I rather think my FatherGeorge 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 to LondonLondon, 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 tomorrow—so as he will be able to get a frank—a thing which if our poor unlucky pensioned M. P.John Weyland | Born: 1774-12-04 in England. Died: 1854-05-08 in Woodrising, Norfolk, England.
Tory journal editor and political figure. He and William Roberts founded the Christian evangelical periodial the British Review and London Critical Journal, a quarterly that appeared between 1811 and 1825. He authored several publications on population and the English poor laws, including A Short Enquiry into the Policy, Humanity, and Effect of the Poor Laws (1807); Observations on Mr. Whitbread's Poor Bill and on the Population of England (1807); The Principle of the English Poor Laws, illustrated from the Evidence given by Scottish Proprietors (before the Corn Committee,) on the Connexion observed in Scotland between the Price of Grain and the Wages of Labour (1815); and The Principles of Population and Production as they are affected by the Progress of Society (1816). He believed that hardship was an incentive to industry and he did not support further education of the poor. On March 16, 1820, Weyland was the Blue (or Tory) candidate, supported by the municipal corporation, in the Reading election. Three candidates ran: John Berkeley Monck (418 votes), Charles Fyshe Palmer(399 votes), and John Weyland (395 votes.); Weyland was not returned. See . Weyland later won a seat as Member of Parliament for Hindon, Wiltshire, and served from 1830 to 1832. —ajc, lmw

gets turned out[1] Parliamentary elections took place on 16 March 1819 in which Charles Fysshe Palmer defeated incumbent John Weyland, as Mitford hints may happen here.—lmw may be rather a rare article in this unparliamentary neighborhood—& as you may take it into your head not to write till you hear, & for many other good reasons I shall trouble you with a letter at once. Besides I have been meeting a DevonshireDevonshire, England | Devon | 50.7155591 -3.5308750000000373 County in the south west of England bordering the English Channel and the Bristol Channel. Now called Devon.—ebb, lmw SquireThomas Northmore | Born: 1766 in Cleve, Devonshire, England. Died: 1851 in Furzebrook House, near Axminster, England.
An acquaintance of Mary Russell Mitford, friend of John Johnson and co-founder with him of the Hampden Club. A Radical, Northmore ran unsuccessfully as Member of Parliament for Exeter and for Barnstaple. In a letter to Haydon dated 9 February 1824 , Mitford refers to Northmore as a great Devonshire reformer, one of the bad epic poets and very pleasant men in which that country abounds ( Life of Mary Russell Mitford ed. L'Estrange Vol II, page 22). In an 1819 letter to Elford, Mitford gives this description of Northmore, and mentions his authorship of an epic poem on George Washington: what a man! How loud & shrewd & full of himself & sharp all over from his eagle nose to his pointed hook toe! What a perpetual sky rocket bouncing starting & flaming! What a talker against time! Well might Mr. Hobhouse call him the gentleman who came all the way from Devonshire to tell us that he was a great man at home. And he is a Poet too. Has written an Epic, which must have appeared incognito–for I never remember to have heard it mentioned in my life. An Epic Poem about Washington . Mitford may not have seen the poem, since it was published in Baltimore, MD. Northmore's poem was entitled Washington; or Liberty Restored. A Poem in Ten Books.—kab, lmw
of your'syours & I want to talk about him, & to ask questions & so forth. I write tell you the whole story. The husband of my most intimate friend in this neighborhood (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
of Farley HillFarley Hill, Berkshire, England | Farley Hill | Berkshire | England | 51.37339900000001 -0.9209210000000212 Village in Berkshire, in the parish of Swallowfield. The Dickinsons lived there.—lmw—first Cousin to the Member for SomersetshireSomersetshire, England | Somerset | Somersetshire | England | 51.105097 -2.926230700000019 County in southwest England, now known as Somerset. County town is Taunton.—lmw) happens you must know to be a very clever man—and a patriot—(such unions—lamentable as they are do  happen occur occasionally)—worse than a Patriot—he is an Ultra—an actual disciple of the old Major CartwrightJohn Cartwright, Major, or: | Born: 1740-09-17 in Marnham, Nottinghamshire, England. Died: 1824-09-23 in London, England.
