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First digital edition in TEI, date: 11 March 2015. P5. . .
Digital Mitford Letters: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive
Repository: Reading Central Library. Shelf mark: qB/TU/MIT Vol. 4 ff.441 Horizon No.: 1361550
Folio sheet of paper folded in half to form six quarto pages, with correspondence on 1-6 and address leaf on page 6, then folded in thirds twice more and sealed for posting.Address leaf bearing one postmark: partial black stamp that is illegibleRed wax sealHands other than Mitford's noted on this manuscript:
independent means;in the 1851 census, as
landholder;in the 1861 census, she as
railway shareholder.—lmw, and her sister Emily’s illness. Kate WheelerKate Wheeler, or: Miss Wheeler
authoress,and lists her as living at Three Mile Cross with Kerenhappuch Taylor (lady’s maid), Sarah Chernk (maid-of-all-work), and Samuel Swetman (gardener), after the death of her father. Mitford’s long life and prolific career ended after injuries from a carriage accident. She is buried in Swallowfield churchyard. The executor of her will and her literary executor was the Rev. William Harness and her lady’s maid, Kerenhappuch Taylor Sweetman, was residuary legatee of her estate. —lmw, ebb
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.
authoress,and lists her as living at Three Mile Cross with Kerenhappuch Taylor (lady’s maid), Sarah Chernk (maid-of-all-work), and Samuel Swetman (gardener), after the death of her father. Mitford’s long life and prolific career ended after injuries from a carriage accident. She is buried in Swallowfield churchyard. The executor of her will and her literary executor was the Rev. William Harness and her lady’s maid, Kerenhappuch Taylor Sweetman, was residuary legatee of her estate. —lmw, ebb
Maintained by: Elisa E. Beshero-Bondar (eeb4 at psu.edu) Last modified: 2024-10-06T22:32:13.239444Z
My dear Friend
You will be sorry to hear that I have just had a letter from Miss JamesElizabeth Mary James, or:
Miss James
| Born: 1775 in Bath, Somerset, England. Died: 1861-11-25 in 3 Pembroke Villas, Richmond, Surrey, England.
Close friend and correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. She was the eldest daughter of Thomas Webb and Susanna Haycock. Her father
died in 1818 and her mother in 1835. After her parents’ deaths, she lived with
her two younger sisters, Emily and Susan, in Green Park Buildings, Bath,
Walcot, Somerset; High Street, Mortlake, Surrey; and 3 Pembroke Villas,
Richmond, Surrey. According to Coles,
referring to Mitford’s diary, letters were also addressed to her at Bellevue,
Lower Road, Richmond (Coles 26). She was buried at St. Mary Magdalene, Richmond,
Surrey. In the 1841 census, she is listed as living on independent means;
in the 1851
census, as landholder;
in the 1861 census, she as railway
shareholder
.—lmw who has been hurried from BirminghamBirmingham, West Midlands, England |
Birmingham
West Midlands
Warwickshire
England
|
52.48624299999999 -1.8904009999999971
A city in the West Midlands, formerly part of the historic
county of Warwickshire. In Mitford’s time, the
city was at the center of the Industrial Revolution, with developments in the
skilled trades, steam power, railways and canals, and banking beginning in the
eighteenth century. During the nineteenth century, the city became the
second-largest popular center, after London, and became a center for political
radicalism and reform.—lmw by the illness of her sister EmilyEmily James | Born: 1782 in Bath, Somerset, England. Died: 1863-08-29 in 3 Pembroke Villas, Richmond, Surrey.
Friend of Mary Russell Mitford, and sister to Elizabeth James and Susan James and cared for pupils with her. She
was born about 1782 in Bath, Somerset, the daughter of Thomas Webb and Susanna
Haycock. Her father died in 1818 and her mother in 1835. After her parents’
deaths, she lived with her two sisters in Green Park Buildings, Bath, Walcot,
Somerset; High Street, Mortlake, Surrey; and 3 Pembroke Villas, Richmond,
Surrey. She died on August 29, 1863, at 3 Pembroke Villas, Richmond, Surrey and
was buried at St. Mary Magdalene, Richmond, Surrey.—lmw so that we shall not have the pleasure of seeing her this winter or spring. She wrote just as she was getting into the coach & promised to send me word how she found her sister in a few days. She did not herself fear that her illness page 2
was dangerous but thought it necessary to hurry home to take care of their four pupils & to relieve EmilyEmily James | Born: 1782 in Bath, Somerset, England. Died: 1863-08-29 in 3 Pembroke Villas, Richmond, Surrey.
