Chapter XVI

The First Foreign Mission of the Church 1837-1841.

_Tuesday, March 23, 1841_.--Elder Young returned to Liverpool, and Elder Richards wrote the following history of the "Mission to England, or the first foreign mission of the Latter-day Saints."

_History of the British Mission_.

About the first of June, 1837, Elder Heber C. Kimball was called by
the Spirit of Revelation, and set apart by the First Presidency of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then at Kirtland,
Ohio, North America, to preside over a mission to England,
accompanied by Elder Orson Hyde, who was set apart for the same
work at the same time. In a few days Brother Joseph Fielding,
Priest, was set apart; and on the eve of the 12th, Elder Willard
Richards, (having been absent several months on a long journey, and
having returned the day previous) was called and set apart for the
same mission.

The following morning, Tuesday, 13th, these brethren gave the
parting hand, bid farewell to home, and, without purse or scrip,
started for England. They were accompanied twelve miles to Fairport
on Lake Erie by Elders Brigham Young, John P. Greene and Brother
Levi Richards, and Sisters Kimball, Greene and Fielding (Brother
R. B. Thompson and wife accompanied the mission to Buffalo, and
Brother Fitch Brigham to Utica) and others with whom they parted in
the afternoon, and went on board a steamer for Buffalo; where they
arrived next day.

At this place the brethren expected to receive some means
from Canada, to assist them on their journey, but they were
disappointed. In the evening they took passage on a canal boat,
and arrived in Albany on the 19th (Elder Hyde having gone forward
to New York from Rochester.) Brother Fielding proceeded to New
York, and on the 20th Elder Kimball accompanied Elder Richards to
his father's house in Richmond, Massachusetts, thirty miles east,
where they spent one day, and having received some assistance
from his friends, bade them {314} farewell for the last time (his
father and mother having since died, also a sister whom he had
left in Kirtland) and on the 21st returned to Albany, and arrived
in New York on the 22nd, where they found Brothers Orson Hyde and
Fielding, also Elders John Goodson and Isaac Russell, John Snider,
Priest,(who had come from Canada to join the mission) anxiously
awaiting their arrival, so that they might take passage on the
_United States_, which was to sail next day, but they arrived too
late.

In New York Elder Richards received some further means, quite
providentially, and on the 23rd the brethren engaged passage to
Liverpool, on board the _Garrick_, which was to sail on the 1st of
July.

In the meantime the brethren received every possible assistance
from Elder Elijah Fordham. At that time he was the only member of
the Church residing in the city [New York], and having no house of
his own, he procured his father's storehouse for the use of the
brethren, where they lodged on the floor, amid straw and blankets,
one week, eating their cold morsel, and conversing with the people
as they had opportunity; for no place could be procured to preach
in, and there was no one to receive them into their houses.

Sunday, the 25th, the brethren held a council at their lodgings
(Mr. Fordham's store), and organized ready for taking their
departure.

On the 29th the brethren sealed, superscribed, and forwarded one
hundred and eighty of Elder Orson Hyde's "Timely Warnings" to the
ministers of the different denominations in the city, and went
on board the _Garrick_, which hauled out into the river and cast
anchor.

July 1st, the ship weighed anchor and was towed to Sandy Hook by
a steamer, where she spread sail, and in four hours and a half
was out of sight of land. With the exception of a strong wind on
the 12th, there was generally a gentle breeze from the northwest
during the voyage. On the 16th, Elder Orson Hyde preached on the
aft quarter deck. On the 18th Cape Clear was visible (eighteen days
out of sight of land;) and on the morning of the 20th, the brethren
landed in Liverpool twenty days from New York. Here Elders Kimball,
Hyde, and Richards found themselves on a foreign shore, surrounded
by strangers, without the first farthing in their possession; but
the brethren unitedly took lodgings in a private house in Union
Street, till after the inspection of the ship; and on Saturday,
the 22nd, took coach for Preston. When they had alighted from the
coach, and were standing by their trunks in front of the hotel in
Preston, a large flag was unfurled over their heads on which was
printed in golden letters, "_Truth will prevail_;" at the sight of
which their hearts rejoiced, and they cried aloud, "Amen, thanks be
unto God, Truth Will Prevail."