Royal Navy officer who supported the aims of the American Revolution and radical and reformist causes in Great Britain. Corresponded with Thomas Jefferson. Wrote a pamphlet in 1776 advocating annual parliaments, the secret ballot, and universal manhood suffrage. Founder of the Society for Constutional Information, which later developed into the London Corresponding Society. In 1794, was a witness at the so-called Treason Trials supporting Horne Took, Thelwall, and Hardy. Also associated with Francis Burdett, William Cobbett, and Francis Place. In 1812, founded the Hampden Clubs, political clubs designed to bring together like-minded middle-class reformers with working-class radicals. Supporter of Thomas Wooler and The Black Dwarf. The Life and Correspondence of Major Cartwright was published in 1826.—lmw
. Well he had had some correspondence with your DevonshireDevonshire, England | Devon | 50.7155591 -3.5308750000000373 County in the south west of England bordering the English Channel and the Bristol Channel. Now called Devon.—ebb, lmw Dema- (bless me I was going to write Demagogue!) with your DevonshireDevonshire, England | Devon | 50.7155591 -3.5308750000000373 County in the south west of England bordering the English Channel and the Bristol Channel. Now called Devon.—ebb, lmw Patriot Mr. NorthmoreThomas Northmore | Born: 1766 in Cleve, Devonshire, England. Died: 1851 in Furzebrook House, near Axminster, England.
An acquaintance of Mary Russell Mitford, friend of John Johnson and co-founder with him of the Hampden Club. A Radical, Northmore ran unsuccessfully as Member of Parliament for Exeter and for Barnstaple. In a letter to Haydon dated 9 February 1824 , Mitford refers to Northmore as a great Devonshire reformer, one of the bad epic poets and very pleasant men in which that country abounds ( Life of Mary Russell Mitford ed. L'Estrange Vol II, page 22). In an 1819 letter to Elford, Mitford gives this description of Northmore, and mentions his authorship of an epic poem on George Washington: what a man! How loud & shrewd & full of himself & sharp all over from his eagle nose to his pointed hook toe! What a perpetual sky rocket bouncing starting & flaming! What a talker against time! Well might Mr. Hobhouse call him the gentleman who came all the way from Devonshire to tell us that he was a great man at home. And he is a Poet too. Has written an Epic, which must have appeared incognito–for I never remember to have heard it mentioned in my life. An Epic Poem about Washington . Mitford may not have seen the poem, since it was published in Baltimore, MD. Northmore's poem was entitled Washington; or Liberty Restored. A Poem in Ten Books.—kab, lmw
—& they both belong to the Hampden ClubHampden Club
An organization of radical men’s political clubs founded by Major John Cartwright, Mr. Johnson andThomas Northmore. They were intended to bring together middle-class reformers with working-class radicals in order to achieve reformist aims such as universal male suffrage.—lmw—& Mr. NorthmoreThomas Northmore | Born: 1766 in Cleve, Devonshire, England. Died: 1851 in Furzebrook House, near Axminster, England.
An acquaintance of Mary Russell Mitford, friend of John Johnson and co-founder with him of the Hampden Club. A Radical, Northmore ran unsuccessfully as Member of Parliament for Exeter and for Barnstaple. In a letter to Haydon dated 9 February 1824 , Mitford refers to Northmore as a great Devonshire reformer, one of the bad epic poets and very pleasant men in which that country abounds ( Life of Mary Russell Mitford ed. L'Estrange Vol II, page 22). In an 1819 letter to Elford, Mitford gives this description of Northmore, and mentions his authorship of an epic poem on George Washington: what a man! How loud & shrewd & full of himself & sharp all over from his eagle nose to his pointed hook toe! What a perpetual sky rocket bouncing starting & flaming! What a talker against time! Well might Mr. Hobhouse call him the gentleman who came all the way from Devonshire to tell us that he was a great man at home. And he is a Poet too. Has written an Epic, which must have appeared incognito–for I never remember to have heard it mentioned in my life. An Epic Poem about Washington . Mitford may not have seen the poem, since it was published in Baltimore, MD. Northmore's poem was entitled Washington; or Liberty Restored. A Poem in Ten Books.—kab, lmw
being I suppose sent to Coventry[2] In British idiom, to be "sent to Coventry" was "to be ignored or ostracized. This behaviour often takes the form of pretending that the shunned person, although conspicuously present, can't be seen or heard." Thought to originate in the English Civil Wars, but the first recorded citation is from 1765. See "The Phrase Finder": . Here, Mitford uses the phrase to indicate someone who, although known, is not received in polite society, someone who might be "cut" in public.—lmw in his own Country has & mind "to make his bear garden flourish here—for he is going about BerkshireBerkshire, England | Berkshire | England | 51.4669939 -1.185367700000029 The county of Berkshire, England, abbreviated Berks. estate hunting—so he invited himself to Farley HillFarley Hill, Berkshire, England | Farley Hill | Berkshire | England | 51.37339900000001 -0.9209210000000212 Village in Berkshire, in the parish of Swallowfield. The Dickinsons lived there.—lmw at a time when I happened to be staying there & he came & astonished us all prodigiously. My dear sir WilliamWilliam Elford, Sir, baronet, Recorder for Plymouth, Recorder for Totnes, Member of Parliament | Born: 1749-08 in Kingsbridge, Devon, England. Died: 1837-11-30 in Totnes, Devon, England.
