Report of the Cromer Ladies' Bible Association, 1838

Transcribed from the 1839 Josiah Fletcher edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org
MDCCCXXXVIII.
NORWICH: PRINTED BY JOSIAH FLETCHER, UPPER HAYMARKET. 1839.
The Honorable Mrs. UPCHER, and Mrs. BUXTON.
Miss BUXTON.
Miss JOHNSON.
Miss EARLE, Mrs. B. RUST, Mrs. J. W. RUST.
We, the committee of the Ladies’ Bible Association for Cromer and its neighbourhood, consider it our duty to lay before our subscribers, the prefixed statement of the condition of our charge; and in doing so, we think it may be expedient to accompany the same with some extracts from the slight records which we have kept of our proceedings, since Nov. 1827, when our friend, Mr. J. J. Gurney, now on a christian mission in America, first called us together.
We may premise that in our note of the first year, (1828,) we find the need of the society indicated by the fact, that in one outlying district, a poor woman had lately given three shillings for the tattered remains of a bible. The announcement of the formation of our association, and of the facility which it afforded for obtaining bibles, was received with pleasure throughout the neighbourhood. Many parents were desirous to avail themselves of the opportunity of providing bibles for their children, and even some solitary old couples who could not read themselves subscribed, that they might have a bible in the house for their neighbours to read to them.
The young people were generally found eager to subscribe. All the girls (but one) of one school gave their names as soon as the plan was proposed to them, and several having supplied themselves with bibles, continue as free subscribers, and take much interest in reading the monthly extracts. It was pleasant too, to see the desire of children in various places, to devise a way to earn their own subscriptions. One little girl, who had a hen, set aside the first chickens for the payment of hers, and an errand boy volunteered to run some additional miles, to obtain a few pence for his.