Diplomatic Text
Curzon Street -- Jany. 12 -- 1790 --
Both your last Letters, my dear Mrs Dickinson, have been round to
Wherwell, in vain, & have followed me to Town, where we came very
succeʃsfully near a month ago; And because I had two or three things
to enclose to you, I have been waiting for a Frank all this time,
expecting my Uncle to return to London. However as He is not
immediately coming, I will not delay any further, & this shall travel
to Him at Uppark[1] for his Signature. -- My Father still continues
Mr- Dickinson's Prescription with great Constancy, & imputes much
of his relief to it, tho Rhumatic Twinges & Spasms will return &
remind him during this damp weather. -- He is still so helpleʃs as not
to have the power of lifting his Leg off the Bed, or of rising from
his Chair without the aʃsistance of one man & a crutch; but all
the Medical People persist in promising a certain Recovery, tho a
slow one, & nothing now has been recommended or applied since He came
to Town, except a Bandage. His Health is unimpaired & his Spirits
rather better. -- Mr- Watkin attends Mrs- Iremonger every Day,
but not with so much benefit as we had hoped, tho her Eyes
are certainly materially better than they were in the Country.
She has gone thro̅ much Discipline in Blisters, but she has
Relapses of the Complaint. Mrs- Iremonger does not trust herself to
read or write & therefore it was very considerate in You not to
put her under the temptation of answering a Letter from you.
We all write in most heartily congratulating you & Mr- J. Dickinson on
the instance you tell me of, of his Father's affectionate generosity in
putting him in present poʃeʃsion of Taxal Estate. I can easily ima-
-gine the great agrément it must be to you; & the Sensations of
such a good Parent on this Occasion will be their own Reward.
If I should ever be carried into your Neighborhood, I would inquire
You out. A Cottage in such a Situation, as I have heard You describe
Your's, would be my delight. The use of the Buxton Baths is
sometimes urged to my Father as what He would find an effectual
Restorative, & I believe Your Abode is not very distant from thence;
But I doubt it is very unlikely we should go, my Father has no
little pleasure in any other Place except Wherwell. -- Mrs- Walsingham
has indeed had a very tedious, & we suspect an alarming Illneʃs. It is
given out as a Rhumatic fever, & that Dr- Warren has all along aʃsur'd
there was no danger; But two other Conjectures have spread, the Insanity
which you mention, & an idea of something of a Scrophulous Nature in the
arm. The latter is more believed than the former because only a Surgeon
& Dr- Warren attend; & an Old Apothecary whom Mrs- Wal: has employed
these 20 Years is not suffered to enter the House. Miʃs Boyle never quits
her Mother's room, & is every way much to be pitied. Mrs- Iremonger
was admitted to her once, & found her divided between Hope & Fear, but
she did not enter into particulars. Lately, our Daily answers to Enquiries
have said that She was mending, & in a fair way. Yesterday It was
altered again, to expreʃs that She continued without alteration. Mrs-
Montague was here one evening, lively & well, & full of the Entertainments
She was going to give to the French Ladies. The Young Montagues have
three Children, but Mrs- I—— cannot fix the date of arrival of the
last, we have a notion it was lately. -- I thank You very much for
the Key to the Quipos,[2] & I shall not fail to send it to my friend Louisa
Shipley who is still at Weymouth with her Mother; but I expect her
within a few weeks in Town. She has not been so well again since this
series of damp weather. -- How good You are, & Mr- Dickinson too to
remember my Friend, & my Stomach too so kindly! I have lately been
remarkably well, more free from Heartburn & it's attendants than for
several Years; owing I think to a twelvemonth's perseverence in Lua ---
& seltzer Water. If Mr- Dickinson wants to grow Strong, & has a ---
confidence in my Skill, I am sure I owe him some advice, & am ------
to give it whenever He likes to apply. -- Your friend Miʃs Gunning
is married,[3] & from your account, & every other, has a good prospect
for permanent Happineʃs; Not so, poor Lady Mornington's Daughter,
Lady Anne Fitzroy, now; He is Lord Southampton's 3d. Son, & they
cannot have quite £400 p ann. between them, & worse than all,
He is said to be a mauvais Sujet. -- The Duke & Duch: of Dorset
have been a week at Knowle, entertaining 200 Poor People every
day in their Hall; the best sort of Féte, & a fine example. --
London is full of French Fugitives[4], among the rest Madame De
Boufleurs, Mistreʃs to the Prince de Conti,[5] the Ducheʃse de Beron &
many more. The Duc d'Orlean's has bro't over with him Madame de Buffon,
Daughter in law to the great Naturalist; It is said that the Prince of
Wales has made her great offers, but She treated him with Contempt.