According to L’Estrange, Sir William was first a friend of Mitford’s father, and Mitford met him for the first time in the spring of 1810 when he was a widower nearing the age of 64. They carried on a lively correspondence until his death in 1837.
Elford worked as a banker at Plymouth Bank (Elford, Tingcombe and Purchase) in Plymouth, Devon, from its founding in 1782. He was elected a member of Parliament for Plymouth as a supporter of the government and Tory William Pitt, and served from 1796 to 1806. After his election defeat in Plymouth in 1806, he was elected member of Parliament for Rye and served from July 1807 until his resignation in July 1808. For his service in Parliament as a supporter of Pitt, he was made a baronet in 1800. After his son Jonathan came of age, he tried to secure a stable government post for him but never succeeded. Mayor of Plymouth in 1796 and Recorder for Plymouth from 1797 to 1833, he was also Recorder for Totnes from 1832 to 1834. Sir William served as an officer in the South Devon militia from 1788, eventually attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel; the unit saw active service in Ireland during the Peninsular Wars. Sir William was a talented amateur painter in oils and watercolors who exhibited at the Royal Society from 1774 to 1837; he exhibited still lifes and portraits but preferred landscapes. He was elected to the Royal Society Academy in 1790. He was also a talented amateur naturalist and was elected to the Royal Linnaean Society in 1790; late in life, he published his findings on an alternative to yeast.
He married his first wife, Mary Davies of Plympton, on January 20, 1776 and they had one son, Jonathan, and two daughters, Grace Chard and Elizabeth. After the death of his first wife, he married Elizabeth Hall Walrond, widow of Lieutenant-Colonel Maine Swete Walrond of the Coldstream Guards. His only son Jonathan died in 1823, leaving him without an heir.
—ebb, lmw

, what a man! How loud & shrewd & full of himself & sharp all over from his eagle nose to his pointed hook toe! What a perpetual sky rocket bouncing starting & flaming! What a talker against time! Well might Mr. HobhouseJohn Cam Hobhouse, or: 1st Baron Broughton | Born: 1786-06-27 in Redland, England. Died: 1869-06-03 in Berkeley Square, London, England.
A friend and traveling companion of Lord Byron who contributed notes to the fourth canto of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage , John Cam Hobhouse was elected to the House of Commons in 1820 as a member of the Whig party. In 1851, he became the First Baron Broughton.—err, lmw
call him "the gentleman who came all the way from DevonshireDevonshire, England | Devon | 50.7155591 -3.5308750000000373 County in the south west of England bordering the English Channel and the Bristol Channel. Now called Devon.—ebb, lmw to tell page 2
us that he was a great man at home." And he is a Poet too. Has written an Epic, which must have appeared incognito—for I never remember to have heard it mentioned in my life. An Epic Poem about 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
. A friend of his who came with him a very different sort of person—Mr. JohnsonJohn Johnson, Mr., or: the Junius of Marlow , Timothy Trueman
Friend who leaves his collection of political books to Northmore upon his death in 1821. Mitford helps his sister, Miss Johnson, sort out the books that are part of the estate, according to her letter of 1 July 1821. Lived at Seymour Court near Great Marlow before his death. Mitford reports meeting Mr. Johnson and Mr. Northmore for the first time in March 1819 in a letter to Elford. She describes him as one of those delightful old men that render age so charming—mild playful kind & wise—talking just as Isaac Walton would have talked if we were to [have] gone out fishing with him. The Gentleman’s Magazine obituary lists his full name as John Johnson, esq. and gives his date of death as 5 April 1821. See Obituary; with Anecdotes of Remarkable Persons. Gentleman’s Magazine and Historical Review 91.1 (1821): [Died] April 5 . . . John Johnson, esq. of Seymour-court, near Great Marlow, a celebrated member of the Hampden Club, and author of various political letters, &c., under the signature of Timothy Trueman (381). The Monthly Repository of Theology and General Literature 16 (1821), lists the same death date and notes that he was author of various political letters and essays in Mr. B. Flower’s Political Register and other periodical works, under the signature of Timothy Trueman (314).—lmw—the JuniusLucius Brutus Junius, Consul of the Roman Republic, or: Junius, Consul of the Roman Republic | Born: in ancient Rome. Died: -0509 in Silva Arsia, Rome.
