[ Charles Voysey, priest ] Autograph Letter Third Person "The Revd Charles Voysey [...]" referring to the defence he was preparing against charges of heterodoxy etc (see note below).

Three pages, 16mo in large hand, good condition. "The Revd Charles Voysey presents his comp[lime]nts to Rev. [S?] W. Flower & begs to thank him very sincerely for his kind note & present of books, which he will no doubt find very interesting - Rev [or Mr?] Voysey, unhappily, has no time to alter the defence which he has only just finished preparing & he has not yet received Mr Flower's valuable books. Rev [or Mr?] Voysey hopes to be able to write at greater length when he has been able to read the works." Note: a. He "was a priest of the Church of England who was condemned by the Privy Council for heterodoxy and went on to found a theist church". He was the father of the architect, Charles Francis Annesley Voysey; b. From Healaugh he commenced writing his most famous work The Sling and the Stone. Originally published in monthly parts, it was eventually collected into ten volumes, the first of which was published in 1865. The work was immediately condemned by the conservative wing of the Anglican Church and William Thomson, Archbishop of York, began proceedings against him in 1869. He was summoned before the Chancery Court of York for heterodox teaching, where he defended his case for two years. He appealed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council which gave its judgement on 11 February 1871: The Appellant is charged with having offended against the Laws Ecclesiastical by writing and publishing within the diocese of London certain sermons or essays, collected together in parts and volumes, the whole being designated by the title of "The Sling and the Stone," in which he is alleged to have maintained and promulgated doctrines contrary and repugnant to or inconsistent with the Articles of Religion and Formularies of the Church of England. His appeal dismissed, Voysey lost his benefice."