Single Letter

HAM/1/15/1/18

Letter from Charlotte Margaret Gunning to Mary Hamilton

Diplomatic Text


19

Dec
Friday St Jamess -- 15
1786

Nothing could exceed my surprise, at seeing a letter
from you my dear Friend, lying on my Table to day
on my return from my airing, with the Bath Post mark
upon it. I have been thinking of you these several Days
paʃsed fixed at Northamton, and have been wishing for,
if not absolutely expecting a letter from thence, to tell
me how you liked, & how you felt in, your new situations.
The beginning of your letter alarmed me exceedingly
so sudden a change in your plans, seemed to indicate
an immediate neceʃsity for Bath, which was quite
frightful -- Thank God you and conclude by so good
an account both of yourself and Mr Dickenson that
I am quite easy about you -- I would not that anything
should vex you now for the World -- tell me as often as
you can without inconvenience to yourself, my dear
Friend
how his Health improves, & that your spirits
continue good -- You cannot conceive what I feel when
you say, “pray come to Bath, contrive it, do not let any
trivial Obstacle prevent your coming” Alas my dear
I would give anything to go, ill as I am, I should set out
at an hours warning, if there was a poʃsibility of
doing it -- You may imagine I wish much to be with
my Family, my Sister -- the Hobart's, The Bridgemans



are there, and now you, whom above all I wish to see!
For how long since we have met! How long perhaps
nay most likely, before we meet again! what would
I give to have you here just at this minute to spend
a comfortable Evening with me -- I have been at home
ever since this Day fortnight, and am not better,
sometimes Ly Carlisle comes to sit with me, whenev[er]
she can get out -- once I had Ly Louisa S. but she is gone
out of Town -- Madame Reventelau is gone again
too -- so that I am often quite alone, or with my little
Girl who is a very pleasant Companion I aʃsure you
never makes impertinent remarks, very docil & very
charming -- Did the Hours otherwise paʃs heavily
along, she would occupy & amuse me sufficiently
but I believe I need not aʃsure you that I always find
more occupation, such as it is, than I have time for --
However I could put it aside tho' without regret for that
of conversing with you -- Would I could promise myse[lf]
that comfort in any fixed future time! To return
to the Bath Scheme, Mrs Harcourt is too well to
think of it now -- she will go in Spring, when I shall
neither have the power, nor the wish of accompanying
her. I am glad you are in comfortable Lodgings my dear
my Father found it very difficult to procure any
it must have become more so now. Is this the first time



of your being at Bath? you will like the Local & as for
the humours of the Place, I imagine you will lead too
retired & quiet a life to be acquainted with them, but
I think they are detestable. That continually living
in publick, that impoʃsibility of being denied, the
Tittle Tattle, the heat, the Rain, the dirt -- make it
a detestable sejour -- tell me what you see & hear
of my Sister -- how she conducts herself, what are her
manners, behaviour, what is thought & said of her
&c &c -- this I expect from your sincere, impartial
Friendship -- I fancy she has no remains of that illneʃs
& those low spirits which absolutely made my life
wretched for some time this Autumn -- I fear she lead[s]
too diʃsipated a life -- Tell my how are my dear Fat---[1]
spirits -- does he play at Whist every night -- I hop[e]
you will see them -- now for a word about myself
Turton comes every day, & has healed me for the
Rheumatism of which the return of the pain at night
seems to be a symptom -- yet nothing has hitherto
relieved me -- I am going to take Bark in quantity
that I am awake & in spirits I do not understand
for every night is spent in Pain, & never have I an
Hours sound sleep -- yet I am otherwise well -- & happy.
I sent my last letter to Courteenhall, not knowing a
more exact direction -- Let me hear how you go on
as often as you can -- I answer your letter immediatly
& you will get this on Sunday -- pray do not walk
any more up to Brock Street -- it is very bad for you --
God bleʃs you my dear Friend -- adieu your affec: since[re]
                                                         CMG --
remember me kindly to Mr D --




                             [2]

To
      Mrs Dickenson
No 2 Abbey Street
      Bath


                             [3]
                             [4]

Honble. Miʃs G. Decbr. 1786
Recd. at Bath[5]

(hover over blue text or annotations for clarification;
red text is normalised and/or unformatted in other panel)


Notes


 1. Evidently 'Fathers' or 'Father's'.
 2. Remains of a seal, in red wax.
 3. Postmark '16 DE' below address when unfolded, indicating that the letter went through the post on 16 December 1786.
 4. Remains of a seal, in red wax.
 5. This annotation is written vertically on the right-hand side of the page.