of MarlowMarlow, Buckinghamshire, England | Marlow | Buckinghamshire | England | 51.5719443 -0.7769422000000077 Town in Buckinghamshire on the Thames. Mitford’s friends Mr. Johnson and Miss Johnson resided near here.—lmw—who under the quaint name of Timothy TruemanTimothy Trueman
Pseudonym used by Mr. Johnson. Author of A Letter to the Independent Electors of Westminster (1809), Timothy Trueman’s Admonitions to the Clergy (1816), and The Curse of Gehazi (1819). Not the same as the author of the American publications The Burlington Almanac and The New Jersey Almanac.—lmw contrives to exersizeexercise so singular an influence in the  party county politics of this part of the world—Mr. JohnsonJohn Johnson, Mr., or: the Junius of Marlow , Timothy Trueman
Friend who leaves his collection of political books to Northmore upon his death in 1821. Mitford helps his sister, Miss Johnson, sort out the books that are part of the estate, according to her letter of 1 July 1821. Lived at Seymour Court near Great Marlow before his death. Mitford reports meeting Mr. Johnson and Mr. Northmore for the first time in March 1819 in a letter to Elford. She describes him as one of those delightful old men that render age so charming—mild playful kind & wise—talking just as Isaac Walton would have talked if we were to [have] gone out fishing with him. The Gentleman’s Magazine obituary lists his full name as John Johnson, esq. and gives his date of death as 5 April 1821. See Obituary; with Anecdotes of Remarkable Persons. Gentleman’s Magazine and Historical Review 91.1 (1821): [Died] April 5 . . . John Johnson, esq. of Seymour-court, near Great Marlow, a celebrated member of the Hampden Club, and author of various political letters, &c., under the signature of Timothy Trueman (381). The Monthly Repository of Theology and General Literature 16 (1821), lists the same death date and notes that he was author of various political letters and essays in Mr. B. Flower’s Political Register and other periodical works, under the signature of Timothy Trueman (314).—lmw told me in answer to my questions about this poem, "That it displayed a very great spirit of liberty—& that independently of that there were some passages which were sufficiently felicitous." Is not this character the very model of the praise that damns? I dare say your abuse of it (if you should ever have seen it) will be much more merciful—at all events you must know the man—such a Volcano can hardly exist in a county without having been felt in its noise & smoke & stones & cinders—you must know about him & and do tell us—I never saw anyone who excited my curiosity more. Is he a gentleman born? And bred? What sort of woman is his wife? Is she sent to Coventry? And how do you class the animal?—I asked him if he knew you & he said you were a very able leader in the opposite forces—Perhaps you may know Mr. JohnsonJohn Johnson, Mr., or: the Junius of Marlow , Timothy Trueman
Friend who leaves his collection of political books to Northmore upon his death in 1821. Mitford helps his sister, Miss Johnson, sort out the books that are part of the estate, according to her letter of 1 July 1821. Lived at Seymour Court near Great Marlow before his death. Mitford reports meeting Mr. Johnson and Mr. Northmore for the first time in March 1819 in a letter to Elford. She describes him as one of those delightful old men that render age so charming—mild playful kind & wise—talking just as Isaac Walton would have talked if we were to [have] gone out fishing with him. The Gentleman’s Magazine obituary lists his full name as John Johnson, esq. and gives his date of death as 5 April 1821. See Obituary; with Anecdotes of Remarkable Persons. Gentleman’s Magazine and Historical Review 91.1 (1821): [Died] April 5 . . . John Johnson, esq. of Seymour-court, near Great Marlow, a celebrated member of the Hampden Club, and author of various political letters, &c., under the signature of Timothy Trueman (381). The Monthly Repository of Theology and General Literature 16 (1821), lists the same death date and notes that he was author of various political letters and essays in Mr. B. Flower’s Political Register and other periodical works, under the signature of Timothy Trueman (314).—lmw too—only that he has been always so much of a literary recluse—for though originally of NorthumberlandNorthumberland, England | Northumberland | England | 55.2082542 -2.078413800000021 County in north east England. County town is Alnwick. George Mitford was a descendant of an aristocratic family from Northumberland. George Mitford took Mary to visit relations in Northumberland in 1806.—lmw & now fixed in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire, England | Buckinghamshire England | 51.8137073 -0.8094704999999749 County in southeast England; one of the home counties nearest to London. County town is Aylesbury. Abbreviated Bucks.—lmw he has lived much in DevonshireDevonshire, England | Devon | 50.7155591 -3.5308750000000373 County in the south west of England bordering the English Channel and the Bristol Channel. Now called Devon.—ebb, lmw—if you did know him I am sure you would like him—he is one of those delightful old men that render age so charming—mild playful kind & wise—talking just as 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
would have talked if we were to ^have gone out fishing with him. It is one of Mr. NorthmoreThomas Northmore | Born: 1766 in Cleve, Devonshire, England. Died: 1851 in Furzebrook House, near Axminster, England.
