1826 Baptist Missionary Society letter – Saffron Walden auxiliary – Josiah Wilkinson to the Missionary Herald, re missing remittance to treasurer William Burls
Date: Saffron Walden, 1 December 1826 Writer: Josiah Wilkinson, Saffron Walden Recipient: Editor or financial compiler of the Missionary Herald (Baptist Missionary Society) Subject: Omission of auxiliary remittance (£5.5.11) in the Herald’s pecuniary statement
Description
A historically significant Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) administrative letter written from Saffron Walden on 1 December 1826 by Josiah Wilkinson, newly elected to the BMS Committee earlier that year. The letter reports a missing remittance from the newly‑formed Saffron Walden Baptist Auxiliary Society, paid locally into Mortlock & Co. and forwarded to the BMS’s London bankers Esdaile & Co., intended for William Burls, Treasurer of the Society.
Wilkinson explains that the sum of £5.5.11, previously notified in letters of 8 and 9 October, has not appeared in the pecuniary statement at the end of the Missionary Herald for the month. He notes that Esdaile & Co. have acknowledged receiving the funds, and regrets the omission because this was the first official contribution of the newly‑formed Walden auxiliary.
The letter is an excellent example of BMS financial administration, showing the standard remittance chain (local bank → Esdaile & Co. → Treasurer Burls), and the importance of accurate printed accounts in the Missionary Herald. It also illustrates the reputational sensitivity surrounding new auxiliary societies in the 1820s.
Full diplomatic transcription
Saffron Walden Decᵣ 1st. 1826 My dear Brother, I have but a moment to spare (to save the Post) just to say that we have observed an omission, for which we cannot account, in the pecuniary statement at the end of the Herald for this Month. I wrote to you Octᵣ 8ᵗʰ & 9ᵗʰ to say that £5.5.11. had been paid into the Bank of Mortlock & Co. in this town, which was ordered to be paid by Esdaile & Co. (the London Bankers) to Mr. Burls. It is not however noticed at all in the Herald. I the more regret this as it was the offspring of the first meeting of the auxiliary Society after its formation at Walden. Esdaile & Co. I find, upon application at the Bank here, acknowledged it as received by them, so that whether it has not been called for or has been overlooked we know not. You will of course supply the defect in the next Herald giving an account of the items which formed the amount for which I gave you an account in the Letter referred to. Yours very affect.ly W. Wilkinson Have the goodness also to write in reply
A rare surviving example of BMS financial correspondence, showing the administrative pressures of the mid‑1820s and the importance of accurate public accounting for auxiliary societies.Condition as photos. Guaranteed Original. All items can be returned for a full refund if found to be not as described.
PROVENANCE:
One of c.2,500+ items once from the collection or dealer stock of Winifred A Myers (Autographs) Ltd, St Martins Lane, London, evidenced by the quantity of Myers pre-printed envelopes and paper folders and the general ‘presentation’ of the items, many having Myers identification notes in pencil.
Winifred Alice Myers (1909 - 1985) served as ABA (Antiquarian Booksellers Assoc) president, 1950-1952. See the ABA website for an extended article on Myers. Myers left her business, in 1985, to Ruth Shepherd, who traded from home until 2004.
Complete with digital .jpg CoA - as photo - for you to print if needed
______________________________
Combined Postage
UK Based Customers:
Overseas Customers:
Shipping Information
UK Based Customers:
Overseas Customers:
Returns
UK Based Customers:
Overseas Customers: