Pray, my very dear Friends, which of us has a right to be angry for not having heard yesterday? You? or I? Or neither? Solve me this knotty point. I am sure there is cause for anger some where—& I rather think that you MaryMary Elizabeth Webb | Born: 1796-04-15 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: .
Close friend and frequent correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. Mary Webb was the daughter of James Webb. and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. Baptized on April 15, 1796 in Wokingham, Berkshire. Sister of Elizabeth (called Eliza) and Jane Eleanor Webb and niece of the elder Mary Webb, Aunt Mary. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham, Berkshire. She was the wife of Thomas Hawkins as she is referred to thus in probate papers of 1858 regarding the wills of her sister Eliza Webb Walter and her husband Henry Walter. Date of death unknown. Dates unknown.—scw, lmw have reason good to be in a passion for my not coming to see you—& that I have an equal right to be in a fury for not getting a note—in short that every body has cause to ^be angry—except Miss ElizaElizabeth Eliza Webb | Born: 1797-03-03 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1851-03-24 in Sandgate, Kent, England.
Elizabeth Webb, called Eliza, was a neighbor and friend of Mary Russell Mitford. Eliza Webb was the youngest daughter of James Webb and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. She was baptized privately on March 3, 1797, and publicly on June 8, 1797 in Wokingham, Berkshire. She is the sister of Mary Elizabeth and Jane Eleanor Webb. In 1837 she married Henry Walters, Esq., in Wokingham, Berkshire. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham. Source: See Needham’s letter to Roberts on November 27, 1953 . —scw, lmw—who not being at all in the habit of using it will not mind our taking away her privilege. So MaryMary Elizabeth Webb | Born: 1796-04-15 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: .
Close friend and frequent correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. Mary Webb was the daughter of James Webb. and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. Baptized on April 15, 1796 in Wokingham, Berkshire. Sister of Elizabeth (called Eliza) and Jane Eleanor Webb and niece of the elder Mary Webb, Aunt Mary. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham, Berkshire. She was the wife of Thomas Hawkins as she is referred to thus in probate papers of 1858 regarding the wills of her sister Eliza Webb Walter and her husband Henry Walter. Date of death unknown. Dates unknown.—scw, lmw, My Dear, you & I will be properly angry—a little gentle anger which serves like a glass of Champagne this cold weather to keep us warm & make us laugh & blush—you & I will be angry & then we will make it up in the customary formula of an apologizing letter de part & d'autre[1] French for 'on each side.'—ncl. First of all for me, I have staidstayedaway much against my will I assure you—All the week till Saturday, I had so bad a cold that PapaGeorge Mitford, Esq., or: George Midford | Born: . Died: .
Father of Mary Rusell Mitford, George Mitford was the son of Francis Midford, surgeon, and Jane Graham. The family name is sometimes recorded as Midford. Immediate family called him by nicknames including Drum, Tod, and Dodo. He was a member of a minor branch of the Mitfords of Mitford Castle in Northumberland. Although later sources would suggest that he was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh medical school, there is no evidence that he obtained a medical degree and he did not generally refer to himself as Dr. Mitford, preferring to style himself Esq.. In 1784, he is listed in a Hampshire directory as surgeon (medicine) of Alresford. His father and grandfather worked as apothecary-surgeons and it seems likely that he served a medical apprenticeship with family members.
He married Mary Russell on October 17, 1785 at New Alresford, Hampshire. On the marriage allegation papers, both gave their addresses as Old Alresford; they later came to live at Broad Street in New Alresford. Their only child to live to adulthood, Mary Russell Mitford, was born two years later on December 16, 1787 at New Alresford, Hampshire. He assisted Mitford's literary career by representing her interests in London and elsewhere with theater owners and publishers. He was active in Whig politics and later served as a local magistrate. He coursed greyhounds with his friend James Webb.
—lmw would not let me stir—then Saturday—yesterday I mean—was Saturday you know—& the horrible Bench and so forth—& today was so illnatured as to rain—& tomorrow PapaGeorge Mitford, Esq., or: George Midford | Born: . Died: .
Father of Mary Rusell Mitford, George Mitford was the son of Francis Midford, surgeon, and Jane Graham. The family name is sometimes recorded as Midford. Immediate family called him by nicknames including Drum, Tod, and Dodo. He was a member of a minor branch of the Mitfords of Mitford Castle in Northumberland. Although later sources would suggest that he was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh medical school, there is no evidence that he obtained a medical degree and he did not generally refer to himself as Dr. Mitford, preferring to style himself Esq.. In 1784, he is listed in a Hampshire directory as surgeon (medicine) of Alresford. His father and grandfather worked as apothecary-surgeons and it seems likely that he served a medical apprenticeship with family members.
He married Mary Russell on October 17, 1785 at New Alresford, Hampshire. On the marriage allegation papers, both gave their addresses as Old Alresford; they later came to live at Broad Street in New Alresford. Their only child to live to adulthood, Mary Russell Mitford, was born two years later on December 16, 1787 at New Alresford, Hampshire. He assisted Mitford's literary career by representing her interests in London and elsewhere with theater owners and publishers. He was active in Whig politics and later served as a local magistrate. He coursed greyhounds with his friend James Webb.
—lmw is going coursing—& Tuesday the Quarter Sessions deuce take them! & Wednesday & the latter end of the week he expects to be going to TownLondon, England | London | England | 51.5073509 -0.12775829999998223 Capital city of England and the United Kingdom; one the oldest cities in Western Europe. Major seaport and global trading center at the mouth of the Thames. From 1831 to 1925, the largest city in the world.—lmw—so I must write to beg pardon—& you must write to forgive—write & bring me your letter yourself, my own dear little Madame de SévignéMarie de Sévigné de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné, or: Marquise de Sévigné , Madame Sévigné | Born: 1626-02-05 in Paris, France. Died: 1696-04-17 in Grignan, France.
17th-century French aristocrat and salonniere, celebrated as a letter writer.—lmw
—won't you? Can't you? It seems such an age since I have seen you—& since the mountain cannot come to MahometMahomet Muhammad | Born: 0570 in Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia. Died: 0632-06-08 in Medina, Hejaz, Arabia.
French and medieval Latin spelling of Muhammad; used by Mitford to refer to the Islamic prophet, called the last prophet of Islam, and widely regarded as the founder of the Muslim faith. (Mahomet is also the spelling used by Voltaire in his 1735 play, with which Mitford may have been familiar.) —ncl, lmw
MahometMahomet Muhammad | Born: 0570 in Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia. Died: 0632-06-08 in Medina, Hejaz, Arabia.
French and medieval Latin spelling of Muhammad; used by Mitford to refer to the Islamic prophet, called the last prophet of Islam, and widely regarded as the founder of the Muslim faith. (Mahomet is also the spelling used by Voltaire in his 1735 play, with which Mitford may have been familiar.) —ncl, lmw
should come to the Mountain—I have an infinite respect for old proverbs—especially when they make for my purpose. See that you obey this one.

