Printing-office at Serampore; -- and if I live longer than he, to succeed him.'

John Clark Marshman writes: 'A son of Rev Samuel Pearce would have been welcomed with delight at any time by his father's former associates Carey and Ward, but this feeling was qualified in no small degree by the peculiar circumstances connected with his appearance.

Fuller had been careful to inform outgoing missionaries that they were not to settle at Serampore but on the express invitation of the senior missionaries. The new Committee proceeded at once to nominate Pearce in the office of Mr. Ward's assistant, and he was planted at Serampore without any reference to the wishes of Carey and his colleagues. He arrived when the demands of the Society were under consideration at Serampore, and though he was received with much kindness, and took a share in the management of the Printing Office, this proceeding... ...seemed to increase the necessity of resisting the invasion of their freedom The determination they adopted at this time of crisis is reflected in a letter from Ward to his colleagues:

(The Society) had actually sent out a person to take possession of a part of the premises, and to live, whether we liked it or not, in the bosom of our family, interfering with our private regulations, and assuring him that he should have a gig, &c., if he wished it, and adding that it was only permitted to us as a favour to dispose of our own funds as we thought best, a favour to be resumed at the pleasure of the bestowers.(1)

Pearce was not only an elegant typographer, but a man of great enterprise and perseverance, and possessed a strong hereditary attachment to the cause of missions.'

William Yates writes: 'About the close of the first year of his residence in India, his prospects at Serampore were beclouded. A little before this time a difference of opinion had arisen between the senior Missionaries and the Society as to the relation existing between them, and the engagements by which they were bound to each other. On this occasion Mr. P. took part with the Society, and in acting up to what he believed to be right, had great sacrifices to make: he had to give up the brightest prospects of usefulness to risk the good opinion of those he whom he highly esteemed and loved; and to commence operations in Calcutta, under every disadvantage, dependent entirely upon his own energies and the divine blessing.'

 

(1) Since their arrival in India the senior brethren had supported themselves independently of the Baptist Missionary Society in England. William Carey from the professorship at Fort William College, Joshua and Hannah Marshman from the Serampore School, and William Ward from the Printing Office. They lived on a tiny fraction of their earnings. The majority of their income went into the Serampore Mission. This was a delicate balancing act at the best of times.

William Pearce was paid a salary by the Baptist Missionary Society in England, whether he made a living in India for himself, or not.