E N G L A N D
Chapter 1. The Early years in Derby | William Ward is born in Derby | The 'Derby Mercury' | Nonconformity in Derby | World Affairs.
Chapter 2. Derby Baptists and Ward's first meeting with Carey | The beginnings of the Baptist denomination in Derby | The first public baptisms | The walk with Carey from Walnut Tree Alley to the Monument | The 'Staffordshire Advertiser'.
Chapter 3. Hull and Ewood Hall | The 'Hull Advertiser' | William Wilberforce | William Ward's baptism | Ewood Hall.
Chapter 4. Preparation for India | Ward is invited to preach at Kettering | Cannon Street, Birmingham | Ward is set apart as a missionary.
S E R A M P O R E
Chapter 5. William Carey joins William Ward and Joshua Marshman at Serampore | The voyage on the 'Criterion' | Ward steps ashore at Serampore | Ward proceeds to Kidderpore and the meeting with William Carey.
Chapter 6. Establishment of the Printing Office | The organization of the Mission | Purchase of the Mission premises | Revenue from Calcutta | Mr. Fountain.
Chapter 7. The First Convert | Ward's first attempts at preaching in Bengali | Krishna-Pal, the First Convert.
Chapter 8. William Ward is Married | The first female is baptised | Fort William College | The British sequester Serampore | The death of Mr. Brunsdon | Expansion of the premises, itinerating into the interior and the death of Mr. Thomas. | 1802, and the first conversion from a tract produced by the Printing Office | Indignation in Calcutta | Printing native Bengali literature for the first time | William Ward marries Mrs. Fountain.
Chapter 9. The Plan for Translations | The first moves to set up a Dissenting chapel in Calcutta | The first Brahmin baptised | The Deva Nagree alphabet, with its 700 characters, set in type for the first time | The Bengali New Testament improved | The first Bengali Christian wedding | Ward experiences Suttee | Ward writes to Samuel Stennett | The decision to concentrate on native Christian itinerants | Mr. Brown moves to Serampore | Ward returns to Dinagepore | The first native Christian ministers | The Plan for Translations.
Chapter 10. The state of Christianity in the Presidency | The record of church building in Calcutta | The Lal Bazaar Chapel.
Chapter 11. The Burning of Widows | Four new missionaries and the need for enlargement | Suttee | A personal letter to Samuel Stennett | A move to open Communion | Fluctuating fortunes regarding converts | William Carey Jr. and Mr Moore visit Dacca | Ward writes to Stennett on his way to Jessore | Ward attempts to set up a missionary settlement at Jessore | Andrew Fuller puts the Plan for Translations into action | Ward's concern lest overambitious translations divert them from their missionary work | Sir George Barlow, Governor-General.
Chapter 12. A Chapel on the Chitpore Road | The Governor-General restricts the Mission's activities to Serampore | A record of Mission successes since its inception | Fort William College is reduced | The Chapel on the Chitpore Road | Ward's financial circumstances.
Chapter 13. The discontent of the Junior Brethren and the arrival of Lord Minto | The Junior Brethren | Lord Minto | An inflammatory pamphlet on Mohammedanism | Attempts to root out the Mission | Colonel Krefting's response | Durga Puja | Ward's minute to his brethren | Carey and Marshman wait on Lord Minto.
Chapter 14. The Lal Bazaar Chapel opens | Serampore re-taken by the British | Poor record of conversions in 1808 | Continued discontent among the Junior Brethren | The opening of the Bow Bazaar Chapel.
Chapter 15. Ward's progress report on the Tenth Anniversary of the Mission | The first Armenian missionaries from the Chitpore Road chapel | The 1809 report to the Society on the progress of translations | The progress of the type foundry | Ward's general review of the first 10 years of the Serampore Mission | A tribute to Ward, by Carey | Ward's exertions on a typical Sunday in Calcutta.
Chapter 16. Ward on the History Literature and Mythology of the Hindoos | John Clark Marshman's description of the book. Volume One | Volume Two | Samuel Stennett's Account | ... not the first ... | ... a description of the contents | Conditions in which the book was written | Illustrations from an American edition of 1824.
Chapter 17. The Great Conflagration | An indication of the competitiveness of the Serampore Printing Office in 1811 | The secular achievements of the Senior Brethren | A heavy calamity | A description of the printing office | Fire takes hold | A happy discovery | Ward sets a target of 30 days for the resumption of work | A sympathetic reaction in India and Britain | The birth of the General Baptist Missionary Society.
