Single Letter

HAM/1/4/5/6

Letter from Lady Catherine Hamilton (née Barlow) to Mary Hamilton

Diplomatic Text


Portions Typed
      18 July                1777                5
                             just before leaving for Naples
                             allusion to satisfactory post they leave
                                                         Mary in


      I am so incapable of the neglect you ac=
cuse
me of My Dear Miʃs Hamilton that I cannot
resist thanking you immediately for your kind
enquiry -- It is true that I have had the ulcerated
Sore throat but I thank God of so gentle a kind
that it is quite over. -- it was my full intention to
come to you from Kingston, & the Philipps's
proposed great pleasure in visiting you, but the
day turn'd out bad, & my friend was ill which
put an end to our scheme, but both Sr Wm.
& I are determined to see you before we go
which he says will be about Saturday Se'enight
-- he takes leave of His Majesty on Wednesday & we
both take leave of Their Majesties on Thursday
this will be a melancholy ceremony for me
for I am thoroughly unwilling to go -- I have
often told you that tho' I am very well with
all my Italian acquaintance, I never had any
intimacy with any of them, nor ever shall,
I feel therefore that I am going to be deprived
of the Sweets of Society at a time of life when
I have most relish for them, & shall be once



more left to my own private resources, which
however small I might perhaps satisfy myself
with, was I not obliged in a great measure to
give myself now up to the hurry of the Great
World which I abhor. -- if Hamilton had the same
way of thinking I am inclined to thinkbelieve we should
give up every thing & take care of our own
Estate which would be a much more com=
=fortable
Scheme than our present situation
& I believe would be a more lucrative one --
I am a bad Courtier, & perhaps ought not to say
all this to you, but notwithstanding my Spirit
of independency, with regard to myself & Sr Wm.
I rejoice infinitely in the happy situation we leave
you in, under the protection of the best of Queens
whom I respect & honour, most sincerely, tho' I would
not be in the family of any Sovereign upon Earth
was it in my power -- but all this is between you
& I. -- Sr Wm. has been in Wales & is vastly pleas'd
with his reception there -- Several of the Gentle=
=men
wanted him to declare himself Can=
=didate
for the next election, but he told
them he left all that to them, that he
was willing to represent them if they desired
it but wish'd it to be their own act -- I find their
wishes to have him are almost universal, they



expreʃs'd great impatience at our being so long
abroad, & are very desirous we should live among
them -- in short it was a struggle who should
receive him best -- the Estate is in a prosperous
way, & it wais a reall pleasure to me to find
my Fathers memory wais still dear to all
the People of the Country
-- I tell you this knowing
you would be curious about his transactions there --
I have just receiv'd a Letter from Ly Stormont
begging us in the Strongest terms to come to
them at Paris, & you will believe how sorry
I am that Sr Wm. will not be prevaild upon
she says her little boy grows fat & lively, she
desires her Compts. to you -- Poor Monsr. D'Ajin
=court
is I believe a little disapointed, but
it really intollerable to have had him
tagging after us in our Journey, tho, (for a
Frenchman) he is really one of the best I ever
met with, tho' in general I don't think them
bearable before they are compleat[1] Sixty, as
were my old Knights of Malta when I visited
that Island -- some of which however were old
enough to talk to me of Lewis ye 14th- as if he
had reign'd Yesterday -- in my airing to day



I calld on Mrs Hamilton; but could not go in because
of the smell of paint, & I give you notice she will
make herself sick with it -- unleʃs she can be
prevaild upon to sleep out of the house -- I must
now take my leave of you -- but be aʃsured we
will not go without coming to see you for
I am with the ---t Sincere friendship
                                                         Yr Most Affectionate Aunt
                                                         CHamilton

you must put on Mourning for a
Week for ye Dʃs of Queensbury

      Friday -- 18th- July 1777

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Notes


 1. ‘Of a period or space of time: That has run its full course, whole.’ (OED s.v. complete, adj., 2. Accessed 12-08-2023).

Normalised Text



                               
                            

      I am so incapable of the neglect you accuse
me of My Dear Miss Hamilton that I cannot
resist thanking you immediately for your kind
enquiry -- It is true that I have had the ulcerated
Sore throat but I thank God of so gentle a kind
that it is quite over. -- it was my full intention to
come to you from Kingston, & the Philipps's
proposed great pleasure in visiting you, but the
day turned out bad, & my friend was ill which
put an end to our scheme, but both Sir William
& I are determined to see you before we go
which he says will be about Saturday Sennight
-- he takes leave of His Majesty on Wednesday & we
both take leave of Their Majesties on Thursday
this will be a melancholy ceremony for me
for I am thoroughly unwilling to go -- I have
often told you that though I am very well with
all my Italian acquaintance, I never had any
intimacy with any of them, nor ever shall,
I feel therefore that I am going to be deprived
of the Sweets of Society at a time of life when
I have most relish for them, & shall be once