page 2
I take it for granted, my dear Friend, that ElizaElizabeth Eliza Webb | Born: 1797-03-03 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1851-03-24 in Sandgate, Kent, England.
Elizabeth Webb, called Eliza, was a neighbor and friend of Mary Russell Mitford. Eliza Webb was the youngest daughter of James Webb and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. She was baptized privately on March 3, 1797, and publicly on June 8, 1797 in Wokingham, Berkshire. She is the sister of Mary Elizabeth and Jane Eleanor Webb. In 1837 she married Henry Walters, Esq., in Wokingham, Berkshire. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham. Source: See Needham’s letter to Roberts on November 27, 1953 . —scw, lmw gave you all the particulars of the Ball—We wanted you very much indeed—which was a proof that the ball was worth going to. It had indeed great elegance, great sociability, a delightful host, an enchanting hostess—& above all it had Mr. CrowtherMr. Crowther Crowther Mr.
The dandy Mitford pokes fun at in her letters of 9 and 10 January, 1819 . Possibly husband to Isabelle Crowther. According to Coles, his forename may be Phillip; Coles is not completely confident that the dandy Mr. Crowther and Mr. Phillip Crowther are the same person. The second Mr. Crowther is a correspondent of Mitford's, whom she writes to at Whitley cottage, near Reading. He may also have resided at Westbury on Trim near Bristol. William Coles is uncertain of whether Crowtheris the same Phillip Crowthermentioned in Mitford's Journal. Source: William Coles, Letter to Needham, 10 November 1957, NeedhamPapers, Reading Central Library.
—lmw, scw. This man kept me alive & lifelich (as old ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer | Born: 1343 in London, England. Died: 1400-10-25 in London, England.
Medieval English poet, philsopher, and astronomer. Author of Canterbury Tales.—lmw
says) all the evening. Oh my dear MaryMary Elizabeth Webb | Born: 1796-04-15 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: .
Close friend and frequent correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. Mary Webb was the daughter of James Webb. and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. Baptized on April 15, 1796 in Wokingham, Berkshire. Sister of Elizabeth (called Eliza) and Jane Eleanor Webb and niece of the elder Mary Webb, Aunt Mary. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham, Berkshire. She was the wife of Thomas Hawkins as she is referred to thus in probate papers of 1858 regarding the wills of her sister Eliza Webb Walter and her husband Henry Walter. Date of death unknown. Dates unknown.—scw, lmw I would give a great deal that you could see him—You have never seen anything like him—never unless you have seen a wasp in a Solar Microscope (an insect turned into a monster)—or unless you can imagine a BrobdingnagianBrobdingnagFictional country populated by giantsin Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels.—ncl, lmw Hourglass [2] Reference to Brobdingnag, fictional land of giants in Swift’s Gulliver's Travels.—ncl—but neither wasp nor hourglass are small enough in the waist for this Dandy—this Exquisite—I have all my life had a great respect for the mechanical inventions of this age, but nothing that I have ever seen has given me such an idea of the power of machinery—not your FatherJames Webb | Born: 1769 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1822-01-11 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
Prominent manufacturer in the Wokinghambrewing industry, and community leader in Wokingham and the county of Berkshire. Father of Eliza, Jane, and Mary Webb. Francis Needham suggested that he was the original of the gentleman in the Our Villagesketch Aunt Martha. Sources: Francis Needham, Letter to William Roberts, 16 June 1953 . Needham Papers, Reading Central Library . —scw, lmw's melting machine—not the Portsmouth BlockhousesPortsmouth Blockhouses | 50.800531 -1.109465900000032 Also known as the Portsmouth Block Mills, established in 1802 by Marc Isambard Brunel. Factories in the Portsmouth dockyard that produced pulley blocks for Royal Navy ships’ rigging. The Mills were the site of the world’s first mass production line and used all-metal machine tools.—lmw—not the new MintNew Mint, Little Tower Hill, London, England | Tower Hill | London | England | 51.509289, -0.072916 A new Royal Mint was built on Little Tower Hill beginning in 1805, once space had run out at the previous Mint location at the Tower of London, which also served as an armoury during this period. The new site provided a dedicated location for coining British currency and made use of the latest steam-powered minting machinery. The buildings were completed by 1809, the machinery tested by 1811 and the new Mint opened officially in 1812. Several prints of the new Mint appear between 1811 and 1813.—lmw —as that wonderful effort of mechanism by which those ribs are endued in those stays. I do think he must have had one or two ribs broken on each side to make them lie closer. The compression would be incredible without some such expedient. But I am unjust in talking so much of the stays when it is the Altogether that is so perfect. Trowsers,Trousers, Coat, handkerchief, shirt collar, head inside & out, all were in exact keeping—all belonged to those inimitable stays & could not have belonged to any thinganything else. I never took such a fancy to any thinganythingin my Life—I have seen nothing at all equal to it—Since ListonJohn Liston, or: Mr. Liston | Born: 1776 in London, England. Died: 1846-03-22 in England.
English actor, specializing in comedy, including Cockney parts. His most famous role was the title role in Paul Pry. Charles Lamb wrote a fictional memoir of the actor in the London Magazine in 1825. Acted under Mr. Liston. —lmw
in Lord GrizzelLord Grizzle
Character in the pantomime Tom Thumb. John Liston played Lord Grizzle in a Haymarket production in 1810.—lmw[3] John Liston played Lord Grizzle in the pantomime Tom Thumb at the Haymarket in 1810. Lamb and Hazlitt mention Liston in this role. More usually spelled Grizzle. In Charles Lamb's essay, The New Style of Acting, he writes: For a piece of pure drollery, Liston’s Lord Grizzle has not competitor. Hazlitt also mentions Liston in this role in Lectures on the English Comic Writers.—lmw—It was quite the charm of the evening to me at least, such a charm as a top is to a schoolboy—or a hoop—or as my grave cat SelimSelim
Mitford's ferocious long-haired white cat. The cat may have been a Turkish angora, a breed that became fashionable in the early 19th century.—lmw, ncl is to my frisky puppy MirandaMiranda
A greyhound owned by Mitford, described by her as blue all sprinkled with little white spots just like a starry night in her 13 February 1819 letter to Haydon.—lmw. I am sorry to say the admiration was by no means mutual. page 3
The Dandy was an ungrateful Dandy—& [gap: 1 word, reason: illegible.] away at the sound of my voice just as MossyMossy
Mitford’s dog; He died on Saturday, August 21, 1819 at Bertram House. Mossy was a nickname for Moss Trooper. —lmw, ncl (begging MossyMossy
Mitford’s dog; He died on Saturday, August 21, 1819 at Bertram House. Mossy was a nickname for Moss Trooper. —lmw, ncl's pardon for the comparison) flies off at the sight of our dog-hating cook. He told a discreet friend who told me that he had an "idea" (a very bold assertion by the bye) "an idea that I was Blueish."—Mr. Dandy Good Night—Thank you for a great deal of the best thing in the world—a great deal of laughter. Tell dear ElizaElizabeth Eliza Webb | Born: 1797-03-03 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1851-03-24 in Sandgate, Kent, England.
Elizabeth Webb, called Eliza, was a neighbor and friend of Mary Russell Mitford. Eliza Webb was the youngest daughter of James Webb and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. She was baptized privately on March 3, 1797, and publicly on June 8, 1797 in Wokingham, Berkshire. She is the sister of Mary Elizabeth and Jane Eleanor Webb. In 1837 she married Henry Walters, Esq., in Wokingham, Berkshire. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham. Source: See Needham’s letter to Roberts on November 27, 1953 . —scw, lmw that I wished for her as well as for you all Friday & almost all Saturday. Friday was a delightful day—Mr. D.Charles Dickinson, or: Mr. Dickinson | Born: 1755-03-06 in Pickwick Lodge, Corsham, Wiltshire, England. Died: 1827 in Farley Hill, near Swallowfield, Berkshire, England.
Friend of the Mitford family. He was the son of Vikris Dickinson and Elizabeth Marchant. The Dickinson family were Quakers who lived in the vicinity of Bristol, Gloucestershire. On August 3, 1807, he married Catherine Allingham at St Giles, South Mimms, Middlesex. They lived at Farley Hill, near Swallowfield, Berkshire, where their daughter Frances was born, and where the Mitfords visited them. Charles Dickinson owned a private press he employed to print literary works by his friends (See letters to Elford from March 13, 1819 and June 21, 1820). He wrote and published an epic poem in sixty-six cantos, The Travels of Cyllenius, in 1795. Upon his uncle's death, Charles Dickinson inherited the considerable wealth his extended family had amassed in the West Indies.—ajc, lmw
was just as if nothing had happened—Mrs. DickinsonCatherine Dickinson Allingham | Born: 1787 in Middlesex, England. Died: 1861-09-02 in St. Marylebone, Middlesex, England.
Catherine Allingham was the daughter of Thomas Allingham. She married Charles Dickinson on August 2, 1807 at St. Giles, South Mimms, Middlesex. They lived in Swallowfield, where their daughter Frances was born, and where they were visited by the Mitford family. According to Mitford, Catherine Dickinson was fond of match-making among her friends and acquaintances. (See Mitford's February 8th, 1821 letter to Elford . Her husband Charles died in 1827, when her daughter was seven. Source: L'Estrange). —ajc, lmw more than usually charming—languid gentle delicate tender like wood sorrelName: wood sorrel | Genus: Oxalis | Family: Oxalidaceae | Species: Oxalis acetosella.
Mitford likely refers to common wood sorrel, a member of the oxalis family, native to the Northern Hemisphere, including the UK. It grows in mixed woodlands and is a low-growing plant with heart-shaped trilobal leaves that bears white flowers in April and May. The plant is not related to sorrel proper (Rumex acetosa), although the two plants share an acidic taste that may have led to the similar name.—lmw