We lead a quiet Country life in Curzon Street. Mrs- & Miʃs Pitt come
to us every evening. Mrs- Carter dined with us yesterday, & suffered
much Rhumatic Pain in her arm. The Vellum Writing Paper, which you advised
▼
I bought at Bristol, where they are famous for making it. Little Catharine
grows monstrously fast, has just now got a Sneezing Cold, otherwise very well.
She sends Love to your Louisa, & remembers her perfectly. I sincerely wish
You many happy returns of the 26th. of Janry.[6]
And I remain
Dear Mrs- Dickinson, Yrs- Sincerely obliged
& Affectionately E. Iremonger
red text is normalised and/or unformatted in other panel)
Notes
1. A 17th-century house in South Harting, West Sussex, which was bought by Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, 1st Baronet, after his marriage to Sarah Lethieullier (Benjamin Lethieullier's sister) in 1746. At the time of writing it was owned by Sir Matthew and Sarah's son, Henry (Harry) Fetherstonhaugh, 2nd Baronet.
2. Evidently some kind of puzzle: see notes to HAM/1/8/1/4 p.2.
3. Charlotte Margaret Gunning had married Colonel Hon. Stephen Digby on 6 January 1790.
4. Following the storming of the Bastille in 1789, some members of the French nobility migrated to London for safety, including members of the ‘Constitutionale’ group who had favoured reform and a constitutional monarchy. One such emigre was the future husband of Frances Burney, Alexandre D'Arblay. This was the beginning of a wave of French migrations to England between 1789 and 1815, which accelerated following the ‘Terror’ of the 1790s.
5. This refers to the late Prince de Conti, Louis Franҫois, rather than to the current incumbent, his son Louis Franҫois Joseph.
6. Louisa Dickenson's third birthday.
7. This date indicates that Benjamin Lethieullier franked the letter a day after Elizabeth Iremonger wrote it.
8. Remains of a stamp, reading 'FREE'.
9. The address is written vertically in the middle of the page. The frank signature appears to the left of the direction.
10. The postmark reads ‘Midhurst’.
11. Remains of a Bishop mark, broken by the fold, appear both above and below the address. It reads JAN 14 90, indicating the date of the stamp.
Normalised Text
Curzon Street -- January 12 -- 1790 --
Both your last Letters, my dear Mrs Dickinson, have been round to
Wherwell, in vain, & have followed me to Town, where we came very
successfully near a month ago; And because I had two or three things
to enclose to you, I have been waiting for a Frank all this time,
expecting my Uncle to return to London. However as He is not
immediately coming, I will not delay any further, & this shall travel
to Him at Uppark for his Signature. -- My Father still continues
Mr- Dickinson's Prescription with great Constancy, & imputes much
of his relief to it, though Rheumatic Twinges & Spasms will return &
remind him during this damp weather. -- He is still so helpless as not
to have the power of lifting his Leg off the Bed, or of rising from
his Chair without the assistance of one man & a crutch; but all
the Medical People persist in promising a certain Recovery, though a
slow one, & nothing now has been recommended or applied since He came
to Town, except a Bandage. His Health is unimpaired & his Spirits
rather better. -- Mr- Watkin attends Mrs- Iremonger every Day,
but not with so much benefit as we had hoped, though her Eyes
are certainly materially better than they were in the Country.
She has gone Through much Discipline in Blisters, but she has
Relapses of the Complaint. Mrs- Iremonger does not trust herself to
read or write & therefore it was very considerate in You not to
put her under the temptation of answering a Letter from you.
We all write in most heartily congratulating you & Mr- John Dickinson on
the instance you tell me of, of his Father's affectionate generosity in
putting him in present posession of Taxal Estate. I can easily imagine
the great agrément it must be to you; & the Sensations of
such a good Parent on this Occasion will be their own Reward.
