HAM/1/11/41
Letter from Lady Dartrey (later Lady Cremorne) to Mary Hamilton
Diplomatic Text
▼
Chelsea Farm
May 11th:
1789
My Dearst. Mrs: Dickenson's kind Letter I recd: on Saturday
& as no Post went out I could not ansr: it till to Day; I
am very sorry you have been so much alarmed
about us. & I told Ly.- Wake of yr: kind anxiety
when I saw her last night -- She says her Letter
must have miscarried, as She wrote a very long
one & sent it to Miʃs Anne Clarke, who was to
write at the same time; I have the Comfort
however of aʃsuring you that Lady Wake is
very tolerably well, & looked remarkably
well yesterday, & Marianne & Charlotte both
pretty well -- They were all at Ranelagh[1] on
Friday, so you may set yr: friendly Heart at ease
upon their account; Sr: Wm: is also pretty well, &
Ly: W. has had the pleasure of seeing her dear Rich
during the Easter Holidays, -- & having great comfort
in his Company. Your account of your Celebration
of our Dear King's Recovery pleased me & my Husband
very much -- we should have rejoiced at seeing your little
Louisa admiring Grandpapa & Mama dancing together.
I do believe you were more chearful thatn the Pantheon
Company; & as to the Opera House Ball, I have not
heard of one Person who did not complain of the Heat
& the Crowd, & seem rather more disappointed than pleased.
The Poor Cottager's Illumination went to my Heart,
tho' it was not quite so touching & affecting, as a
Poor Cobler in London who had continued having a little bit of Oiled Paper
by way of Transparency, with these words only,
“Thank God.” Another poor Creature who had no
Home or settled Lodging, walked about in a quiet
manner with 2 farthing Candles stuck upon a
Board, wh: he carried upon his Head -- & a Chairman
lighted the Top of an Old Sedan Chair, with five
Candles stuck in Clay.[2] I had the pleasure of shewing
to the Queen some Verses made by a poor Woman who
aʃsisted a Poor Mantua Maker[3] that made the Cloathing
for the Children of the School of Industry[4] -- Oh! how I do
wish you cd: have been here on the 10th: of March 238 little
Girls my Dr: Husband cloathed from Head to Foot besides the neceʃsary Apparel as Gown, Shift &c each
had a little Black Bonnet, white Tippet & white Thread
Gloves & white Bibs & aprons -- wh: made them look very
neat indeed -- They walked 2 - & 2 -- from near Ranelagh where
They dined in a large Room -- followed by all the Sunday
Schools, & every other ChSchool in Chelsea to the number
of 378 Children -- & they were placed in Rows upon
the Lawn to sing “God save the King,” to a Band of very
good Music. We all went to Chelsea Chapel with them
first where they Sung a Hymn made upon the
Occasio[n] & the Sight of such a number of littl[e]
Children on one side, & the Old Soldiers o[n]
the other was quite affecting -- indeed I was
very thankful to be in a Pew where I was not seen,
as I cd: shed my Tears, unperceived, but by Mrs: Allen
who was moved almost as much as I was.
Wedy- By Lady Wake's Letter wh: before this time you
have recd: you will find I have not been well but I bleʃs
God I am better since I came here. I believe I exerted
myself a little too much at Windsor, where I paʃsed a
Week after the crowded Drawing Room -- & had the Honr: &
infinite pleasure of being at the first Entertainment
wh: our Dr: King gave after his Illness -- I did not get to Bed
till past 3 o'Clock, & it was too much for me -- as soon as I returned
to Town, I was taken Ill, & have not been well since -- but I aʃsure
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▼ ▼
you my Dr: Friend I am better, & as a proof of it my Husband
is going to Ireland next Monday sennight. He is thank God pure
well -- he begs his Love to you & Joins me in kindest Comps: to Mr.