, or lilies of the valleyName: lily of the valley | Genus: Convallaria | Family: Asparagaceae | Species: Convallaria majalis.
Scented woodland flowering plant native to the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere. It was previously classified as in its own family (Convallariaceae), and before that was believed to be part of the Lily family (Liliaceae).—lmw

so drooping & so sweet—only just enough alive to sing more sweetly than I ever heard even her that enchanting song of HandelGeorge Georg Frederick Friedrich Handel Händel, or: Georg Friedrich Händel | Born: 1685-03-05. Died: 1759-04-14.
Anglo-German composer, influenced by the Italian Baroque. Settled in London in 1712 and became a naturalized British subject in 1727.—ncl, lmw
's (which ElizaElizabeth Eliza Webb | Born: 1797-03-03 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1851-03-24 in Sandgate, Kent, England.
Elizabeth Webb, called Eliza, was a neighbor and friend of Mary Russell Mitford. Eliza Webb was the youngest daughter of James Webb and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. She was baptized privately on March 3, 1797, and publicly on June 8, 1797 in Wokingham, Berkshire. She is the sister of Mary Elizabeth and Jane Eleanor Webb. In 1837 she married Henry Walters, Esq., in Wokingham, Berkshire. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham. Source: See Needham’s letter to Roberts on November 27, 1953 . —scw, lmw must learn) "Where'er you walk."Where’er You Walk. George Georg Frederick Friedrich Handel Händel. George Frederick Handel George Frederick Handel Georg Friedrich Händel . —In the evening we had a good deal of literature, English & Italian. Mr. DickinsonCharles Dickinson, or: Mr. Dickinson | Born: 1755-03-06 in Pickwick Lodge, Corsham, Wiltshire, England. Died: 1827 in Farley Hill, near Swallowfield, Berkshire, England.
Friend of the Mitford family. He was the son of Vikris Dickinson and Elizabeth Marchant. The Dickinson family were Quakers who lived in the vicinity of Bristol, Gloucestershire. On August 3, 1807, he married Catherine Allingham at St Giles, South Mimms, Middlesex. They lived at Farley Hill, near Swallowfield, Berkshire, where their daughter Frances was born, and where the Mitfords visited them. Charles Dickinson owned a private press he employed to print literary works by his friends (See letters to Elford from March 13, 1819 and June 21, 1820). He wrote and published an epic poem in sixty-six cantos, The Travels of Cyllenius, in 1795. Upon his uncle's death, Charles Dickinson inherited the considerable wealth his extended family had amassed in the West Indies.—ajc, lmw
read me some fine Translations from DanteDurante degliAlighieri, or: Dante Alighieri | Born: 1265 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Died: 1321-09-14 in Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Medieval poet, author of The Divine Comedy.—lmw
&c—with one of which I was so charmed as to beg a Copy—to my sorrow. The copy was graciously granted on condition that I would transcribe it for the Author—to which polite request I of course acceded, quite forgetting that my accomplished friend wrote a fine rapid crabbed learned-looking hand which might pass for Greek or Persian or Arabic just as well as for English. So that I have been obliged to copy this translation—half from recollection—half from guess—& half from the original Italian. (ElizaElizabeth Eliza Webb | Born: 1797-03-03 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1851-03-24 in Sandgate, Kent, England.
Elizabeth Webb, called Eliza, was a neighbor and friend of Mary Russell Mitford. Eliza Webb was the youngest daughter of James Webb and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. She was baptized privately on March 3, 1797, and publicly on June 8, 1797 in Wokingham, Berkshire. She is the sister of Mary Elizabeth and Jane Eleanor Webb. In 1837 she married Henry Walters, Esq., in Wokingham, Berkshire. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham. Source: See Needham’s letter to Roberts on November 27, 1953 . —scw, lmw who is so great an Arithmetician must tell you how I can be divided into three halves by any but an Irish method of Calculation) I have however done it at last & some time or other I will read it you. It is the celebrated Episode of Count UgolinoCount Ugolino
Character from Dante’s Inferno. Guilty of treason.—ncl, lmw in DanteDurante degliAlighieri, or: Dante Alighieri | Born: 1265 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Died: 1321-09-14 in Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Medieval poet, author of The Divine Comedy.—lmw
's InfernoInferno. Dante . Foligno, Italy: 1472.
The Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century epic poem %h3 Divine Comedy. Scholars believe the Divine Comedy was completed in 1420; it was first printed in .—lmw. Don't imitate page 4
the discretion of Mr. CrowtherMr. Crowther Crowther Mr.
The dandy Mitford pokes fun at in her letters of 9 and 10 January, 1819 . Possibly husband to Isabelle Crowther. According to Coles, his forename may be Phillip; Coles is not completely confident that the dandy Mr. Crowther and Mr. Phillip Crowther are the same person. The second Mr. Crowther is a correspondent of Mitford's, whom she writes to at Whitley cottage, near Reading. He may also have resided at Westbury on Trim near Bristol. William Coles is uncertain of whether Crowtheris the same Phillip Crowthermentioned in Mitford's Journal. Source: William Coles, Letter to Needham, 10 November 1957, NeedhamPapers, Reading Central Library.
—lmw, scw's friend by telling Mrs. DickinsonCatherine Dickinson Allingham | Born: 1787 in Middlesex, England. Died: 1861-09-02 in St. Marylebone, Middlesex, England.
Catherine Allingham was the daughter of Thomas Allingham. She married Charles Dickinson on August 2, 1807 at St. Giles, South Mimms, Middlesex. They lived in Swallowfield, where their daughter Frances was born, and where they were visited by the Mitford family. According to Mitford, Catherine Dickinson was fond of match-making among her friends and acquaintances. (See Mitford's February 8th, 1821 letter to Elford . Her husband Charles died in 1827, when her daughter was seven. Source: L'Estrange). —ajc, lmw when she calls, which I know she intends to do soon, that I can't read her husbandCharles Dickinson, or: Mr. Dickinson | Born: 1755-03-06 in Pickwick Lodge, Corsham, Wiltshire, England. Died: 1827 in Farley Hill, near Swallowfield, Berkshire, England.
Friend of the Mitford family. He was the son of Vikris Dickinson and Elizabeth Marchant. The Dickinson family were Quakers who lived in the vicinity of Bristol, Gloucestershire. On August 3, 1807, he married Catherine Allingham at St Giles, South Mimms, Middlesex. They lived at Farley Hill, near Swallowfield, Berkshire, where their daughter Frances was born, and where the Mitfords visited them. Charles Dickinson owned a private press he employed to print literary works by his friends (See letters to Elford from March 13, 1819 and June 21, 1820). He wrote and published an epic poem in sixty-six cantos, The Travels of Cyllenius, in 1795. Upon his uncle's death, Charles Dickinson inherited the considerable wealth his extended family had amassed in the West Indies.—ajc, lmw
's hand, I entreat you my dearMaryMary Elizabeth Webb | Born: 1796-04-15 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: .
Close friend and frequent correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. Mary Webb was the daughter of James Webb. and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. Baptized on April 15, 1796 in Wokingham, Berkshire. Sister of Elizabeth (called Eliza) and Jane Eleanor Webb and niece of the elder Mary Webb, Aunt Mary. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham, Berkshire. She was the wife of Thomas Hawkins as she is referred to thus in probate papers of 1858 regarding the wills of her sister Eliza Webb Walter and her husband Henry Walter. Date of death unknown. Dates unknown.—scw, lmw. On Saturday I went with her into ReadingReading, Berkshire, England | Reading | Berkshire | England | 51.4542645 -0.9781302999999753 County town in Berkshire, in the Thames valley at the confluence of the Thames and the River Kennet. The town developed as a river port and in Mitford’s time served as a staging point on the Bath Road and was developing into a center of manufacturing. Mitford lived here with her parents from 1791 to 1795, on Coley Avenue in the parish of St. Mary’s and attended the Abbey School. The family returned to Reading from 1797 to about 1804, after which they relocated to Bertram House. They frequently visited Reading thereafter from their homes at nearby Bertram House, Three Mile Cross and Swallowfield. Mitford later used scenes from Reading as the basis for Belford Regis; or Sketches of a Country Town.—lmw & home to dinner. This is the history of my visit. Ever since I have been at home as quiet as a mouse—reading all day long. First of all I have read 6 Volumes of BurkeEdmund Burke | Born: 1729-12-01 in Dublin, Ireland. Died: 1797-09-07 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.
Member of Parliament within the conservative wing of the Whig Party, he supported Catholic Emancipation, the impeachment of Warren Hastings, and the aims of the American Revolution; he later opposed the aims of the French Revolution and broke with the Foxite Whigs. Known for his oratorical and authorial skills, he authored a work on aesthetics, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, as well as works of political philosophy such as Reflections on the Revolution in France. He founded the Annual Review. Mitford reports reading a collection of Burke's works in early 1819, including his An Account of the European Settlements in America.—lmw
An Account of the European Settlements in America, in six parts. Edmund Burke . London: R. and J. Dodsley. 1757. —of which I will have the compassion not to talk at present—you don't want to hear about old pamphlets, old speeches & old American Wars—Then for the second time Mr. FearonHenry Bradshaw Fearon | Born: 1770 in England. Died: .
English surgeon who wrote Sketches of America. A Narrative of a Journey of Five Thousand Miles through the Eastern and Western States of America. While his birthplace is unknown, the dedication to the volume is dated from Plaistow, Essex.—ncl, lmw

