1st page: Letter accompanying copies of the "Address to the Laity" about collecting small monthly sums for the Midland Mission Fund.
2nd page: "Sections" comprises a list of 17 with a major town heading the section and a list of places following. E.g. "9th Norwich, St John's - Willow Lane - Cossey - Yarmouth - Oxborough - Lynn - Biingay cum Thelton"
Signed + Thomas Walsh

Explanation to the Laity of the need to establish a new plan/scheme for the financing of the District.
"We cannot sufficently express to you the grief of our hearts, to see our beloved Clergy forced to quit their rising flocks for weeks and months, to roam the countryside in search of means to erect a house, a school, a chapel...". "...only ask for... one shilling a year, or a penny a month...".
Collection books have been printed and will bemanaged by zealous and active persons in the congregation.
Signed Thomas, Bishop of Cambysopolis, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District

Rules by which the district is to be divided and sub-divided for the purpose of collecting for the Midland Mission Fund. Addresses the method of collection and by whom and how the sums are to be handled/recorded.
Collection books to be drawn up from January to December until December 1834; will commence from "this time"

printed pastoral letter - additionally stating that following the Erection of the New College last year, it was not the intention of appealing for further funds but "... the unexpected rise, during the last twelve months, in the price of building materials, the generally expressed wish that a more spacious and ornamented chapel, than the one which it was orgininally intended to erect .... to recommend that, on Passion Sunday, another collection be made, in each chapel throughout the Midland District, in favour of the New College."
Signed Thomas, Bishop of Cambysopolis, VAMD
Addressed: "Rev F Husenbeth GV, Cossey Hall Nr Norwich"

With reference to the "Fathers of the Council of Trent"; the apostate Emperor Julian's persecution of the church and his forbidding of Chrisitans attending schools of grammar, philosophy or eloquence; the seizure of universtities and schools; fortunate that for the Catholics of the British Empire this no longer applies; each district has an episopal seminary; which are not well endowed. The Fathers consider the erection and proper endowment of episcopal colleges "a holy and pious work". Hence appointed collectors will call to solict assistance to support seminaries, establish and support missions and provide for the wants of local congregation members.
Manuscript note: "St Mary's Hall, Jan[uary] 1st 1839 / My Dear H[usenbeth] / Have the goodness to distribute these papers in N[orfolk] and S[uffolk] paying yourself for the [illegible] of this out of your first remittance. The cards are sent only as specimens which may easily be multiplied by parties as they want them. The Bishop is worried about the [theology?] whether it will answer remains to be seen. All depends on the Clergy." [unsigned]
Signed

• Peter A Baines, Bishop of Siga, Vic. Apost. in Western District
• Thomas Walsh, Bishop of Cambyspolis, Viv. Apost. in Midland District
• John Briggs, Bishop of Trachis, Viv. Apost. in Northern District
• Thomas Griffiths, Bishop of Olena, Vic. Apost. in London District

An appeal for funds.
"In many instances our chapels are small , and inconvenient, encumbered with debt, and ill-provided with suitable requisites for divine worship. It grieves us also to state, as it will surely grieve all those who respect the ministers of Religion, to learn that in many cases our beloved Clergy are left to subsist on a
pittance smaller than what is offered to a repectable domestic; and that while their station requires of them a decent appearance, and the distress of the poor exhaust their means of relief, they are themselves, oftentimes, objects of charity." He wishes to establish an Eastern District Fund. He clarifies a misunderstanding that the Holy See, whilst having created more Vicariates, is not funding them and expects the Faithful to provide for them.
Signed William, Bishop of Ariopolis, Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District

Page1-2: pastoral letter
page 3: summary of Eastern District Fund intentions including the development of Gifford Hall as a seminary. Total fund stands at £78.19.0 (out of which £30 to Stamford Mission, £25 for poor parishioners, £16.01.0 for deficit at Aston-le-Walls, £7.9.0 to Gifford Hall.)
dated: Feast of St Matthias Apostle, 1843
place: Northampton
Signed: William, Bishop of Ariopolis, VAED
Addressed: "The Very Revd FC Husenbeth, Cossey, Norwich"

Gifford Hall was leased for two years (to June 1844) with the purpose of establishing an ecclesiastical seminary. "I did expect, in this rather spirited step, to have been supported and encouraged so far as to be enabled to erect in Suffolk something of a regular building suitable for our Seminary purposes. "I am sorry to have to state (absit verbo invidia) [the word envyis absent] that my expectations have been disappointed, and I must be content with less than I expected." He will therefore set up in Northampton instead - requires £1000 which must be possible from those in 9 counties.
place: Northampton
Signed: + WM. Wareing
manuscript annotation [by Husenbeth]: "NB. in compliance with the above, Collections werer made at St Walstan's Chapel, Cossey which produced as under £2.3.8 (morning £1.11.10, afternoon £0.11.10) / Hall servants £3.7.8 (£1.4.0, £2.3.8)"

