Letters of the Rev. Ralph Wardlaw (1778-1853) and other items

The collection is composed of 9 letters, being:

• 1 x ms letter - 2 December 1844 - to 'Dear fallen Brothers', from Ralph Wardlaw - also noted as 'Dr. W. to John Lucy '
• 1 x ms letter - 23 June 1847 - to 'Beloved Brethren', from Ralph Wardlaw
• 1 x ms letter - 17 March 1848 - to 'My Dear Brother', from Ralph Wardlaw - with envelope noted 'Thomas Cochran / Blank envelope re- / turning letters of Dr. W'
• 1 x ms letter - 25 January 1849 - to 'My Dear Sir', from Thos. Cochran - with envelope
• 1 x ms letter - 26 January 1849 - to 'My Dear Friend', from Ralph Wardlaw - addressed to 'William P. Paton Esq.'
• 1 x ms letter - 21 May 1850 - to 'Very dear Brethren', from Ralph Wardlaw
• 1 x ms letter - 21 May 1850 - to 'My Dear Brother', from R.W. - addressed to 'Dr. George Miller'
• 1 x ms letter - 15 October 1850 - to 'Dearly beloved Brethren', from Ralph Wardlaw
• 1 x ms letter - undated - to 'My Dear Friend', from Ralph Wardlaw

and printed matter, being:

• 1 x lithographic facsimile of the 'London Letter', 30 March 1850
• 1 x copy reprint (1870) of the Constitution of the Congregational Church, Elgin Place, Glasgow, 15 January 1858
• 1 x copy of Elgin Place Congregational Chruch Triple Jubilee Commemoration Brochure, 1803-1953

There are transcriptions of the letters.

Rev. Ralph Wardlaw, D.D. was a Scottish Presbyterian clergyman and writer. He was born in Dalkeith on 22 December 1779. His family had a strong connection to the Secession Church but shortly after his University studies were complete Wardlaw turned to Independent Congregationalism.

He was ordained in 1803, and was successful as a preacher. By 1811 he and Rev. Greville Ewing founded Glasgow's first academy for congregationalist theology students.

Wardlaw strongly influenced David Livingstone, who attended his lectures in divinity, and was inspired by his campaigns against slavery to fight the African slave trade during his years as a missionary and explorer.

Rev. Ralph Wardlaw died on 15 December 1853. He is buried in the Glasgow Necropolis, near Glasgow Cathedral.

Open to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance of visit.

Material acquired by donation October 2015. Accession no: E2015.74.

None created for this collection.

Catalogued by Graeme D. Eddie 9 November 2015

Also within Edinburgh University Library are other ms items in the form of letters to, or from, Rev. Ralph Wardlaw. Please check the local MSS Index for details.