Diplomatic Text
Upshire Farm Eʃsex
Wedy. 27th. August 1783
23
Your letter my Dear dated the 23d has but
this moment reach'd me -- you may then easily
imagine what a very uncomfortable state my mind
is in -- as in that letter I learn that My dear
friend is ill & that you would send me accounts
of her in a day or two -- pray fail not to
write by return of Post -- & direct to me under
Cover to Sr. Wm. at Courteen Hall for I go there
on friday with Lady Wake for a few days --
I beg that you will tell me every thing concerning
her Illneʃs & conceal nothing from me -- I am
extremely glad you are with your dear Sister
for I know how tenderly
you love her & with what
Care you will attend her.
Let me know whether she has had a
Physician -- and whether this had illneʃs has
brought on the old complaint in her Stomach.
I intreat, once more that you will send me
a true & faithful account. I wrote to your
Sister the 15th. & hope she recd. my letter.[1]
Sr. Wm. Wake has been confin'd by the Gout ever
since the tenth of this Month -- he is now recovering
but is still carried up & down stairs -- Lady Wake
is pretty well in health but her spirits are
much depreʃsed by the constant state of anxiety
She is in on her Husbands account -- we shall
only be absent from this place four days only; -- Ldy.
W—— & I, only& Richard go into Northamptonshire the
Reason of this journey is to take little Richard
to School. I wish you could endulge me by
writing to me by the next post a duplicate letter
directed under cover to Waltham Abbey -- for it is not improbable
but something may happen to prevent our going
the day at present fix'd on -- for it is impoʃsible
to depend upon Sr. Wm.'s detirminations for an
hour together -- Adieu, embrace your dear Sister,
for me
Ever Yours
M: Hamilton
[2]▼
Lady Wake desires her best Compliments to
You & Yr. Sister she is much concern'd
to hear that she is ill again
Perhaps I shall have a letter from you tomorrow
do not let Yr. sister fatigue herself with writing[3]
[4]
Honble Miʃs Gunning
St. James's Palace[5]
London
Free
Wake[6]
[7]
[8]
red text is normalised and/or unformatted in other panel)
Notes
1. No obvious copy letter, and nothing in HAM/2/4 for that date.
2. Part of HAM/15/2/27b is visible in the left margin where it has been pasted to this letter.
3. The postscript is written upside down below the address.
4. Bishop mark in black ink, dated 29, partially obscured by a second sheet pasted over the first.
5. Postmarked 'free' in red ink.
6. This frank is written to the left of the address.
7. Remains of postmark in black ink, possibly reading 'WALTH CE'.
8. Remains of seal, in red wax.
Normalised Text
Upshire Farm Essex
Wednesday 27th. August 1783
Your letter my Dear dated the 23d has but
this moment reached me -- you may then easily
imagine what a very uncomfortable state my mind
is in -- as in that letter I learn that My dear
friend is ill & that you would send me accounts
of her in a day or two -- pray fail not to
write by return of Post -- & direct to me under
Cover to Sir William at Courteen Hall for I go there
on friday with Lady Wake for a few days --
I beg that you will tell me every thing concerning
her Illness & conceal nothing from me -- I am
extremely glad you are with your dear Sister
for I know how tenderly
you love her & with what
Care you will attend her.
Let me know whether she has had a
Physician -- and whether this illness has
brought on the old complaint in her Stomach.
I entreat, once more that you will send me
a true & faithful account. I wrote to your
Sister the 15th. & hope she received my letter.
Sir William Wake has been confined by the Gout ever
since the tenth of this Month -- he is now recovering
but is still carried up & down stairs -- Lady Wake
is pretty well in health but her spirits are
much depressed by the constant state of anxiety
She is in on her Husbands account -- we shall
be absent from this place four days only; -- Lady
Wake & I, & Richard go into Northamptonshire the
Reason of this journey is to take little Richard
to School. I wish you could indulge me by
writing to me by the next post a duplicate letter
directed under cover to Waltham Abbey -- for it is not improbable
but something may happen to prevent our going
the day at present fixed on -- for it is impossible
to depend upon Sir William's determinations for an
hour together -- Adieu, embrace your dear Sister,
for me
Ever Yours
Mary Hamilton
▼
Lady Wake desires her best Compliments to
You & Your Sister she is much concerned
to hear that she is ill again
Perhaps I shall have a letter from you tomorrow
do not let Yur sister fatigue herself with writing
Honourable Miss Gunning
St. James's Palace
London
Free
Wake
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 Mary Hamilton to Charlotte Margaret Gunning
Shelfmark: HAM/1/15/2/27(1)
Correspondence Details
Sender: Mary Hamilton
Place sent: Upshire
Addressee: Charlotte Margaret Digby (née Gunning)
Place received: London
Date sent: 27 August 1783
Letter Description
Summary: This letter is dated 27 August 1783 and concerns Gunning's sister Barbara Evelyn Isabella's health and news of Sir William and Lady Wake.
Original reference No. 23.
Length: 1 sheet, 387 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 6 October 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 April 2023