Normalised Text



December
Friday St Jamess -- 15
1786

Nothing could exceed my surprise, at seeing a letter
from you my dear Friend, lying on my Table to day
on my return from my airing, with the Bath Post mark
upon it. I have been thinking of you these several Days
passed fixed at Northamton, and have been wishing for,
if not absolutely expecting a letter from thence, to tell
me how you liked, & how you felt in, your new situations.
The beginning of your letter alarmed me exceedingly
so sudden a change in your plans, seemed to indicate
an immediate necessity for Bath, which was quite
frightful -- Thank God you conclude by so good
an account both of yourself and Mr Dickenson that
I am quite easy about you -- I would not that anything
should vex you now for the World -- tell me as often as
you can without inconvenience to yourself, my dear
Friend how his Health improves, & that your spirits
continue good -- You cannot conceive what I feel when
you say, “pray come to Bath, contrive it, do not let any
trivial Obstacle prevent your coming” Alas my dear
I would give anything to go, ill as I am, I should set out
at an hours warning, if there was a possibility of
doing it -- You may imagine I wish much to be with
my Family, my Sister -- the Hobart's, The Bridgemans



are there, and now you, whom above all I wish to see!
For how long since we have met! How long perhaps
nay most likely, before we meet again! what would
I give to have you here just at this minute to spend
a comfortable Evening with me -- I have been at home
ever since this Day fortnight, and am not better,
sometimes Lady Carlisle comes to sit with me, whenever
she can get out -- once I had Lady Louisa S. but she is gone
out of Town -- Madame Reventlau is gone again
too -- so that I am often quite alone, or with my little
Girl who is a very pleasant Companion I assure you
never makes impertinent remarks, very docile & very
charming -- Did the Hours otherwise pass heavily
along, she would occupy & amuse me sufficiently
but I believe I need not assure you that I always find
more occupation, such as it is, than I have time for --
I could put it aside though without regret for that
of conversing with you -- Would I could promise myself
that comfort in any fixed future time! To return
to the Bath Scheme, Mrs Harcourt is too well to
think of it now -- she will go in Spring, when I shall
neither have the power, nor the wish of accompanying
her. I am glad you are in comfortable Lodgings my dear
my Father found it very difficult to procure any
it must have become more so now. Is this the first time



of your being at Bath? you will like the Local & as for
the humours of the Place, I imagine you will lead too
retired & quiet a life to be acquainted with them, but
I think they are detestable. That continually living
in public, that impossibility of being denied, the
Tittle Tattle, the heat, the Rain, the dirt -- make it
a detestable séjour -- tell me what you see & hear
of my Sister -- how she conducts herself, what are her
manners, behaviour, what is thought & said of her
&c &c -- this I expect from your sincere, impartial
Friendship -- I fancy she has no remains of that illness
& those low spirits which absolutely made my life
wretched for some time this Autumn -- I fear she leads
too dissipated a life -- Tell me how are my dear Fat---
spirits -- does he play at Whist every night -- I hope
you will see them -- now for a word about myself
Turton comes every day, & has healed me for the
Rheumatism of which the return of the pain at night
seems to be a symptom -- yet nothing has hitherto
relieved me -- I am going to take Bark in quantity
that I am awake & in spirits I do not understand
for every night is spent in Pain, & never have I an
Hours sound sleep -- yet I am otherwise well -- & happy.
I sent my last letter to Courteenhall, not knowing a
more exact direction -- Let me hear how you go on
as often as you can -- I answer your letter immediately
& you will get this on Sunday -- pray do not walk
any more up to Brock Street -- it is very bad for you --
God bless you my dear Friend -- adieu your affectionate sincere
                                                         Charlotte Margaret Gunning --
remember me kindly to Mr Dickenson --




                            

To
      Mrs Dickenson
No 2 Abbey Street
      Bath


                            
                            

(consult diplomatic text or XML for annotations, deletions, clarifications, persons,
quotations,
spellings, uncorrected forms, split words, abbreviations, formatting)



 1. Evidently 'Fathers' or 'Father's'.
 2. Remains of a seal, in red wax.
 3. Postmark '16 DE' below address when unfolded, indicating that the letter went through the post on 16 December 1786.
 4. Remains of a seal, in red wax.
 5. This annotation is written vertically on the right-hand side of the page.

Metadata

Library References

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

Archive: Mary Hamilton Papers

Item title: Letter from Charlotte Margaret Gunning to Mary Hamilton

Shelfmark: HAM/1/15/1/18

Correspondence Details

Sender: Charlotte Margaret Digby (née Gunning)

Place sent: London

Addressee: Mary Hamilton

Place received: Bath

Date sent: 16 December 1786

Letter Description

Summary: Letter from Charlotte Gunning to Mary Hamilton, relating to Bath and to Gunning's health. Hamilton is at Bath and has requested that Gunning join her there. Gunning writes that her family are also in Bath and that nothing would give her greater pleasure than seeing them and Hamilton, but she is too ill to travel. She writes on Bath and asks Hamilton to let her know how her sister does and what is said of her there. The letter continues on Gunning's health.
    Dated at St James's [London].
    Original reference No. 19.
   

Length: 1 sheet, 797 words

Transliteration Information

Editorial declaration: First edited in the project 'Image to Text' (David Denison & Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, 2013-2019), now incorporated 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: XML version: Research Assistant funding in 2014/15 and 2015/16 provided by the Department of Linguistics and English Language, University of Manchester.

Research assistant: Isabella Formisano, former MA student, University of Manchester

Transliterator: Rebecca Prescott, undergraduate student, University of Manchester (submitted May 2016)

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

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