's very clever bran new bookSketches of America: a Narrative of a Journey of Five Thousand Miles Through the Eastern and Western States of America; Contained in Eight Reports Addressed to the Thirty-nine English Families by whom the Author was Deputed, in June 1817, to Ascertain Whether Any, and What Part of the United States Would be Suitable for Their Residence. With Remarks on Mr. Birkbeck’s Notes and Letters . Henry Bradshaw Fearon , Christopher Flynn. London : Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. 1818.
The work’s subtitle refers to to Morris Birkbeck’s Notes on a Journey in America, from the coast of Virginia to the territory of Illinois and Letters from Illinois, works that were believed to be instrumental in encouraging many disaffected Europeans to emigrate to the American prairies Birkbeck and Fearon’s works were part of an early nineteenth-century pamphlet war about on the topic of American emigration to the so-called English Prairie. A second edition of Sketches appeared in 1819. In his preface, Fearon claims to be an unbiased observer and reporter and implicitly contrasts himself with other writers on the topic: My Reports were originally composed neither with a view to fame nor profit,--neither to exalt a country, to support a party, nor to promote a settlement. I have had every motive to speak what I thought the truth, and none to conceal or pervert it. The volume is dedicated to The Friends of Civil and Religious Liberty, and the dedication is dated Plaistow, Essex. October 2, 1818 . As Christopher Flynn points out in Americans in British Literature, 1770-1832: A Breed Apart, Such [claims afford] Fearon room for statements that seem to emerge from differing, often contradictory ideological predilections. Sometimes he presents himself as an ardent convert to republicanism. At other times he is so fastidious in manners and appearance that he seems to the guardian of an older English probity Americans have recklessly abandoned (Farnham: Ashgate, 2008: 117) .—lmw about AmericaUnited States of America | United States of America | 37.09024 -95.71289100000001 . I don't know any thing more agreeable than to have one's preconceived notions of a place or people confined by a good citable authority—a matter of fact authority who brings one in a tangible shape good reasons for old prejudices. This is the pleasure Mr. FearonHenry Bradshaw Fearon | Born: 1770 in England. Died: .
English surgeon who wrote Sketches of America. A Narrative of a Journey of Five Thousand Miles through the Eastern and Western States of America. While his birthplace is unknown, the dedication to the volume is dated from Plaistow, Essex.—ncl, lmw

has given me. I always defended AmericaUnited States of America | United States of America | 37.09024 -95.71289100000001 & the AmericansAmericans
People of the former British colonies recently become the United States in Mitford’s day, or more generally of North America.—ebb (all but FranklinBenjamin Franklin | Born: 1706-01-17 in Boston, Massachusetts Bay, British America. Died: 1790-04-17 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Polymath, naturalist and inventor. Newspaper editor, printer and postmaster in Philadelphia. Author of Poor Richard's Almanack. Later served as Ambassador to France and spent many years in Europe. He is one of the framers and signers of the Declaration of Independence; he was also a signer of the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris, and the United States Constitution. He also served as the first United States Postmaster General and as President (similar to Governor) of Pennsylvania. In letters of 1819, Mitford names Franklin as one of only two Americans she admires; the other was George Washington, a view she shared with many of her contemporaries of moderate political views.—lmw
& WashingtonGeorge Washington, General Washington, President of the United States of America, or: General Washington , President of the United States of America | Born: 1732-02-22 in Westmoreland county, Virginia, British America. Died: 1799-12-14 in Mount Vernon, Virginia, USA.
Virginia landholder, colonial military officer, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and first President of the United States. Presided at the U.S. Constitutional Convention.—lmw
) without very well knowing why—except that in that fair & fresh & beautiful world with every thing to inspire & incite them to excellence in Art & Nature—they had done nothing & they were nothing. Mr. FearonHenry Bradshaw Fearon | Born: 1770 in England. Died: .
English surgeon who wrote Sketches of America. A Narrative of a Journey of Five Thousand Miles through the Eastern and Western States of America. While his birthplace is unknown, the dedication to the volume is dated from Plaistow, Essex.—ncl, lmw