An acquaintance of Mary Russell Mitford, friend of John Johnson and co-founder with him of the Hampden Club. A Radical, Northmore ran unsuccessfully as Member of Parliament for Exeter and for Barnstaple. In a letter to Haydon dated 9 February 1824 , Mitford refers to Northmore as a great Devonshire reformer, one of the bad epic poets and very pleasant men in which that country abounds ( Life of Mary Russell Mitford ed. L'Estrange Vol II, page 22). In an 1819 letter to Elford, Mitford gives this description of Northmore, and mentions his authorship of an epic poem on George Washington: what a man! How loud & shrewd & full of himself & sharp all over from his eagle nose to his pointed hook toe! What a perpetual sky rocket bouncing starting & flaming! What a talker against time! Well might Mr. Hobhouse call him the gentleman who came all the way from Devonshire to tell us that he was a great man at home. And he is a Poet too. Has written an Epic, which must have appeared incognito–for I never remember to have heard it mentioned in my life. An Epic Poem about Washington . Mitford may not have seen the poem, since it was published in Baltimore, MD. Northmore's poem was entitled Washington; or Liberty Restored. A Poem in Ten Books.—kab, lmw
's sins in my eyes that he did not pay the proper attention to his venerable friend—If you suspect that he has affronted me you are mistaken—for except a little impage 3
pertinent sort of praise which he thought very flattering, he was exceedingly civil—but that manner of his affronts every body without meaning it—that astonishing quantity of modest assurance—& moreover when my beautiful 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, 's best pupil, was singing what I think 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 best song ("Where'er you walk"Where’er You Walk. George Georg Frederick Friedrich Handel Händel. George Frederick Handel George Frederick Handel Georg Friedrich Händel . ) he kept on one constant "very pretty, very pretty, very pretty" as a sort of running accompaniment—this was really too provoking—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's singing is not only my delight but my pride—Good bye Mr. NorthmoreThomas Northmore | Born: 1766 in Cleve, Devonshire, England. Died: 1851 in Furzebrook House, near Axminster, England.
An acquaintance of Mary Russell Mitford, friend of John Johnson and co-founder with him of the Hampden Club. A Radical, Northmore ran unsuccessfully as Member of Parliament for Exeter and for Barnstaple. In a letter to Haydon dated 9 February 1824 , Mitford refers to Northmore as a great Devonshire reformer, one of the bad epic poets and very pleasant men in which that country abounds ( Life of Mary Russell Mitford ed. L'Estrange Vol II, page 22). In an 1819 letter to Elford, Mitford gives this description of Northmore, and mentions his authorship of an epic poem on George Washington: what a man! How loud & shrewd & full of himself & sharp all over from his eagle nose to his pointed hook toe! What a perpetual sky rocket bouncing starting & flaming! What a talker against time! Well might Mr. Hobhouse call him the gentleman who came all the way from Devonshire to tell us that he was a great man at home. And he is a Poet too. Has written an Epic, which must have appeared incognito–for I never remember to have heard it mentioned in my life. An Epic Poem about Washington . Mitford may not have seen the poem, since it was published in Baltimore, MD. Northmore's poem was entitled Washington; or Liberty Restored. A Poem in Ten Books.—kab, lmw
—Beau ideal of a democrat farewell! I have done with you—no—not quite either, for Washington is coming—at least Mr. JohnsonJohn Johnson, Mr., or: the Junius of Marlow , Timothy Trueman
Friend who leaves his collection of political books to Northmore upon his death in 1821. Mitford helps his sister, Miss Johnson, sort out the books that are part of the estate, according to her letter of 1 July 1821. Lived at Seymour Court near Great Marlow before his death. Mitford reports meeting Mr. Johnson and Mr. Northmore for the first time in March 1819 in a letter to Elford. She describes him as one of those delightful old men that render age so charming—mild playful kind & wise—talking just as Isaac Walton would have talked if we were to [have] gone out fishing with him. The Gentleman’s Magazine obituary lists his full name as John Johnson, esq. and gives his date of death as 5 April 1821. See Obituary; with Anecdotes of Remarkable Persons. Gentleman’s Magazine and Historical Review 91.1 (1821): [Died] April 5 . . . John Johnson, esq. of Seymour-court, near Great Marlow, a celebrated member of the Hampden Club, and author of various political letters, &c., under the signature of Timothy Trueman (381). The Monthly Repository of Theology and General Literature 16 (1821), lists the same death date and notes that he was author of various political letters and essays in Mr. B. Flower’s Political Register and other periodical works, under the signature of Timothy Trueman (314).—lmw threatened to send the book—but I never promised to read it. Good bye for the present Mr. NorthmoreThomas Northmore | Born: 1766 in Cleve, Devonshire, England. Died: 1851 in Furzebrook House, near Axminster, England.