Friend of Mary Russell Mitford, and sister to Elizabeth James and Susan James and cared for pupils with her. She
was born about 1782 in Bath, Somerset, the daughter of Thomas Webb and Susanna
Haycock. Her father died in 1818 and her mother in 1835. After her parents’
deaths, she lived with her two sisters in Green Park Buildings, Bath, Walcot,
Somerset; High Street, Mortlake, Surrey; and 3 Pembroke Villas, Richmond,
Surrey. She died on August 29, 1863, at 3 Pembroke Villas, Richmond, Surrey and
was buried at St. Mary Magdalene, Richmond, Surrey.—lmw’s mind from such a charge. This is a great disappointment—she begs me to say every thing that is kind & grateful from her to you & to express how very sorry she is to miss the pleasure of waiting on you.—Tell 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 there is no calling such a loveable person Miss & that her prescription of the syringe & soapsuds has completely relieved my deafness—she will be glad to hear this for she has the page 3
delightful quality of being in[gap: 1 word, reason: wax seal covers.][volved] in everybody’s comforts. Poor 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 not quite well—he has had something of a bowel complaint & been out in the [gap: 1 word, reason: illegible.][cob] too long—I hope he will be better tomorrow—It is such a bad thing to see him ill. How are you all my dear Friends? Your head? 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’s rheumatism & the 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’s Eyes? Send me a good account of you all round.—Kindest regards to everybody.
authoress,and lists her as living at Three Mile Cross with Kerenhappuch Taylor (lady’s maid), Sarah Chernk (maid-of-all-work), and Samuel Swetman (gardener), after the death of her father. Mitford’s long life and prolific career ended after injuries from a carriage accident. She is buried in Swallowfield churchyard. The executor of her will and her literary executor was the Rev. William Harness and her lady’s maid, Kerenhappuch Taylor Sweetman, was residuary legatee of her estate. —lmw, ebb
Just finished my playFiesco.
Mitford’s first attempt to write a full-length
tragedy, never performed or printed, although she did submit it for
consideration to William Macready and
the managers of Covent Garden
Theatre in 1820.
Schiller also wrote a play on this
subject, entitled Die Verschwörung des Fiesco zu
Genua; or Fiesco’s Conspiracy at Genoa. In a letter of 9 February 1821
Mitford indicates that she was not familiar
with Schiller’s work, having neither
seen nor sought for it.
—lmw & going to send it to Mr. TalfourdThomas Noon Talfourd | Born: 1795-05-26 in Reading, Berkshire, England. Died: 1854-03-13 in Stafford, Staffordshire, England.
Close friend, literary mentor, and frequent correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. A native of Reading, Talfourd was educated at the Reading’s newly-established Mill Hill school, a
dissenting academy, from 1808 to 1810. He attended Dr. Richard Valpy’s Reading School from 1810 to 1812. His career in law began with a legal apprenticeship with Joseph Christy, special pleader, in
1817. He was called to the bar in London in 1821 and ultimately earned a
D.C.L. (Doctor of Civil Laws) from Oxford on June 20, 1844. While
establishing his practice as a barrister and special pleader, he worked as
legal correspondent for The
Times, reporting on the Oxford
Circuit, and also continued his literary interests. After 1833,
he was appointed Serjeant at Law, as well as a King’s and Queen’s Counsel.
He was elected and served as Member of Parliament for
Reading
from 1835 to 1841 and from 1847 to 1849
; he served with Charles Fyshe
Palmer, Charles Russell, and
Francis Piggott. Highlights of his political and
legal career included introducing the first copyright bill
into Parliament in 1837 (for which action Charles
Dickens dedicated Pickwick Papers
to him) and defending Edward
Moxon’s publication of Percy Shelley’s
Queen Mab in 1841
. He was appointed Queen’s Serjeant in 1846
and Judge of Common Pleas in 1849
, at which post he served until his death in 1854. He
was knighted in 1850
.
Talfourd’s literary works include his plays
Ion (1835),
The Athenian Captive (1837) and
Glencoe, or the Fate of the
MacDonalds(1839).
—lmw, cmm, ebb
—though I mean to write two of the acts over again—after consulting him on the alterations.—