1. establishment of ecclesiastical conferences in Eastern District
2. new offices established (to appear in Ordo next year)
3. securing contributions otwards the St Felix seminary (one third of target sum received by the Bishop)
4. Clergy meeting on seconf Wednesday in July in Grantham
5. no funds will be forthcoming from the Central District
6. establish without delay a fund for the relief of aged and infirm priests (committee formed to manage the fund comprises Husenbeth, Abbot and Gascoyne).
   Bishop to pledge £5 annually to the Eastern Distict Fund, clergy expected to pledge £1 per annum.

Pastoral letter. Celebrates the the opening of many churches, numbers not seen since the Reformation, giving as an example Nottingham, Coventry and the Priory of St Bernard. However the District Missionary Fund is £33 less than last year's total.
Signed: + Thomas, Bishop of Cambysopolis / Nicholas, Bishop of Melipotamus
dated: 4 November 1844 (feast day of St Charles Borromeo)
Pg3: Table of Missions contributions to the Missionary Fund; Table of Income vs Expenditure.
Addressed to: "Jas Bowden, Sedgley Park, Wolverhampton" [crossed out] "Rev Husenbeth, Cossey Hall, Near Norwich"

top of pg1, pencil manuscript "With kind regards"
Pastoral letter.
dated: Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, 1845 [25 January 1845]
Signed: +Francis, Bishop of Abydos Vicar Apostolic in the Northern District / +William, Bishop of Longo, Coadjutor
Pg4 lower third: letter to clergy soliciting funds for the District fund. Signed +Francis Mostyn / +William Riddell

Request for contributions to the Eastern District Fund which was deferred due to the appeal for funds for the distressed brethren. A large number of poor catholics is Buckingham and Bedfors; precarious and unendowed missions in Aylesbury, Luton, Wolverton and Weedon Barracks. They all need our care and support.
To be read next Sunday for collection on Sunday 15th.
Pg3: Tabulation of congregational contributions and of disbursements. [£188.6.9 in / £183.11.2 out / £4.15.7 in hand]
addessed to "The Very Rev. F C Husenbeth / Cossey / Norwich"

Outlines the history of suppression of Catholic education from Elizabethan times ("Vide Statutes, 23 & 27 of Elizabeth") [see sources]. Given that endowments were seized then cannto assist in the education of the poor without appealing to the Catholics of the land. All collections to be forwarded to the Catholic Poor School Committee.
Signed by eight Vicars Apostolic and 1 Vicar General for all England and Wales.
Pg3: manuscript annotation: "NB The Sunday fixed for all England and Wales was the 3rd after Pentecost July 2 0 1848. The sum collected in St Walstan's Chapel, Cossey was 3-11-4 3/4"
addessed to "The Very Rev. F C Husenbeth / Cossey / Norwich"

Letter reporting on the disbursements from the charitable giving to the Eastern District Fund and to the "suffering poor of Ireland"
Pg2: table of Congregational contributions; table of disbursements [£221.11.9 in; ditto out]
addessed to "The Very Rev. F C Husenbeth / Cossey / Norwich"

Mr Dalton has been working hard to secure a site on which to build a convent for the Sisters of the Infant Jesus who have been brought over from Belgium. Recent appeals for funds have meant the work has not been able to commence. But with £1000 promised, a further £500 can be raised by a tax of one shilling per head (sixpence for those not able to afford that), it would be possible to progress the work ourselves.
addessed to "The Very Rev. F C Husenbeth / Cossey / Norwich"

Pg1: Lent Pastoral Letter - appeal for Eastern District Fund
Pg2: Tables - Congregational contributions, disbursements
addessed to "The Very Rev. F C Husenbeth / Cossey / Norwich"

Explaining that the remuneration for a Bishop is not sufficent to cover all the outgoings deriving from his dutes within the District. Some may think he is welll off and this may have the effect of reducing the size of the collections.

Requesting a collection for the Poor School Committee on 24th inst. This is in response to an encyclical requesting support.

Expounding on the duty of a Bishop [as Vicar Apostolic to the Central District] and the need for a Vicar General to be available when the Bishop is away. Therefore he has appointed Dr Weedall to this postion. Names the members of his Council.
signed William Bernard, Bishop of Hetalona, and Vicar Apostolic for the Central District.