Chapter 18. The arrival of Dr. Judson | Felix Carey's activities in Burma | Missionary deployments in 1812 | Unexpected events involving Felix Carey | The awakening of American interest in missions | Dr. Judson, the first American missionary to the East, arrives in Calcutta | Judson is baptised at Serampore | Rice returns to America | Felix Carey's failure in Burma | Serampore supplies a press and type | Judson occupies the Burmese missionary field.
Chapter 19. The Charter Act of 1813 | The East India Company Charter | Anti-Missionary sentiment | Delay provides a golden opportunity | Wilberforce's magnificent speech.
Chapter 20. Ten presses are going and nearly 200 people employed | The introduction of the first movable Chinese type | Mrs. Ward's illness.
Chapter 21. Dark clouds on the horizon | Moves to transfer the Society from Northamptonshire to London | Mr. Lawson | Rev. Eustace Carey | Mr. Yates | Report of the Mission, 1815 | The relationship between Mr. Fuller and the Serampore missionaries | The Junior Brethren | The missionary's habits of extreme frugality.
Chapter 22. A storm threatens from two sides | Lord Moira, the Governor-General, visits Serampore | Serampore is restored to the Danes | Lord Moira discards the idea of withholding the blessings of knowledge from the people in order to perpetuate our power | The period of unhappy differences | The deeds of the premises | The questions | The Senior Brethren's response | The Junior Brethren in Calcutta | The arrival of Mr. William Pearce, and a new alarm.
Chapter 23. A rival press is established in Calcutta | The 1817 Mission Report | Ward visits Chittagong on account of his health | The 'Sumachar Durpun', the first Bengali Newspaper | The 'Friend of India' | The Calcutta Union | Mr. William Pearce removes to Calcutta | Mr. Adam | The establishment of a Calcutta mission on the Serampore model.
Chapter 24. The birth of Serampore College | The Prospectus | The land is purchased | The kindness of the King of Denmark | Slow progress with the college | SERAMPORE COLLEGE TODAY.
Chapter 25. William Ward visits England | Mr. Nathaniel Ward | Ward decides to visit England | Reminiscences of a fellow passenger | Ward visits Dr. Ryland at Bristol | 'Colossal fortunes...' | Ward visits Cheltenham for his health | The first missionary to have returned from the East | Ward presses for a college... | ...for female schools... | ...and an end to female immolation | He travels through England, Scotland and Wales to promote the college | The Society moves its headquarters to Fen Court, London | The new deed.
Chapter 26. Ward visits America, then returns to Serampore | Holland | Ward receives an enthusiastic welcome in America | 'Farewell Letters' | A letter to the Right Hon. J. C. Villiers | Mr. John Mack is engaged by Ward as a professor at Serampore College | A steam engine is imported for the paper-mill | A meeting between the Senior and Junior Brethren | Ward finds himself again at Serampore.
Chapter 27. Ward finds himself again on the hallowed spot | He resumes his labours | Report of the translations for 1822 | The zenith of their exertions | The first map of India in any native language | A season of mortality.
Chapter 28. Cholera strikes | An extract from Ward's obituary in the 'Friend of India' | His appearance and character | A firm and uninterrupted union is broken | Extracts from Joshua Marshman's funeral sermon for William Ward.
The 1991 census reveals that India has 18 main languages and 96 subsidiary languages. These can be broken down still further into 212 mother tongues with 10,000 speakers or more. (Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore)
William Ward Movie Baptist Mission Press Movie Image Library (public domain)| 1. Derby | 2. Serampore | 3. Calcutta | 4. Durga Puja Festival | 5. Old Postcards of Calcutta | 6. Baptist Mission Press | 7. Ellis and Sons.
All the textured backgrounds to the pages, and the header panels, originated from scans of the outer binding of Ward's Serampore edition of 'A View of the History, Literature and Mythology of the Hindoos' in the possession of the Derby Local Studies Library. Ward's text was written, and the type set and printed, within the Serampore Printing Office. The board and other material for the cover, plus the paper, would have been made in John Clark Marshman's Paper Mill just a short distance away.
The assorted Indian fonts are from the cover of an issue of Service Forum, the quarterly Christian Literature magazine, published, printed, designed, and in many cases written at Baptist Mission Press, Calcutta, in the 1950's and 60's.