To George Henry Turnbull   28 October [1854]

Down

Oct. 28th.—

Dear Sir

As Treasurer to two Charitable Clubs in this village, I hope that you will forgive me calling your attention to their existence, & asking you to subscribe, should you happen to approve of their nature & management.—1

One is a Coal & Clothing Club, (of which I enclose a card) like those in many other Parishes: its object is to encourage saving Habits in the Poor by adding the Honorary Subscription to whatever they themselves pay in Weekly.

The other Club is a Sick or Friendly Club, which has been legally enrolled; & the small Honorary subscription pay the Clerk & aid in paying the Doctor: I enclose a Book of Rules.—

I send, also, the Books of the Honorary Subscriptions to both these Clubs; & I particularly beg you to be so kind as to take care of these two Books, as I have no duplicate, & return them to me as soon as quite convenient to yourself.

I trust that you will excuse my troubling you, & I beg to remain | My dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin G. H. Turnbull Esqe

1
Turnbull’s name first appears as a subscriber to the Down Coal and Clothing Club in the ‘1854–1855’ list in the Honorary subscription book (Down House MS). He continued to subscribe until 1872. He resided at the Rookery, Down (Post Office directory of the six home counties 1855).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-1595,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-1595