An acquaintance of Mary Russell Mitford, friend of John Johnson and co-founder with him of the Hampden Club. A Radical, Northmore ran unsuccessfully as Member of Parliament for Exeter and for Barnstaple. In a letter to Haydon dated 9 February 1824 , Mitford refers to Northmore as a great Devonshire reformer, one of the bad epic poets and very pleasant men in which that country abounds ( Life of Mary Russell Mitford ed. L'Estrange Vol II, page 22). In an 1819 letter to Elford, Mitford gives this description of Northmore, and mentions his authorship of an epic poem on George Washington: what a man! How loud & shrewd & full of himself & sharp all over from his eagle nose to his pointed hook toe! What a perpetual sky rocket bouncing starting & flaming! What a talker against time! Well might Mr. Hobhouse call him the gentleman who came all the way from Devonshire to tell us that he was a great man at home. And he is a Poet too. Has written an Epic, which must have appeared incognito–for I never remember to have heard it mentioned in my life. An Epic Poem about Washington . Mitford may not have seen the poem, since it was published in Baltimore, MD. Northmore's poem was entitled Washington; or Liberty Restored. A Poem in Ten Books.—kab, lmw
I am going to talk of better things—I have just been reading the book I mentioned to you in my last—"Marriage"Marriage: A Novel. Susan Ferrier. Edinburgh London: William Blackwood John Murray. 1818.
Mitford records that she liked it very much; she also says that it made me laugh. In journal entry Saturday 13 March 1819. .—lmw—very amusing indeed, though not quite so excellent as to be suspected to be a posthumous work of Miss AustenJane Austen | Born: 1775-12-16 in Steventon, Hampshire, England. Died: 1817-07-18 in Winchester, Hampshire, England.
Novelist celebrated for her wit and style, whose works investigated women's social and economic vulnerabilities in English society. During her lifetime she published anonymously. Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815), all anonymously. Northanger Abbey, the first written of her novels (composed in 1798-1799) was published posthumously in 1818 (the title was chosen by surviving family) along with her final completed novel, Persuasion. Mitford claims in a letter to Sir William Elford of 3 April 1815 that she has recently discovered Austen is my countrywoman,, that is, a neighbor. Later in a letter of 2 July 1816 praised Emma in particular among Austen's novels. She and Elford evidently knew the identity of Austen as the author long before the information was public knowledge, and she claims in the April 3 letter that her mother remembered Jane Austen in her youth as the prettiest, silliest, most affected, husband-hunting butterfly she ever remembers, but that Jane was by the 1810s extremely quiet, which impressed Mitford: till Pride and Prejudice showed what a precious gem was hidden in that unbending case, she was no more regarded in society than a poker or a fire-screen, or any other thin upright piece of wood or iron that fills its corner in peace and quietness. The case is very different now; she is still a poker—but a poker of whom every one is afraid. It must be confessed that this silent observation from such an observer is rather formidable. Most writers are good-humoured chatterers—neither very wise nor very witty:—but nine times out of ten (at least in the few that I have known) unaffected and pleasant, and quite removing by their conversation any awe that may have been excited by their works. But a wit, a delineator of character, who does not talk, is terrific indeed! Source: L’Estrange.—ebb, rnes
's—still I recommend it to you very strongly—It has the one great charm of a novel—it makes one laugh. There are four most delightful personages all new  and yet in books, & old in nature—three Scotch old maids—Miss JackyMiss Jacky
Character in Marriage; Mitford admires Ferrier’s characterization of her.—lmw—Miss NickyMiss Nicky
Character in Marriage; Mitford admires Ferrier’s characterization of her.—lmw—Miss GrizzyMiss Grizzy
Character in Marriage. Mitford’s favorite character from the novel; she admires the character’s portrayal and teasingly contemplates naming Sir William’s kitten after her.—lmw & a married friend Lady MaclaughlinMacLaughlanLady MacLaughlan
Character in Marriage; Mitford admires Ferrier’s characterization of her.—lmw—all are good—but Miss JackyMiss Jacky
Character in Marriage; Mitford admires Ferrier’s characterization of her.—lmw & Miss GrizzyMiss Grizzy
Character in Marriage. Mitford’s favorite character from the novel; she admires the character’s portrayal and teasingly contemplates naming Sir William’s kitten after her.—lmw are the inimitable pair—their letters, are equal to Mr. CollinsMr. Collins Collins Mr.