{315} Brother Joseph Fielding lodged with his brother, Rev.
James Fielding, then a preacher in Vauxhall-road Chapel, and the
remainder of the brethren took lodgings in St. Wilford Street, Fox
Street. The same evening the Elders visited the Rev. Mr. Fielding,
by his request at his lodgings. He had previously been apprized of
the coming forth of this work in America, through the medium of
letters from his relatives and others and had requested his church
to pray that God would send them His servants, and exhorted his
people to receive their message when they should come.

Sunday the 28th. As they had no place in which to preach, the seven
brethren went to Vauxhall Chapel to hear the Rev. Mr. Fielding;
and at the close of the morning service, Mr. Fielding gave public
notice that an Elder of the Latter-day Saints would preach in the
afternoon in his pulpit. This was voluntary with Mr. Fielding as no
one had requested the privilege; and in the afternoon, according to
the notice, Elder Kimball gave a brief history of the rise of the
Church and the first principles of the Gospel, and Elder Hyde bore
testimony; after which the Rev. Mr. Fielding requested the brethren
to give out an appointment for the evening, when Elder Goodson
preached, and Elder Joseph Fielding bore testimony.

At the close Mr. Fielding again gave leave for preaching at the
same place on Wednesday evening, when Elder Hyde preached and Elder
Richards bore testimony; and from that time the Rev. Mr. Fielding
closed his doors against the Elders and began to oppose the work,
and stated that the Elders promised to say nothing about baptism
in their preaching before he ever consented to let them preach in
his pulpit; whereas the subject of the Elders preaching in his
chapel had not been named between the parties, before Mr. Fielding
gave out the public appointment before referred to: much less (if
possible) that they would "say nothing about baptism."

Nine of Mr. Fielding's members offered themselves for baptism; and
Mr. Fielding presented himself before the Elders, and forbade their
baptizing them, but he received for answer, that "they were of
age and could act for themselves." On Sunday, the 30th, they were
baptized under the hands of Elder Kimball; Brother George D. Watt
being the first who offered himself for baptism in England, and is
now an Elder laboring in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Elder Russell preached in the market place in the afternoon, and
from that day the doors of private houses were opened on almost
every hand for the Elders.

July 31st, a council of the Elders decided that Elders Goodson and
Richards should go on a mission to Bedford, and Elder Russell and
Priest Snider on a mission to Alston, Cumberland; and after a night
{316} of prayer, praise and thanksgiving, the brethren took their
departure on the morning of the first of August for their several
stations.

The Rev. Mr. Fielding continued to oppose the doctrine of baptism
for a season; but finding that he was likely to lose all his "best
members," he offered to baptize them himself; but they being aware
that he had no authority, declined his friendly offer, whereupon
he engaged the Rev. Mr. Giles, a Baptist minister in Preston,
of as little authority as himself, to do the baptizing for his
flock; but this iniquitous scheme succeeded little better than the
other--only one coming forward to his baptism, so far as we have
heard. Mr. Fielding's people also stated that he acted the part of
a hypocrite and deceived them, when he read the letters to them in
public, which he received from America, by keeping back that part
which treated on baptism, which, since the foregoing failure he has
opposed.

Elders Kimball and Hyde, and Priest Fielding continued to preach
daily in different parts of Preston, and on Wednesday and Thursday
(August 2nd and 3rd), the meetings were attended by Miss Jeanetta
Richards who was visiting her friends in Preston, and on Friday she
requested baptism, which was attended to by Elder Kimball, after
which she was confirmed at the water side by Elders Kimball and
Hyde, it being the first confirmation in a foreign land in these
last days.

The day following Sister Richards returned home to her friends,
and informed her father, the Rev. Joseph Richards, an Independent
minister at Walker-fold, Chaidgely, whom she had found at Preston,
what she had done, and requested him to send for Elder Kimball to
preach in his chapel. Mr. Richards complied with his daughter's
request. Elder Kimball arrived at Walker-fold Saturday eve, August
12, and the day following preached three times in Mr. Richards'
pulpit, to crowded assemblies; also twice during the week, and
twice the Sunday following, being most kindly and cordially
entertained by Mr. and Mrs. Richard's for nine days, during which
time Elder Kimball baptized several in the neighborhood.

