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November 5, 1799 letter from Thomas Fry to Thomas Haweis

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Title	November 5, 1799 letter from Thomas Fry to Thomas Haweis
Post Date	November 5, 1799
Author	Fry, Thomas (1774-1860)
Recipient	Haweis, Thomas (1734-1820)
Date	1799-11-05
Physical Description	4 pp. total; 3 pp. text; 1 p. address
Dimensions	36.6 x 23 cm
Location (Box, Folder)	Box 1, File 39
Address To	Spa Fields, London
Country To	England
Address From	Lincoln College [, Oxford]
Country From	England
Transcriber	Gareth Lloyd
Plain Text Transcription	From Thomas Fry at Lincoln College, Oxford, to T.H. at Spa Fields in London. The bearer of this letter, Mr Kingworth(?) comes with Fry’s recommendation. He had originally recommended him for entry to St Edmund Hall ‘where he may keep short terms and if he pleases at several times, which our college rules will not allow.’ Otherwise Fry would have been very pleased to have admitted Kingworth to our ‘society’. They have a few members, both undergraduates and fellows and a good prospect of increasing their number, which is the only reason why Fry remains here – it is a great trial to him. Fry is induced from T.H.’s conversation with Brother Roberts to inform T.H. of some particulars concerning the parish of Toot Baldon in Oxfordshire. T.H. will be aware that as the church does not have an endowment, it is not regularly served [by parish clergy]. It seemed to Fry that this might provide him with an opportunity to serve the Lord and he accordingly agreed with the ‘lay-improprietor’ to excuse him from having to provide a curate, as long as he would convey to Fry and his heirs the right of perpetual nomination to the curacy. This has been done and Fry has collected towards an endowment of £260 – he would wish to raise a total of £650, which will supply a stipend of £30 per annum. Once all the money has been raised, Fry intends to vest the funds with a number of trustees, one of whom will be [Thomas Tregenna] Biddulph of Bristol, [Charles] Simeon of Cambridge etc If T.H. could possibly donate some money, everything will go to making this arrangement possible. If it is not possible, Fry would understand as he is sure that T.H. receives many applications of this kind. This subject has been on his mind for some time – why is more not done to buy ‘advowsons’? (an advowson was the right to appoint an Anglican clergyman to a parish. Until comparatively recent times, such transactions were often simply commercial in nature, especially with wealthier livings). So much could be achieved to promote the gospel if this was done more often. Perhaps T.H. could give this some thought – Fry knows of some individuals who would be pleased to assist. 5 November 1799 (2 sheets, 3p.) Thomas Fry (1774-1860) was born into a wealthy Quaker family at Axbridge in Somerset. He was educated at Lincoln College, Oxford, and was the Somerset Fellow between 1796 and 1803. After ordination in 1796 Fry was appointed to a curacy in Oxfordshire before moving as the Vicar to the parish of Radley in Berkshire in 1797 and chaplain of the Lock Hospital in London in 1801. In 1804 he was appointed to the Buckinghamshire parish of Emberton and remained there for the rest of his life. Fry was one of the founders of the Church Missionary Society and was regarded as a very capable preacher. He was also the author of several published works including an Hebrew New Testament. Charles Simeon (1759-1836) was the son of Richard Simeon of Reading, Berkshire. His elder brother was Sir John Simeon, Master in Chancery and First Baronet (1756-1824). Simeon was educated at Eton and King's College Cambridge where he was converted. He was ordained deacon in 1782 and shortly afterwards made the acquaintance of John Venn the evangelical clergyman and associate of the Wesleys. Simeon at first worked as a curate at St Edward's, Cambridge and was then appointed Vicar of Holy Trinity, Cambridge. After much initial opposition because of his reputation for piety, Simeon won over the parishioners through his unflagging energy and benevolence. He was three times Dean of King's College and vice-provost from 1790 to 1792. Simeon is best known for his promotion of Anglican missionary work in India. A close friend of Charles Grant, a director of the East India Company, Simeon was his confidential advisor with regard to the appointment of chaplains. He persuaded some of his own curates, such as Henry Martyn, to offer for work overseas. He was one of the founders of the Church Missionary Society in 1797 and a supporter of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Digitization Date	Digitized: 2012
Digitization Process	Digitization process: Derivatives resized at 4030 pixels in height or width
Digital Publisher	Bridwell Library, Special Collections; Perkins School of Theology; Southern Methodist University
Rights	Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Head of Special Collections of the Bridwell Library
Decade	1790-1799