Character in Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice.—lmw's—How you would enjoy two such Correspondents!—What hearty laughs they would give you! Besides these exquisite portraits there is a great deal of comic talent throughout the work. And there had need. Nothing but the bouyant air-bladder of Comedy could have floated such heavy materials as the prosing & preaching of the second Volume—the total want of everything resembling interest from first to last—the interminable speeches—& that deadest of dead weights the all perfect Heroine. A book so heavypage 4
had need be covered all over with Cork-jackets not to sink—of these grievances the heroine is much the worst. Somebody has said that we never forgive perfection unless it be made properly wretched—Now this heroine is not wretched at all. She is a female Sir Charles GrandisonSir Charles Grandison
Title character of Samuel Richardson’s novel The History of Sir Charles Grandison. Became proverbial for an impossibly perfect ideal man and used by Mitford in this sense.—lmw with no cares but the sentimental conflicts of duty & love. How I do hate those over good book people. They are just like triple refined sugar sweet & bright & hard & spotless, & good for nothing till mixed with some powerful acid—good for nothing at all. Luckily we know how to skip (invaluable discovery, I wonder no one has ever written an essay in its praise) & GrizzyMiss Grizzy
Character in Marriage. Mitford’s favorite character from the novel; she admires the character’s portrayal and teasingly contemplates naming Sir William’s kitten after her.—lmw & JackyMiss Jacky
Character in Marriage; Mitford admires Ferrier’s characterization of her.—lmw make ample amends for the fair MaryMary
Heroine of Marriage. Mitford does not admire Ferrier’s depiction of her heroine, considering her to be too perfect, a female Sir Charles Grandison. —lmw's sins of wisdom & virtue.—GrizzyMiss Grizzy
Character in Marriage. Mitford’s favorite character from the novel; she admires the character’s portrayal and teasingly contemplates naming Sir William’s kitten after her.—lmw is my favorite—I think I shall christen the white kittenwhite kitten
Female white kitten belonging to Mitford that she proposes to give to Elford. Mitford variously proposes to name the kitten Selima (after the kitten's father Selim) or Grizzy (after the character in Ferrier's novel Marriage). Unknown whether Elford eventually takes the kitten. Dates unknown.—lmw your kittenwhite kitten
Female white kitten belonging to Mitford that she proposes to give to Elford. Mitford variously proposes to name the kitten Selima (after the kitten's father Selim) or Grizzy (after the character in Ferrier's novel Marriage). Unknown whether Elford eventually takes the kitten. Dates unknown.—lmw—by that melodious name—Do you like it? Here am I talking of kittens & novels & Mr. NorthmoreThomas Northmore | Born: 1766 in Cleve, Devonshire, England. Died: 1851 in Furzebrook House, near Axminster, England.
An acquaintance of Mary Russell Mitford, friend of John Johnson and co-founder with him of the Hampden Club. A Radical, Northmore ran unsuccessfully as Member of Parliament for Exeter and for Barnstaple. In a letter to Haydon dated 9 February 1824 , Mitford refers to Northmore as a great Devonshire reformer, one of the bad epic poets and very pleasant men in which that country abounds ( Life of Mary Russell Mitford ed. L'Estrange Vol II, page 22). In an 1819 letter to Elford, Mitford gives this description of Northmore, and mentions his authorship of an epic poem on George Washington: what a man! How loud & shrewd & full of himself & sharp all over from his eagle nose to his pointed hook toe! What a perpetual sky rocket bouncing starting & flaming! What a talker against time! Well might Mr. Hobhouse call him the gentleman who came all the way from Devonshire to tell us that he was a great man at home. And he is a Poet too. Has written an Epic, which must have appeared incognito–for I never remember to have heard it mentioned in my life. An Epic Poem about Washington . Mitford may not have seen the poem, since it was published in Baltimore, MD. Northmore's poem was entitled Washington; or Liberty Restored. A Poem in Ten Books.—kab, lmw
's & such like baubles & quite forgetting the opportunity I have to shew off & look grand & learned, & classical & critical, & bluer than a blue bag. Do you know that I am holding the responsible office of critic to a Volume of translations which a friend of mine—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
by the bye—is about to print at his private press as soon as ever they have undergone my last revisal? There's for you. 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
—TassoTorquato Tasso | Born: 1544-03-11 in Sorrento, Kingdom of Naples. Died: 1595-04-25 in Rome, Papal States.