has now added positive to these negative proofs & has fairly set them forth as the most boasting, vainglorious, ignorant, trumpery, second-hand, pawnbrokers-shop—sort of people that ever crept on the face of the earth. His book is invaluable & an antidote to the poison of Mr. BirkbeckMorris Birkbeck | Born: 1764-01-23 in Settle, Yorkshire, England. Died: 1825-06-04 in Bonpas Creek, Illinois, USA.
Quaker, abolitionist, radical reformer in politics and religion, and an agricultural experimenter in the cross-breeding of Merino sheep, Birkbeck emigrated to America in 1817 in order to establish a utopian community in the Illinois territory. Author of Notes on a Journey in America and Letters from Illinois. These much-read works, which presented a utopian, anti-clerical, and anti-aristocratic vision of American settlement, were believed to be instrumental in encouraging many disaffected Europeans to emigrate to the American prairies, and set off a pamphlet war about on the topic of American emigration to the so-called English Prairie. (See Eaton, Joseph. The Anglo-American Pamphlet War, 1800-1825. New York: Palgrave/Macmillan, 2012). He became president of Illinois's first agricultural society, worked against the establishment of slavery in the state, and briefly served as Secretary of State for Illinois. He was acquainted with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Edward Coles, and Robert Owen, himself the founder of another midwestern utopian community in New Harmony, Indiana.—ncl, lmw
's beautifully written but most deceitful works—an antidote the more powerful & the more certain as coming from a friend to liberty & an admirer of the republican form of Government. I think you would like these Sketches of AmericaSketches of America: a Narrative of a Journey of Five Thousand Miles Through the Eastern and Western States of America; Contained in Eight Reports Addressed to the Thirty-nine English Families by whom the Author was Deputed, in June 1817, to Ascertain Whether Any, and What Part of the United States Would be Suitable for Their Residence. With Remarks on Mr. Birkbeck’s Notes and Letters . Henry Bradshaw Fearon , Christopher Flynn. London : Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. 1818.
The work’s subtitle refers to to Morris Birkbeck’s Notes on a Journey in America, from the coast of Virginia to the territory of Illinois and Letters from Illinois, works that were believed to be instrumental in encouraging many disaffected Europeans to emigrate to the American prairies Birkbeck and Fearon’s works were part of an early nineteenth-century pamphlet war about on the topic of American emigration to the so-called English Prairie. A second edition of Sketches appeared in 1819. In his preface, Fearon claims to be an unbiased observer and reporter and implicitly contrasts himself with other writers on the topic: My Reports were originally composed neither with a view to fame nor profit,--neither to exalt a country, to support a party, nor to promote a settlement. I have had every motive to speak what I thought the truth, and none to conceal or pervert it. The volume is dedicated to The Friends of Civil and Religious Liberty, and the dedication is dated Plaistow, Essex. October 2, 1818 . As Christopher Flynn points out in Americans in British Literature, 1770-1832: A Breed Apart, Such [claims afford] Fearon room for statements that seem to emerge from differing, often contradictory ideological predilections. Sometimes he presents himself as an ardent convert to republicanism. At other times he is so fastidious in manners and appearance that he seems to the guardian of an older English probity Americans have recklessly abandoned (Farnham: Ashgate, 2008: 117) .—lmw—& I am sure you would like a book which I have just finished—Nightmare AbbeyNightmare Abbey. Thomas Love Peacock. London: T. Hookham, Jr. Baldwin, Craddock & Joy. 1818.
First edition published anonymously as by the Author of Headlong Hall. —lmw. By far page 5
the best of Mr. PeacockThomas Peacock Love | Born: 1785-10-18 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. Died: 1866-01-23 in Lower Halliford, Shepperton, Surrey, England.
Poet, essayist, satiric novelist. Most famous novels were published between 1815 and 1822 and include Headlong Hall, Nightmare Abbey, Maid Marian, and Crotchet Castle. Worked as East India company official and represented company interests before various Parliamentary committees.—ncl, lmw

's works—worth all his prose & all his poetry MelincourtMelincourt. Thomas Love Peacock. London : T. Hookham, Jr. & co.. 1817.
First edition published anonymously as by the Author of Headlong Hall. —lmw & RhododaphneRhododaphne: Or, The Thessalian Spell: A Poem. Thomas Love Peacock. London: T. Hookham, Jr. Baldwin, Craddock & Joy. 1818. included—Never was a more cheerful & amicable piece of persiflage—full of laughing raillerie & smiling philosophy—Notwithstanding the gloomy title Nightmare AbbeyNightmare Abbey. Thomas Love Peacock. London: T. Hookham, Jr. Baldwin, Craddock & Joy. 1818.
First edition published anonymously as by the Author of Headlong Hall. —lmw is the most sunshiny book I have met with this many a day. It is a very clever attack upon mystical metaphysics & misanthropical poetry (Deuce take Mr. PeacockThomas Peacock Love | Born: 1785-10-18 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. Died: 1866-01-23 in Lower Halliford, Shepperton, Surrey, England.
Poet, essayist, satiric novelist. Most famous novels were published between 1815 and 1822 and include Headlong Hall, Nightmare Abbey, Maid Marian, and Crotchet Castle. Worked as East India company official and represented company interests before various Parliamentary committees.—ncl, lmw

for putting me to hard words!) and knocks them both completely down in the persons of my poor dear Friend Mr. ColeridgeSamuel Taylor Coleridge | Born: 1772-10-21 in Ottery St. Mary, Devon, England. Died: 1834-07-25 in Highgate, Middlesex, England.
Key Romantic-era poet and writer and lecturer on aesthetics. Early collaborator with Wordsworth. He provided comments on Mitford's Christina; and George Mitford may have played a role in securing Coleridge's discharge from the Army.—lmw
([del: 1 chars.] alias Mr. FloskyFerdinando Flosky
Character in Peacock’s Nightmare Abbey. Identified by Mitford and others as a satirical portrait of Byron. Much of his misanthropical conversation is taken from the fourth canto of Childe Harold.—lmw & Lord ByronGeorge Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron Byron | Born: 1788-01-22 in Holles Street, London, England. Died: 1824-04-19 in Missolonghi, Greece.
Romantic-era poet, playwright, and celebrity. English peer after he inherited the Barony of Byron of Rochdale in 1798. He died fighting for independence for Greece. Friend of William Harness.—lmw