more left to my own private resources, which
however small I might perhaps satisfy myself
with, was I not obliged in a great measure to
give myself up to the hurry of the Great
World which I abhor. -- if Hamilton had the same
way of thinking I am inclined to believe we should
give up every thing & take care of our own
Estate which would be a much more comfortable
Scheme than our present situation
& I believe would be a more lucrative one --
I am a bad Courtier, & perhaps ought not to say
all this to you, but notwithstanding my Spirit
of independency, with regard to myself & Sir William
I rejoice infinitely in the happy situation we leave
you in, under the protection of the best of Queens
whom I respect & honour, most sincerely, though I would
not be in the family of any Sovereign upon Earth
was it in my power -- but all this is between you
& I. -- Sir William has been in Wales & is vastly pleased
with his reception there -- Several of the Gentlemen
wanted him to declare himself Candidate
for the next election, but he told
them he left all that to them, that he
was willing to represent them if they desired
it but wished it to be their own act -- I find their
wishes to have him are almost universal, they



expressed great impatience at our being so long
abroad, & are very desirous we should live among
them -- in short it was a struggle who should
receive him best -- the Estate is in a prosperous
way, & it is a real pleasure to me to find
my Fathers memory is still dear to all
the People of the Country -- I tell you this knowing
you would be curious about his transactions there --
I have just received a Letter from Lady Stormont
begging us in the Strongest terms to come to
them at Paris, & you will believe how sorry
I am that Sir William will not be prevailed upon
she says her little boy grows fat & lively, she
desires her Compliments to you -- Poor Monsieur D'Ajincourt
is I believe a little disappointed, but
it really intolerable to have had him
tagging after us in our Journey, though, (for a
Frenchman) he is really one of the best I ever
met with, though in general I don't think them
bearable before they are complete Sixty, as
were my old Knights of Malta when I visited
that Island -- some of which however were old
enough to talk to me of Lewis the 14th- as if he
had reigned Yesterday -- in my airing to day



I called on Mrs Hamilton; but could not go in because
of the smell of paint, & I give you notice she will
make herself sick with it -- unless she can be
prevailed upon to sleep out of the house -- I must
now take my leave of you -- but be assured we
will not go without coming to see you for
I am with the t Sincere friendship
                                                         Your Most Affectionate Aunt
                                                         Catherine Hamilton

you must put on Mourning for a
Week for the Duchess of Queensbury

      Friday -- 18th- July 1777

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 1. ‘Of a period or space of time: That has run its full course, whole.’ (OED s.v. complete, adj., 2. Accessed 12-08-2023).

Metadata

Library References

Repository: John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester

Archive: Mary Hamilton Papers

Item title: Letter from Lady Catherine Hamilton (née Barlow) to Mary Hamilton

Shelfmark: HAM/1/4/5/6

Correspondence Details

Sender: Lady Catherine Hamilton (née Barlow)

Place sent: unknown

Addressee: Mary Hamilton

Place received: unknown

Date sent: 18 July 1777

Letter Description

Summary: Letter from Lady Catherine Hamilton to Mary Hamilton. The letter relates to Lady Hamilton's longing to remain in England rather than return to Naples. She informs her niece that she and Sir William will take leave of the King and Queen on Thursday and notes that she will find it difficult as she is unwilling to return to Naples. If her husband 'had the same way of thinking I am inclined to believe we should give up every thing & take care of our own Estate which would be a much more comfortable scheme than our present situation & I believe would be a more lucrative one'.
    Lady Hamilton also writes of her pleasure at her niece's position at court, although she admits that she herself is a 'bad Courtier'. Queen Charlotte is described as the 'best of Queens' but she herself 'would not be in the family of any Sovereign upon Earth was it in my power'. She then adds that this remains between her and Hamilton.
    Original reference No. 5.
   

Length: 1 sheet, 740 words

Transliteration Information

Editorial declaration: First edited in the project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers' (Hannah Barker, Sophie Coulombeau, David Denison, Tino Oudesluijs, Cassandra Ulph, Christine Wallis & Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, 2019-2023).

All quotation marks are retained in the text and are represented by appropriate Unicode characters. Words split across two lines may have a hyphen on the first, the second or both fragments (reco-|ver, imperfect|-ly, satisfacti-|-on); or a double hyphen (pur=|port, dan|=ger, qua=|=litys); or none (respect|ing). Any point in abbreviations with superscripted letter(s) is placed last, regardless of relative left-right orientation in the original. Thus, Mrs. or Mrs may occur, but M.rs or Mr.s do not.

Acknowledgements: Transcription and XML version created as part of project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers', funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council under grant AH/S007121/1.

Transliterator: Tino Oudesluijs, editorial team (completed 28 July 2020)

Cataloguer: Lisa Crawley, Archivist, The John Rylands Library

Cataloguer: John Hodgson, Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Research Institute and Library

Copyright: Transcriptions, notes and TEI/XML © the editors

Revision date: 12 August 2023

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