Charles Warren R.E. – 1878 Postcard with Ink Sketch by Rev. William Francis Birch (Palestine Exploration Fund 'PEF' Biblical Topographer)

Original ink‑sketch postcard sent to Warren during early debates on Jerusalem topography

Description: An exceptional and historically significant 1878 ink‑sketch postcard addressed to Captain Charles Warren R.E. (later Major‑General Sir Charles Warren, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police at time of Jack the Ripper). The postcard contains a contemporary ink drawing and caption referencing Warren’s famous 1867–68 exploration of the vertical water shaft now known as Warren’s Shaft in Jerusalem.

The verso bears the humorous caption:

“History repeats itself" — "Lt. R. E. getting up the gutter of Zion" — Joab. B.C. 1048 cir. — 1868 A.D.”

This is a biblical‑engineering comparison between Joab’s ascent of the tsinnor (2 Samuel 5:8) and Warren’s Royal Engineers climbing the Jerusalem shaft in 1868.

In the lower right corner appears the period ink signature:

“W. F. B. apr 2 / ’78”

This identifies the sender as Reverend William Francis Birch (1840–1916), one of the most prolific, vocal, and persistent biblical topographers associated with the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF).

Historical Context: Between 1877 and the 1890s, Birch was one of the PEF’s most active contributors, regularly publishing letters, critiques, and topographical theories in the Quarterly Statements. He spent years aggressively debating Warren’s archaeological conclusions, especially the placement of:

• Zion

• Akra

• Ophel

• The Valley of Hinnom

• The tsinnor (“gutter of Zion”)

• Jerusalem’s ancient gates

Birch frequently responded directly to Warren’s publications, often submitting counter‑arguments, corrected diagrams, and alternative excavation plans. His work was so persistent that the PEF noted in 1894 that Birch’s views appeared “in many numbers of the Quarterly Statement.”

This postcard is a rare surviving piece of private scholarly correspondence between Birch and Warren, illustrating the early stages of a debate that continued for nearly two decades.

Philatelic Note: The postcard is printed on the standard ½d Queen Victoria postal stationery, introduced in 1870 and fully valid throughout the 1870s and 1880s. The ½d vermilion pre‑printed stamp and layout match the Type III/IV 1875–1880 issue, making it exactly correct for the manuscript date of 2 April 1878. This confirms the card is chronologically authentic, with no mismatch between stationery and usage.

Technical Mapping Comparison: Modern archaeological reconstructions of Warren’s Shaft — including the Ritmeyer diagram — show that Birch’s 1878 sketch is remarkably accurate. Although mirrored in orientation. the drawing correctly represents:

• the vertical shaft,

• the inclined access tunnel,

• the upper chamber,

• and the approximate ascent route used by Warren’s Royal Engineers in 1868.

This demonstrates that Birch’s postcard was not merely humorous, but a competent technical illustration based on a detailed understanding of Warren’s Jerusalem discoveries. The accuracy of the sketch significantly enhances the item’s scholarly and collector value.

Provenance & Importance:

This postcard represents primary‑source documentation of the intellectual dialogue between Warren and Birch — two of the most influential figures in early Jerusalem archaeology. Items showing direct interaction between PEF scholars are extremely scarce, especially those containing original sketches and signed commentary.

A superb addition to collections of:

• Palestine Exploration Fund material

• Biblical archaeology

• Royal Engineers history

• Warren’s Shaft / Jerusalem topography

• Victorian scholarly correspondence

• Jack the Ripper–related Warren material