—not only knocks them down but dances on them being down, as his unruly subjects did on poor SanchoSancho Panza
Squire character, a former farmer enlisted by Don Quixote in his service, from Don Quixote.—ncl, lmw in the Island of BaratariaBaratariaFictional island of which Sancho Panza is awarded governorship in Don Quixote.—ncl, lmw. Nothing was ever better managed than the way in which Mr. PeacockThomas Peacock Love | Born: 1785-10-18 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. Died: 1866-01-23 in Lower Halliford, Shepperton, Surrey, England.
Poet, essayist, satiric novelist. Most famous novels were published between 1815 and 1822 and include Headlong Hall, Nightmare Abbey, Maid Marian, and Crotchet Castle. Worked as East India company official and represented company interests before various Parliamentary committees.—ncl, lmw

contrives to put divers stanzas of Childe HaroldeChilde Harold’s Pilgrimage. Byron. London: John Murray.
Published in parts between 1812 and 1818.—lmw done into prose, into the Mouth of Mr. CypressMr. Cypress
Character in Peacock’s Nightmare Abbey. Identified by Mitford and others as a satirical portrait of Coleridge. Peacock’s footnote indicates that his name is a corruption of Filosky, from the Greek philoskios (φιλοσκιος), a lover, or sectator, of shadows. —lmw, the Lord ByronGeorge Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron Byron | Born: 1788-01-22 in Holles Street, London, England. Died: 1824-04-19 in Missolonghi, Greece.
Romantic-era poet, playwright, and celebrity. English peer after he inherited the Barony of Byron of Rochdale in 1798. He died fighting for independence for Greece. Friend of William Harness.—lmw

of the story. The book has another great merit. It is short.—Well then I have had a pretty present in the book way—a present from dear dear PapaGeorge Mitford, Esq., or: George Midford | Born: . Died: .
Father of Mary Rusell Mitford, George Mitford was the son of Francis Midford, surgeon, and Jane Graham. The family name is sometimes recorded as Midford. Immediate family called him by nicknames including Drum, Tod, and Dodo. He was a member of a minor branch of the Mitfords of Mitford Castle in Northumberland. Although later sources would suggest that he was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh medical school, there is no evidence that he obtained a medical degree and he did not generally refer to himself as Dr. Mitford, preferring to style himself Esq.. In 1784, he is listed in a Hampshire directory as surgeon (medicine) of Alresford. His father and grandfather worked as apothecary-surgeons and it seems likely that he served a medical apprenticeship with family members.
He married Mary Russell on October 17, 1785 at New Alresford, Hampshire. On the marriage allegation papers, both gave their addresses as Old Alresford; they later came to live at Broad Street in New Alresford. Their only child to live to adulthood, Mary Russell Mitford, was born two years later on December 16, 1787 at New Alresford, Hampshire. He assisted Mitford's literary career by representing her interests in London and elsewhere with theater owners and publishers. He was active in Whig politics and later served as a local magistrate. He coursed greyhounds with his friend James Webb.
—lmw—he who gives me all that I wish for as if by intuition—for I am sure I never hinted at it to him or anyone—This present is the Literary Pocket BookThe Literary Pocket Book, or Companion for the Lover of Art and Nature. Leigh Hunt.
Literary almanac edited by Leigh Hunt that includes original poems by P. Shelley, Keats, and B.W. Procte. Mitford’s January 1819 letters to Elford and Mary Webb refer to the first edition ever published of this almanac, published at the end of 1818 for 1819, which she received as a gift from her father.—lmw—Have you seen one of them my dear MaryMary Elizabeth Webb | Born: 1796-04-15 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: .
Close friend and frequent correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. Mary Webb was the daughter of James Webb. and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. Baptized on April 15, 1796 in Wokingham, Berkshire. Sister of Elizabeth (called Eliza) and Jane Eleanor Webb and niece of the elder Mary Webb, Aunt Mary. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham, Berkshire. She was the wife of Thomas Hawkins as she is referred to thus in probate papers of 1858 regarding the wills of her sister Eliza Webb Walter and her husband Henry Walter. Date of death unknown. Dates unknown.—scw, lmw? It is edited I believe by Leigh HuntJames Henry Leigh Hunt | Born: 1784-10-19 in Southgate, England. Died: 1859-08-28 in Putney, England.
One of the founders and editors of The Examiner.—ncl, lmw
—certainly the greater part is written by him—& exceedingly well written. I have never seen anything of the sort so well executed. First of all there is a Naturalist's Calendar—very graceful & beautiful—though not quite extensive enough for the Title—It should rather have been called the Florist's Calendar—& even then it would seem a little Suburbian—rather Hampstead-Heathish—but very pretty nevertheless. Then in the common pocket book part, the blank pages with months page 6
& weeks & days, there are occasional notices of birthdays of great men BaconFrancis Bacon, Sir, Viscount St. Alban, Attorney General of England and Wales, Lord Chancellor of England, or: Viscount St. Alban Attorney General of England and Wales Lord Chancellor of England | Born: 1561-01-22 in Strand, London, England. Died: 1626-04-09 in Highgate, Middlesex, England.
A writer and philosopher who made important methodological contributions to science, particularly championing empiricism. His philosophical works include the Novum Organum Scientiarum (New Organon), Advancement of Learning, Essays, and New Atlantis. A nephew of the powerful Elizabethan politician William Cecil, Lord Burleigh (or Burghley), he served as Member of Parliament for various constituencies at various times, as an advisor to Elizabeth's doomed favourite and failed usurper Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, and as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor under James I. In 1621, he was prosecuted for corruption and barred from further public service. He has been controversially reputed to be homosexual, on the grounds that a fellow M.P. called one of his (Bacon's) servingmen his catamite and bed-fellow. In 1845 (during Mitford's lifetime), this passage was published for the first time. —rnes
ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare | Born: 1564-04 in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, England. Died: 1616-04-23 in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, England.
Early modern era actor, theater manager, poet, and playwright. Part owner of playing company The Lord Chamberlain's men and author or co-author of thirty-eight plays. Considered the greatest English dramatist and Britain's national poet. Mitford wrote in the Introduction to her Dramatic Works: I had grown up—it is the privilege of English people to grow up—in the worship of Shakespeare, and many of his favourite scenes I literally knew by heart. —lmw
& so forth which come upon one very pleasantly—Then lists of living Artists Musicians Actors & celebrated Authors—only think of their having left me out!—That Authorial list is very incomplete! Not a word about me! And my own friends too! Oh they have no idea that I am "Blueish" to borrow my friend the Dandy's phrase.—He would have stuck me at the head of the list. Well these lists in spite of this grand omission are very interesting—& then there is poetry—not quite so good as I expected from Leigh HuntJames Henry Leigh Hunt | Born: 1784-10-19 in Southgate, England. Died: 1859-08-28 in Putney, England.
One of the founders and editors of The Examiner.—ncl, lmw
& John KeatsJohn Keats | Born: 1795-10-31 in London, England. Died: 1821-02-23 in Rome, Papal States.
Romantic-era poet, known for his Odes. Trained in the field of medicine, he worked as a dresser (surgeon's assistant) at Guy's Hospital, London and received his apothecary's license while studying to become a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London. Friend of Leigh Hunt, Charles Lamb, and Benjamin Haydon, as well as publishers Taylor and Hessey and lived near them in Hampstead, where he became part of a circle of Hampstead writers and artists known to Mitford. In 1821, he traveled to Rome to preserve his health, but died there at the age of twenty-five.—lmw, rnes
, but still good enough to stare & wonder how it came in a pocket book. In short, My Dear Love, if your dear PapaJames Webb | Born: 1769 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1822-01-11 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
Prominent manufacturer in the Wokinghambrewing industry, and community leader in Wokingham and the county of Berkshire. Father of Eliza, Jane, and Mary Webb. Francis Needham suggested that he was the original of the gentleman in the Our Villagesketch Aunt Martha. Sources: Francis Needham, Letter to William Roberts, 16 June 1953 . Needham Papers, Reading Central Library . —scw, lmw should be wanting to make you such a present I would recommend him—to make this.—I have lost a literary friend this last week—poor Mrs. BruntonMary Brunton Balfour | Born: 1778-11-01 in Burray, Orkney Islands, Scotland. Died: 1818-12-07 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Author of novels Self Control and Discipline. Mitford pokes gentle fun at her under the name Mrs. Discipline in letters of 1819.—lmw