After a short visit to Preston, where Elder Hyde continued to
preach and baptize, Elder Kimball returned to Walker-fold, and
continued to receive the hospitality of Mr. Richards' house for
some days, while the work spread in the neighborhood; and from
thence the work went forth to Clitheroe, Waddington, Downham,
Cathburn, Thornley, and Ribchester, through the labors of Brothers
Kimball and Fielding.

Elders Goodson and Richards arrived in Bedford on the 2nd of
August, and having letters of introduction to the Rev. Timothy R.
Matthews from Brother Joseph Fielding (Mrs. Matthew's brother),
they immediately waited on Mr. Matthews, who expressed great joy at
their arrival, and manifested his sincerity by walking arm in arm
with the {317} Elders through the streets of Bedford, calling on
the members of his church, and inviting them to attend the lectures
of the Elders at his chapel vestry that evening. Mr. Matthews
had previously been apprized of the Saints in America through
the medium of the Rev. James Fielding of Preston and the letters
from America, before referred to. In the evening, his church
assembled in the vestry, and Elders Goodson and Richards continued
to lecture and testify of the work of God, on that and the three
following evenings in the same place, with the entire approbation
of Mr. Matthews, who, at the close of the lectures, publicly bore
testimony to the truths advanced, and called upon his people to
know why they did not come forward for baptism; while they in
return wished to know why he did not set them the example.

After this Mr. Matthews engaged another house in the neighborhood
for the Elders to preach in, under the pretense that some of the
proprietors of the chapel might not be pleased with the Elders
occupying the vestry, and Mr. Matthews continued to attend the
preaching of the Elders, and also spent a great share of his time,
from day to day, in conversation with them.

Mr. Matthews told the Elders that he had received two ordinations,
one from Bishop West, whom he had proved to be an impostor, and
another from the Church of England, which he acknowledged to be
descended from the Church of Rome, and he further acknowledged that
he had no authority from God for administering in the ordinances of
God's house.

On the 10th Mrs. Braddock and four others were baptized by Elder
Goodson. Soon after this, Mr. Joseph Saville, member of Mr.
Matthews' church, being very desirous of receiving baptism at the
same time with Mr. Matthews, waited on him at his house, in company
with Elders Goodson and Richards and Mr. Matthews, and Mr. Saville
mutually agreed to meet the Elders on the bank of the river Ouse
at a specified hour in the afternoon, and attend to the ordinance
of baptism. At the hour appointed Mr. Saville met the Elders at
the place previously designated by Mr. Matthews; but as he (the
latter) did not make his appearance according to promise, after
waiting for him an hour, Mr. Saville was baptized, when the Elders
repaired to Mr. Matthews' to learn the cause of his not fulfilling
his engagement, and were informed by Mr. Matthews' family that he
had gone out into the country to preach.

In a day or two it was currently rumored that Mr. Matthews had
baptized himself, and this rumor was afterwards confirmed by
Mrs. Matthews, who stated to Elder Kimball at Preston, that Mr.
Matthews had baptized himself, reasoning upon this principle within
himself: "If I {318} have authority to administer the sacrament
to my people, why not have authority to baptize myself," &c.--and
all this after Mr. Matthews had acknowledged to Elders Goodson and
Richards that he had no authority to administer in the ordinances
of God's house; and altogether regardless of the words of the
Apostles (Heb. v: 4), "No man taketh this honor unto himself but he
that is called of God as was Aaron."

By the foregoing it is plainly to be seen, that Mr. Matthews has
attempted to take that upon himself which was never conferred upon
him by the spirit of revelation, either by God, His angels, or His
servants; viz., the holy Priesthood; and from that period, Mr.
Matthews began to preach baptism, and baptized those who felt it
their duty to be baptized, and then invited them to the penitent
form to get remission of their sins; but finding that would not
answer all the design which he intended, he afterwards began to
baptize for the remission of sins.