D. who we hope is ------ in good Health -- & yr: dr: little Louisa.
I hope to see Mrs: Carter tomorrow & will give yr: Meʃsage. I am very sorry I[5]
cd: do nothing about the Snuff Box -- for Mrs: Handcock's Brother
had every Thing given up to Him -- before I Rec'd yr: Letter --
& as She had (poor dr: Woman) another Brother & a Sister ------
an equal Division was to be made -- I wd: not have had it without
offering to pay for it, wh: I do not believe he wd: have allowed -- &
I know if you knew all Circumstances, you wd: not have taken
it otherwise. I told Mrs: C. yr: kind Intention. My Paper obliges me
to say Adieu & Believe me my Dr: Friend Yrs: very Affectly PC
I detained this Letter for a Frank,
but as I am not likely to get one --
I shall send it away without, ------ &
I know you will excuse me for so doing[6]
I have sent for the Book you mention[7]
To[8]
Mrs: Dickenson
at Taxal
near Chapel le Frith
Derbyshire[9]
[10]
red text is normalised and/or unformatted in other panel)
Notes
1. This is almost certainly a reference to Ranelagh Gardens, a public pleasure garden in Chelsea. The fact that Lady Wake was well enough to visit Ranelagh is therefore a sign of her improved health.
2. The (temporary) recovery of George III from illness was marked by a day of national thanksgiving, on which the King himself visited St Paul's Cathedral to give thanks for his recovery. ‘The illuminations on the occasion were so general, that it is probable from the accounts given of them, that scarcely a cottage in the most remote parts of the island was without its show of loyalty and affection’ (Alexander Tytler and Edwards Nares, Universal History, from the Creation of the World, to the Decease of George III, 1820, New York: Harper and Brothers, 1843, vi. 131).
3. A mantua is a piece of women's clothing that was worn in the late 17th- and 18th centuries. It was originally a loose gown, and later more of an overgown that was typically worn over corsets and other similar pieces of clothing.
4. Schools of Industry, sometimes known as industrial schools, provided work for unemployed children in the late eighteenth century, and usually provided an elementary education.
5. These 4 lines appear at the bottom of the page, and the text continues at the top of the page above the address.
6. Moved this postscript here from the top left of p.1, where it is marked off by a line running underneath it and then upwards to separate it from the dateline.
7. Moved this postscript here from left of the address, written vertically.
8. A large manuscript ‘6’ indicates postage due.
9. Moved address here from the middle of the page, written vertically.
10. There are traces of a postmark, dated ‘13 MA[Y] 89’, and a seal.
Normalised Text
▼
Chelsea Farm
May 11th:
My Dearest Mrs: Dickenson's kind Letter I received on Saturday
& as no Post went out I could not answer it till to Day; I
am very sorry you have been so much alarmed
about us. & I told Lady Wake of your kind anxiety
when I saw her last night -- She says her Letter
must have miscarried, as She wrote a very long
one & sent it to Miss Anne Clarke, who was to
write at the same time; I have the Comfort
however of assuring you that Lady Wake is
very tolerably well, & looked remarkably
well yesterday, & Marianne & Charlotte both
pretty well -- They were all at Ranelagh on
Friday, so you may set your friendly Heart at ease
upon their account; Sir William is also pretty well, &
Lady Wake has had the pleasure of seeing her dear Richard
during the Easter Holidays, -- & having great comfort
in his Company. Your account of your Celebration
of our Dear King's Recovery pleased me & my Husband
very much -- we should have rejoiced at seeing your little
Louisa admiring Grandpapa & Mama dancing together.
I do believe you were more cheerful than the Pantheon
Company; & as to the Opera House Ball, I have not
heard of one Person who did not complain of the Heat
& the Crowd, & seem rather more disappointed than pleased.