the Authoress of Self ControlSelf Control: A Novel. Mary Brunton. Edinburgh: George Ramsay & Co.. 1811.
First edition published anonymously.—lmw & DisciplineDiscipline: A Novel. Mary Brunton. Edinburgh: George Ramsay & Co.. 1814.
First edition published anonymously.—lmw. Did I ever talk to you about her? If I did, it was probably under the name of Mrs. DisciplineMary Brunton Balfour | Born: 1778-11-01 in Burray, Orkney Islands, Scotland. Died: 1818-12-07 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Author of novels Self Control and Discipline. Mitford pokes gentle fun at her under the name Mrs. Discipline in letters of 1819.—lmw

—the name by which Mrs. RowdenFrances Arabella St. Quintin Rowden
Educator, author, and Mitford tutor. Also taught Caroline Lamb and L.E.L.. Worked at St. Quintin School at 22 Hans Place, London, started by M. St. Quintin, a French emigre. St. Quintin and his first wife originally ran a school in Reading; Frances Rowden became his second wife after his first wife's death. In The Queens of Society by Grace and Philip Wharton, the authors note that, while unmarried, Frances Rowden styled herself Mrs. Rowden (1860: 148). Rowden wrote poetry, including Poetical Introduction to the Study of Botany (1801) and The Pleasures of Friendship: A Poem, in two parts (1810, rpt. 1812, 1818); also wrote textbooks, including A Christian Wreath for the Pagan Dieties (1820, illus. Caroline Lamb), and A Biographical Sketch of the Most Distinguished Writers of Ancient and Modern Times (1821, illus. Caroline Lamb). (See Landon's Memoirs ; See also L'Estrange, ed. The Life of Mary Russell Mitford: Told by Herself,(21) .—lmw
(who disliked à l'envie both her & her works) always used to call her. You are not likely to have admired her Novels which always seemed to me to have almost all the faults that very clever writing can have—preachy—prosy—false to character, to nature, & to passion—yet with occasional flashes of sense & of power which rendered their merits & their faults alike incomprehensible. I liked the lady much better than her books. She was exceedingly robust in mind & person—perhaps in both a little coarse—large boned—dark complexioned—ruddy cheeked—of loud speech & abrupt manner. But there was in all she said point & strength & body. She was perfectly frank & unaffected, & her very awkwardness had sometimes a grace page 7
from its natural & unconscious simplicity. Now that she is dead poor thing I wish I had cultivated her acquaintance more earnestly. I used to meet her at the house of some very clever people in Sloane StreetSloane Street, Kensington, London, England | Kensington | London | England | 51.49719830000001 -0.15897680000000491 Major London thoroughfare now in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Runs between Knightsbridge and Sloane Square. Sloane Street takes its name from Sir Hans Sloane, who purchased the surrounding area in 1712.—lmw where we were both intimate—but I did not like her husbandAlexander Brunton, Professor, Very Professor, Doctor of Divinity, or: Doctor of Divinity | Born: 1772-10-02 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Died: 1854-02-09 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
Spouse of Mary Balfour Brunton. Church of Scotland clergyman and Moderator of the General Assembly in 1823. Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages at the University of Edinburgh between 1813 and 1847.—ncl, lmw

who was exceedingly priggish & parsonic that was one reason, & vanity, which I suppose at the time I might call modesty, was another. She was always very kind & civil to me, but it was perfectly clear that she thought me over-rated and did not care a farthing for me. Besides I never could get over those sermonizing books. You would see that she died in a very distressed way after the birth of a dead [del: .]child the first she had had in a twenty years marriage. She looked near fifty when I used to see her some years ago.