Mr. Matthews appears to have well understood that counterfeit
coin is more current the nearer it approximates to the true, and
governed himself accordingly; for he continued to preach faith,
repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, the second coming
of Christ, &c., &c., adding one thing to another in imitation of
truth, as fast as it answered his purpose, from those doctrines
which he had heard from the Latter-day Saints; but it was some
time before he arrived at that heaven-daring conscience-seared
hardihood, to lay hands on those whom he had baptized for the
reception of the Holy Ghost, and at the same time he acknowledged
that he had not got the Holy Ghost himself, by praying that he
might receive it--(Query. How can a man communicate that which he
is not in possession of?) and he now calls his church "The Church
of Latter-day Saints."

Thus has Mr. Matthews been running about from Bedford to Liverpool,
from Liverpool to Northampton, from Northampton to Bedford,
and other places, crying aloud in public and private, that the
Latter-day Saints and their doctrines came from hell; at the same
time he has been preaching the same doctrines, calls his church by
the same name, is administering in the same ordinances, just as
though he fully believed that the doctrines and sacraments of hell
would be sanctified and made holy and heavenly, when administered
by the tongue and hands of an impostor.

About the time that Mr. Matthews rejected the truth in Bedford, his
son (as Mr. Matthews called him), the Rev. Robert Aitkin, commenced
his attack on the principles of righteousness in Preston; and while
furiously pounding his pulpit with the Book of Mormon, and warning
his people to beware of the Latter-day Saints and their doctrines,
saying, that they and their record came from hell; called upon his
people to use all their efforts to put down the work of God, or
stop the progress of the {319} Latter-day Saints; and, if it could
not be put down without, prayed that God would smite the leaders;
and from that time to the present, his prayer has been answered on
his own head.

After Mr. Aitkin had preached against the corruptions of the Church
of England for years, and established many flourishing chapels in
Liverpool, Preston, Manchester, Burslem, London, &c.; after he had
been visited by the Elders of the Church of Latter-day Saints,
and acknowledged to them at one time that baptism was right, but
he could find no man who had authority to baptize; and at another
time, that he was afraid of them, and rejected their testimony; and
last of all would not receive the Elders into his house; after all
this, and deserted by a part of his flock, he has fled from the
remainder because he was an hireling, and cared not for the sheep;
yes, he has deserted his "Christian Society"--ceased to be an
Aitkenite, and dissolved his co-partnership with Father Matthews,
as may well be supposed, returned, and, taken "holy order" in
"Mother Church," against the corruptions of which he testified so
diligently from year to year, and is now about to enter on his
parochial duties in St. John the Evangelist's Church, Hope street,
Liverpool, for no other reason, that the writer knows of, only that
he could find no one who had authority to baptize for the remission
of sins, and not possessing the faith of his father, Matthews, to
believe that the doctrines of the pit would become holy and gospel
doctrines when taught by the tongue of wickedness and imposture,
he has concluded thus publicly to acknowledge himself a servant of
those very errors he has so long contended against, for the sake of
filthy lucre.

About the 12th of September, Elder Goodson and Priest Snider
returned to Preston, and soon after sailed for America.

Some years previously, the principles of the Temperance Society
(originally established in America), were introduced into England,
and Preston was the first town to receive them. Among the many
interesting and valuable items held forth by the Temperance people,
it was often remarked by them that Temperance was the fore-runner
of the Gospel, which prophecy proved true; for when the fullness
of the Gospel came from America to England, it was first preached
in Preston, and through the influence of the Temperance Society,
the Latter-day Saint, procured the use of the Temperance Hall
in Preston (a commodious building, originally erected for cock
fighting) for their chapel, and commenced meeting therein on the
3rd of September, 1837, and continued until they were ejected
through the influence of others, the Temperance Society not having
it entirely at their control. Similar favors have been received
from several other Temperance Societies in England, for which the
Lord reward them.

Elder Richards continued to labor against much opposition in {320}
Bedford, and the region round about, until the 7th of March, 1838,
when he returned to Preston, leaving about forty members in charge
of Elder James Lavender. Elder Russell continued to labor in
Alston, Brampton, &c, and returned to Preston near the same time,
leaving about sixty member in the care of Elder Jacob Peart.