If I should ever be carried into your Neighbourhood, I would inquire
You out. A Cottage in such a Situation, as I have heard You describe
Your's, would be my delight. The use of the Buxton Baths is
sometimes urged to my Father as what He would find an effectual
Restorative, & I believe Your Abode is not very distant from thence;
But I doubt it is very unlikely we should go, my Father has
little pleasure in any other Place except Wherwell. -- Mrs- Walsingham
has indeed had a very tedious, & we suspect an alarming Illness. It is
given out as a Rheumatic fever, & that Dr- Warren has all along assured
there was no danger; But two other Conjectures have spread, the Insanity
which you mention, & an idea of something of a Scrofulous Nature in the
arm. The latter is more believed than the former because only a Surgeon
& Dr- Warren attend; & an Old Apothecary whom Mrs- Walsingham has employed
these 20 Years is not suffered to enter the House. Miss Boyle never quits
her Mother's room, & is every way much to be pitied. Mrs- Iremonger
was admitted to her once, & found her divided between Hope & Fear, but
she did not enter into particulars. Lately, our Daily answers to Enquiries
have said that She was mending, & in a fair way. Yesterday It was
altered again, to express that She continued without alteration. Mrs-
Montague was here one evening, lively & well, & full of the Entertainments
She was going to give to the French Ladies. The Young Montagues have
three Children, but Mrs- Iremonger cannot fix the date of arrival of the
last, we have a notion it was lately. -- I thank You very much for
the Key to the Quipus, & I shall not fail to send it to my friend Louisa
Shipley who is still at Weymouth with her Mother; but I expect her
within a few weeks in Town. She has not been so well again since this
series of damp weather. -- How good You are, & Mr- Dickinson too to
remember my Friend, & my Stomach too so kindly! I have lately been
remarkably well, more free from Heartburn & it's attendants than for
several Years; owing I think to a twelvemonth's perseverence in Lua ---
& seltzer Water. If Mr- Dickinson wants to grow Strong, & has a ---
confidence in my Skill, I am sure I owe him some advice, & am ------
to give it whenever He likes to apply. -- Your friend Miss Gunning
is married, & from your account, & every other, has a good prospect
for permanent Happiness; Not so, poor Lady Mornington's Daughter,
Lady Anne Fitzroy, now; He is Lord Southampton's 3d. Son, & they
cannot have quite £400 per annum between them, & worse than all,
He is said to be a mauvais Sujet. -- The Duke & Duchess of Dorset
have been a week at Knowle, entertaining 200 Poor People every
day in their Hall; the best sort of Féte, & a fine example. --
London is full of French Fugitives, among the rest Madame De
Boufleurs, Mistress to the Prince de Conti, the Duchesse de Beron &
many more. The Duc d'Orlean's has brought over with him Madame de Buffon,
Daughter in law to the great Naturalist; It is said that the Prince of
Wales has made her great offers, but She treated him with Contempt.
We lead a quiet Country life in Curzon Street. Mrs- & Miss Pitt come
to us every evening. Mrs- Carter dined with us yesterday, & suffered
much Rheumatic Pain in her arm. The Vellum Writing Paper, which you advised
▼
I bought at Bristol, where they are famous for making it. Little Catharine
grows monstrously fast, has just now got a Sneezing Cold, otherwise very well.
She sends Love to your Louisa, & remembers her perfectly. I sincerely wish
You many happy returns of the 26th. of January
And I remain
Dear Mrs- Dickinson, Yours Sincerely obliged
& Affectionately Elizabeth Iremonger
Taxal
Chapel le Frith
Derbyshire
Free
B Lethieullier
quotations, spellings, uncorrected forms, split words, abbreviations, formatting)
Notes
Metadata
Library References
Repository: John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester
Archive: Mary Hamilton Papers
Item title: Letter from Elizabeth Iremonger to Mary Hamilton
Shelfmark: HAM/1/8/1/8
Correspondence Details
Sender: Elizabeth Iremonger
Place sent: London
Addressee: Mary Hamilton
Place received: Taxal, near Chapel-en-le-Frith
Date sent: 13 January 1790
Letter Description
Summary: Letter from Elizabeth Iremonger to Mary Hamilton. She writes from London where
she has been for almost a month. She reports that her father continues
taking Dickenson's 'prescription' and now believes that it is beneficial
to him though he is still 'helpless as not to have the power of lifting
his leg off the Bed, or of rising from his chair without the assistance
of one man & a crutch'. His surgeons and doctors still promise that
he will recover though possibly not fully. The only medical assistance
that has been suggested to him since he came to town has been a bandage.
Iremonger continues her letter on Mrs Iremonger's health and on Dickenson
and his Taxal estate. She writes of the generosity of John Dickenson
Senior in putting the estate in Dickenson's possession. She also writes
with news of friends. Mrs Montagu (HAM/1/6/4) is 'lively & well,
& full of the Entertainments she was going to give to the French
Ladies'[refugees from the French Revolution]. She notes that Hamilton's
friend Miss Gunning [HAM/1/15] has married '& from your account,
& every other, has a good prospect for permanent Happiness'. She
continues to note that Lady Ann Fitzroy's marriage is not so happy and
that the Duke and Duchess of Dorset have spent a week at their house
entertaining '200 poor people every day in their Hall'. Iremonger writes
that London is full of 'French Fugitives' among whom are Madame De
Boufleur who is the mistress of the Prince De Conti and that the Duc
d'Orleans has brought with him to England Madame de Buffon who is the
daughter-in-law of the naturalist, Count de Buffon [Georges-Louis Leclerc
(1707-1788)]. Iremonger has heard that the Prince of Wales 'has made her
great offers, but she treats him with contempt'. The letter continues on
Iremonger's life in Curzon Street.
Dated at Curzon Street [London].
Length: 1 sheet, 1017 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: Cassandra Ulph, editorial team (completed 4 November 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: 2 November 2021