I was so sorry to miss seeing Martha SewardMartha Seward
An acquaintance of Mary Webb. Needs additional research.—lmw—dear sweet girl—If she comes to you again to spend any time pr[gap: 2 chars, reason: torn.][ay] bring her here.—Did Miss ElizaElizabeth Eliza Webb | Born: 1797-03-03 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1851-03-24 in Sandgate, Kent, England.
Elizabeth Webb, called Eliza, was a neighbor and friend of Mary Russell Mitford. Eliza Webb was the youngest daughter of James Webb and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. She was baptized privately on March 3, 1797, and publicly on June 8, 1797 in Wokingham, Berkshire. She is the sister of Mary Elizabeth and Jane Eleanor Webb. In 1837 she married Henry Walters, Esq., in Wokingham, Berkshire. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham. Source: See Needham’s letter to Roberts on November 27, 1953 . —scw, lmw tell you that she met young Parfitt (Mr. Joseph)Joseph Parfitt
Acquaintance of Mitford's, a young man who admired her friend Eliza Webb. Mentioned in a letter to Mary Webb of January 10, 1819. Dates unknown.—ncl, lmw whom we thought a very fine gentlemanly young man & that he was very attentive to the aforesaid Miss ElizaElizabeth Eliza Webb | Born: 1797-03-03 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1851-03-24 in Sandgate, Kent, England.
Elizabeth Webb, called Eliza, was a neighbor and friend of Mary Russell Mitford. Eliza Webb was the youngest daughter of James Webb and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. She was baptized privately on March 3, 1797, and publicly on June 8, 1797 in Wokingham, Berkshire. She is the sister of Mary Elizabeth and Jane Eleanor Webb. In 1837 she married Henry Walters, Esq., in Wokingham, Berkshire. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham. Source: See Needham’s letter to Roberts on November 27, 1953 . —scw, lmw? And that we liked Miss Sarah ParfittSarah Parfitt
Young acquaintance of Mitford's, who was enchanted by her upon their meeting. Mentioned in a letter to Mary Webb of January 10, 1819. Dates unknown.—ncl very much who gave an almost equal specimen of good taste by falling in love with me? Making Miss SarahSarah Parfitt
Young acquaintance of Mitford's, who was enchanted by her upon their meeting. Mentioned in a letter to Mary Webb of January 10, 1819. Dates unknown.—ncl laugh was my charm—I don't know what enchantment Miss ElizaElizabeth Eliza Webb | Born: 1797-03-03 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1851-03-24 in Sandgate, Kent, England.
Elizabeth Webb, called Eliza, was a neighbor and friend of Mary Russell Mitford. Eliza Webb was the youngest daughter of James Webb and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. She was baptized privately on March 3, 1797, and publicly on June 8, 1797 in Wokingham, Berkshire. She is the sister of Mary Elizabeth and Jane Eleanor Webb. In 1837 she married Henry Walters, Esq., in Wokingham, Berkshire. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham. Source: See Needham’s letter to Roberts on November 27, 1953 . —scw, lmw put in force with Mr. JosephJoseph Parfitt
Acquaintance of Mitford's, a young man who admired her friend Eliza Webb. Mentioned in a letter to Mary Webb of January 10, 1819. Dates unknown.—ncl, lmw—However I have given my consent & I beg my dear MaryMary Elizabeth Webb | Born: 1796-04-15 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: .
Close friend and frequent correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. Mary Webb was the daughter of James Webb. and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. Baptized on April 15, 1796 in Wokingham, Berkshire. Sister of Elizabeth (called Eliza) and Jane Eleanor Webb and niece of the elder Mary Webb, Aunt Mary. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham, Berkshire. She was the wife of Thomas Hawkins as she is referred to thus in probate papers of 1858 regarding the wills of her sister Eliza Webb Walter and her husband Henry Walter. Date of death unknown. Dates unknown.—scw, lmw, if you have a dance that the Parfitt'sthe Parfitt family | the Parfitts
Lived at Farley Hill, where Mitford visited them.—lmw may be asked. I assure you you would not be at all shamed of your brother in law. We met a Mrs. CoffinMrs. Coffin Coffin Mrs.
Mentioned in a letter to Mary Webb of January 10, 1819 as a woman who talked of books with taste and with that wide range which is my delight—old books—odd books—rare boooks. The letter suggests she met Mrs. Coffin on a January 9, 1819 trip into Reading with Mrs. Dickinson. Forename unidentified. Needs additional research. too whom I liked much—She talked of books with taste & selections ^with something too of that wide range which is my delight—old books—odd books—rare boooks—I hate HomerHomer
Considered the first and greatest epic poet; In Mitford’s time, considered to be the historical author of the Illiad and the Odyssey, although early Greek and Roman historical records such as those in Herodotus and pseudo-Herodotus are contradictory as to details of his life and work.—ncl
who tread only the beaten road of literature marching one by one^in the same pathlike page 8
a great brood of full grown geese after an old gander. People should talk of Isaac WaltonIzaak Walton | Born: 1594 in Stafford, Staffordshire, England. Died: 1683-12-15 in Winchester, Hampshire, England.
Wrote The Compleat Angler and a book of short biographies, The Lives of John Donne, Henry Wotton, Rich'd Hooker, George Herbert, &c., sometimes called Walton's Lives. Mitford admired Walton's literary style and realism as a biographer in her letters of 1819. —ncl, lmw
& Jeremy TaylorJeremy Taylor | Born: 1613-08-15. Died: 1667-08-13.
Church of England clergyman and author, known as the Shakespeare of Divines and admired for his literary prose style. Mitford mentions his style admiringly, along with that of Izaak Walton.—lmw, rnes
& Sir Thomas BrownThomas Browne | Born: 1605-10-19 in London, England. Died: 1682-10-19 in Norwich, Norfolk, England.
Physician, philosopher, and theologian who made considerable contributions to English thought, especially about science, and the English language (including recording over 700 neologisms), particularly during the turbulent era of the Civil Wars. His most famous works include Religio Medici (A Doctor's Religion), Urne-Buriall, and the extraordinary encyclopedia of pseudoscientific error, the Pseudodoxia Epidemica (translated in 1672 as Enquiries Into Commonly Presumed Truths). Browne's writing was admired by many Romantic and Victorian authors, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Thomas Carlyle. The subject of a biography by Samuel Johnson, Browne has lost much of his cultural status since the end of the nineteenth century, but is now undergoing a cultural resurgence.—rnes
& John Fletcher | Born: 1579 in Rye, Sussex, England. Died: 1625 in London, England.
Playwright following Shakespeare, contemporary of Ben Jonson in the early seventeenth century, and collaborator with Francis Beaumont. Some plays once attributed to Beaumont and Fletcher as a duo were now known to have been written by only one of them and/or with other collaborators.—ebb, rnes
Fletcher & FroissartJean Froissart, canon of Chimay, France, or: canon of Chimay, France | Born: 1337 in Valenciennes, County of Hainaut, Holy Roman Empire. Died: 1405 in Chimay, County of Hainaut, Holy Roman Empire.
Medieval poet and historian.—lmw
& de JoinvilleJean de Joinville | Born: 1224-1225. Died: 1317-12-24.
Author of Life of St. Louis in 1309 , chronicling the life of the crusading King Louis IX of France.—ncl, lmw, ebb
& PulciLuigi Pulci | Born: 1432-08-15 in Florence, Italy. Died: 1484-11-11 in .
Forentine poet, patronized by the Medici family.—ncl
—& talk as if they had read the books & not reviews or extracts of them.

—In the mean time my dear MaryMary Elizabeth Webb | Born: 1796-04-15 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: .
Close friend and frequent correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. Mary Webb was the daughter of James Webb. and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. Baptized on April 15, 1796 in Wokingham, Berkshire. Sister of Elizabeth (called Eliza) and Jane Eleanor Webb and niece of the elder Mary Webb, Aunt Mary. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham, Berkshire. She was the wife of Thomas Hawkins as she is referred to thus in probate papers of 1858 regarding the wills of her sister Eliza Webb Walter and her husband Henry Walter. Date of death unknown. Dates unknown.—scw, lmw I am forgetting that you do not like any works that are too voluminous—& that this letter is of a length to startle even partial eyes. I have the grace to pity you for being condemned to read it. Write soon—Come soon—Writing without coming will not do—nor coming without writing. Imitate me in length, my dearest, but not in dullness—A very needless caution! Dullness is not in your power.—Love to all & every body—PapaJames Webb | Born: 1769 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1822-01-11 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
Prominent manufacturer in the Wokinghambrewing industry, and community leader in Wokingham and the county of Berkshire. Father of Eliza, Jane, and Mary Webb. Francis Needham suggested that he was the original of the gentleman in the Our Villagesketch Aunt Martha. Sources: Francis Needham, Letter to William Roberts, 16 June 1953 . Needham Papers, Reading Central Library . —scw, lmw—ElizaElizabeth Eliza Webb | Born: 1797-03-03 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1851-03-24 in Sandgate, Kent, England.
Elizabeth Webb, called Eliza, was a neighbor and friend of Mary Russell Mitford. Eliza Webb was the youngest daughter of James Webb and Jane Elizabeth Ogbourn. She was baptized privately on March 3, 1797, and publicly on June 8, 1797 in Wokingham, Berkshire. She is the sister of Mary Elizabeth and Jane Eleanor Webb. In 1837 she married Henry Walters, Esq., in Wokingham, Berkshire. In Needham’s papers, he notes from the Berkshire Directorythat she lived on Broad street, presumably in Wokingham. Source: See Needham’s letter to Roberts on November 27, 1953 . —scw, lmw—Aunt MaryMary Webb, or: Aunt Mary
Friend ofMary Russell Mitford. Sister or sister-in-law of James Webb and aunt of Eliza, Jane and Mary Webb. Francis Needhamsuggests that she was the basis for the character of Aunt Martha in the Our Villagestory of that title. Sources: Francis Needham, Letter to William Roberts, 16 June 1953 . Needham Papers, Reading Central Library . Relationship to other Webbs and birth and death dates unknown. More research needed.—scw, lmw—Uncle JohnJohn Webb | Born: 1761 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: .
Likely Uncle John, uncle to Eliza and Mary Webb and younger brother to James Webb.—lmw—Kate WheelerKate Wheeler, or: Miss Wheeler
Friend of Miss James. Mitford refers to her as providing home remedies and advice. See 29 January 1821 letter to Mary Webb. More research needed.—lmw—Love to all & from all.