The Poor Cottager's Illumination went to my Heart,
though it was not quite so touching & affecting, as a
Poor Cobbler in London who had continued having a little bit of Oiled Paper
by way of Transparency, with these words only,
“Thank God.” Another poor Creature who had no
Home or settled Lodging, walked about in a quiet
manner with 2 farthing Candles stuck upon a
Board, which he carried upon his Head -- & a Chairman
lighted the Top of an Old Sedan Chair, with five
Candles stuck in Clay. I had the pleasure of showing
to the Queen some Verses made by a poor Woman who
assisted a Poor Mantua Maker that made the Clothing
for the Children of the School of Industry -- Oh! how I do
wish you could have been here on the 10th: of March 38 little
Girls my Dear Husband cloathed from Head to Foot besides the necessary Apparel as Gown, Shift &c each
had a little Black Bonnet, white Tippet & white Thread
Gloves & white Bibs & aprons -- which made them look very
neat indeed -- They walked 2 & 2 -- from near Ranelagh where
They dined in a large Room -- followed by all the Sunday
Schools, & every other School in Chelsea to the number
of 378 Children -- & they were placed in Rows upon
the Lawn to sing “God save the King,” to a Band of very
good Music. We all went to Chelsea Chapel with them
first where they Sang a Hymn made upon the
Occasion & the Sight of such a number of little
Children on one side, & the Old Soldiers on
the other was quite affecting -- indeed I was
very thankful to be in a Pew where I was not seen,
as I could shed my Tears, unperceived, but by Mrs: Allen
who was moved almost as much as I was.
Wednesday By Lady Wake's Letter which before this time you
have received you will find I have not been well but I bless
God I am better since I came here. I believe I exerted
myself a little too much at Windsor, where I passed a
Week after the crowded Drawing Room -- & had the Honour &
infinite pleasure of being at the first Entertainment
which our Dear King gave after his Illness -- I did not get to Bed
till past 3 o'Clock, & it was too much for me -- as soon as I returned
to Town, I was taken Ill, & have not been well since -- but I assure
▼
▼ ▼
you my Dear Friend I am better, & as a proof of it my Husband
is going to Ireland next Monday sennight. He is thank God pure
well -- he begs his Love to you & Joins me in kindest Compliments to Mr.
Dickenson who we hope is in good Health -- & your dear little Louisa.
I hope to see Mrs: Carter tomorrow & will give your Message. I am very sorry I
could do nothing about the Snuff Box -- for Mrs: Handcock's Brother
had every Thing given up to Him -- before I Received your Letter --
& as She had (poor dear Woman) another Brother & a Sister ------
an equal Division was to be made -- I would not have had it without
offering to pay for it, which I do not believe he would have allowed -- &
I know if you knew all Circumstances, you would not have taken
it otherwise. I told Mrs: C. your kind Intention. My Paper obliges me
to say Adieu & Believe me my dear Friend Yours very Affectionately Philadelphia Cremorne
I detained this Letter for a Frank,
but as I am not likely to get one --
I shall send it away without, &
I know you will excuse me for so doing
I have sent for the Book you mention
To
Mrs: Dickenson
at Taxal
near Chapel le Frith
Derbyshire
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 Lady Dartrey (later Lady Cremorne) to Mary Hamilton
Shelfmark: HAM/1/11/41
Correspondence Details
Sender: Philadelphia Hannah, Baroness Cremorne Dawson (née Freame)
Place sent: Chelsea
Addressee: Mary Hamilton
Place received: Taxal, near Chapel-en-le-Frith
Date sent: 13 May 1789
Letter Description
Summary: Letter from Lady Cremorne (formerly Dartrey) to Mary Hamilton. The letter is concerned with the King's return to health and the celebrations in Town with illuminations. Cremorne writes that one person who had no house or lodgings walked about 'in a quiet manner with 2 farthing candles stuck upon a Board, w[hic]h he carried on his Head'. Whilst a Chairman lighted the top of an old side chair. Cremorne also notes that she showed the Queen some verses that were written by a poor mantua maker who makes the clothing for the children of the School of Industry. She wishes that Hamilton had been there on the 18 March when her husband paid for the clothes of thirty-eight girls. 'They walked 2 & 2 [...] followed by all the Sunday schools, & every other school in Chelsea'. There were 378 children in all, placed in rows and singing 'God save the King'. They all went to Chelsea Chapel and the children were on one side whilst the old soldiers were on the other and she notes that it 'was quite affecting' and that she was thankful that she could not be able to be seen from her pew. Cremorne continues to note that she attended the first entertainment that the King had given since hill illness.
Dated at Chelsea Farm.
Length: 1 sheet, 881 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 April 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: 28 February 2022