At Christmas, 1837, Priest Joseph Fielding was ordained Elder, and
several were ordained Teachers, &c., at Preston; and in March,
1838, the Church had extended from Preston to Penwortham, Longton,
Southport, Eccleston Whittle, Hunter's Hill, Chorley, and the
intermediate region, through the labors of Elders Hyde, Kimball,
and Fielding, and the members amounted to several hundreds in the
regions of Preston and Clitheroe. During this month, Elders Kimball
and Hyde were diligently engaged in organizing the different
branches; and on the first of April a general conference was called
at Preston, when the organization of the churches was completed,
and many were ordained, among whom were Elders Joseph Fielding,
Willard Richards, and William Clayton to the High Priesthood, [_i.
e_. they were ordained High Priests], and set apart by Elders
Kimball and Hyde to preside over all the churches in England.

On the 9th, Elders Kimball, Hyde and Russell took leave of the
Saints in Preston, and went to Liverpool, where they were visited
by Elders Fielding, Richards, Clayton, and others, and on the 20th
of April, sailed for New York, on board the _Garrick_, the same
ship they came out on to England.

When Elders Fielding and Richards had returned to Longton, they
found a pamphlet, purporting to be written by the Rev. Richard
Livesey, a Methodist minister, who had spent some time on a mission
to the United States, as he says, and having nothing more important
to attend to during his mission, it appears that he spent his
time in gathering up a heap of lies and filth from the American
papers, and imported them to England on his return; and finding
that the work of God had commenced in his native land, and was
likely to destroy his craft, set himself at work to condense his
heterogeneous mass of trans-Atlantic lies, and form the wonderful
production of the Rev. Richard Livesey's tract against the
Latter-day Saints; it being the first thing of the kind that the
enemy of all righteousness had found means to export from America,
and circulate in England; but since which he has found servants in
abundance, to assist in this nefarious merchandise of his heart's
delight.

The Church at this time was in its infancy, and needed much
instruction, which necessarily occupied the attention of the
presiding Elders to a great extent; and as there were few laborers
in the field, the spread of the work was not very rapid for some
time.

{321} Sister Alice Hodgin died at Preston on the 2nd of September,
1838; and it was such a wonderful thing for a Latter-day Saint
to die in England, that Elder Richards was arraigned before the
Mayor's Court at Preston, on the 3rd of October, charged with
"killing and slaying" the said Alice with a "black stick," &c., but
was discharged without being permitted to make his defense, as soon
as it was discovered that the iniquity of his accusers was about to
be made manifest.

October 19, 1838, Elder Clayton gave himself wholly to the work,
and soon after commenced preaching and baptizing in Manchester, and
from thence the work spread into Stockport, and other places in
the neighborhood, through the labors of Elders Clayton, Fielding,
John Moon, and David Wilding. A small church had previously sprung
up in Bolton, through the labors of Elder David Wilding, and was
continued by Elder Amos Fielding.

In the summer of 1839 Elders Clayton Richards, and John Moon,
labored in Burslem, with some success, and a small church was
planted in Burnley by Elder Thomas Richardson, besides many who
were added in the older branches, through the instrumentality of
the local Elders and Priests, who were generally very faithful.

December 8, 1839, Elders Hiram Clark, Alexander Wright, and Samuel
Mulliner arrived in Preston from America; and on the 25th, Brothers
Wright and Mulliner started for Scotland and soon commenced
preaching and baptizing in Paisley and vicinity.

January 13, 1840, Elders Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor, and
Theodore Turley arrived in Preston, from America; and on the
18th Brothers Woodruff and Turley started for the Potteries in
Staffordshire, passing through Manchester; and on the 22nd, Elder
Taylor left for Liverpool.

April 6, 1840, just ten years from the organization of the Church,
Elders Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Parley P. Pratt, Orson
Pratt, George A. Smith, and Reuben Hedlock, landed in Liverpool
from New York; and on the 9th Elder Kimball arrived in Preston,
just two years from the day he left for America.

The arrival of the Elders caused the Saints to rejoice exceedingly,
for it had been prophesied by many (not of the Church), that they
would never come, and that Elders Kimball and Hyde would never
return, but they are both now in England, Elder Orson Hyde having
arrived in Liverpool on the 3rd instant from New York.

Heber C. Kimball,

Orson Hyde,

Willard Richards.

Preston, March 24, 1841.

{322}