Poet and courtier from Naples. He was the author of the pastoral drama Aminta (1573) and epic poem Gerusalemme Liberata (1574). Tasso’s life and work continued to be the subject of much attention during Mitford’s lifetime. Byron’s poem The Lament of Tasso, written in Florence, appeared in 1817 ; a translation of Gerusalemme Liberata in Spenserian stanzas by Jeremiah Holmes Wiffen appeared in 1821 ; Donizetti wrote an opera on the subject of Tasso in 1833 , incorporating some of the poet’s work into the libretto; and Franz Liszt composed a symphonic poem, Tasso, Lamento e Trionfo in commemoration of the centenary of Goethe’s birth in 1849 . —lmw
—AriostoArisoto Ludovico | Born: 1474-09-08 in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Died: 1533-07-06 in Ferrara, Italy.
Poet, courtier, and diplomat; Author of the epic Orlando Furioso (1516), a sequel to Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando innamorato, written in ottava rima.—lmw, rnes
—PetrarchFrancesco Petrarca | Born: 1304-07-20 in Arezzo, Republic of Florence. Died: 1374-07-19 in Arquà, Republic of Venice.
Petrarch's scholarship and poetry helped to initiate the Italian Renaissance. He investigated the learning of ancient Rome and rediscovered Cicero's letters. In poetry he is most widely known for his sonnet cycle to an idealized woman, Laura. He was a friend of Cola di Rienzo.—ebb
—OvidPublius Ovidius Naso | Born: -0043-03-20 in Sulmo, Roman Empire. Died: 0016-11-30 in Tomis, Scythia minor, Roman empire.
Roman orator and poet.—lmw
& VirgilPublius Vergilius Maro | Born: -0070-10-15 in near Mantua, Cisalpine Gaul, Roman Republic. Died: -0020-09-21 in Brindisium, Italy, Roman Republic.
Roman poet, author of the Aeneid.—lmw
. Very fine translations too—combining in a most extraordinary degree fidelity to the words & the spirit of the Author with the most flowing versification & the purest syle. The UgolinoCount Ugolino
Character from Dante’s Inferno. Guilty of treason.—ncl, lmw & IsabellaIsabella
Character from Dante’s Inferno.—ncl, lmw stories are superb. These Italian people are my old acquaintance—I was not quite so intimate with the Latin GentlemanPublius Vergilius Maro | Born: -0070-10-15 in near Mantua, Cisalpine Gaul, Roman Republic. Died: -0020-09-21 in Brindisium, Italy, Roman Republic.
Roman poet, author of the Aeneid.—lmw
—I had read DrydenJohn Dryden | Born: 1631-08-09 in Aldwincle, Northamptonshire, England. Died: 1700-05-01 in London, England.
Named Poet Laureate in 1668 , Dryden authored Annus mirabilis: the Year of Wonders, MDCLXVI in 1667 , reflecting on climactic events of the previous year, the Great Fire of London and the second Anglo-Dutch War. Dryden supported a revival of drama in Restoration England, and in 1668 he wrote Of Dramatick Poesie , which contained critiques of William Shakespeare's and Ben Jonson's plays and reflection on English and French theater and playwrights from the Renaissance to the Restoration in England. Several of his plays were staged in London in the 1670s, including his treatment of the Antony and Cleopatra narrative, in All for Love, or, The World Well Lost, performed in December 1677 and published in 1678 . His satirical poem Absalom and Achitophel, published in 1681, presents Restoration politicians and government figures in Old Testament roles, casting King Charles II in flattering terms as a merciful and benevolent David.—ebb
's VirgilPublius Vergilius Maro | Born: -0070-10-15 in near Mantua, Cisalpine Gaul, Roman Republic. Died: -0020-09-21 in Brindisium, Italy, Roman Republic.
Roman poet, author of the Aeneid.—lmw
to be sure—but then it was a long time ago—& of Mr OvidPublius Ovidius Naso | Born: -0043-03-20 in Sulmo, Roman Empire. Died: 0016-11-30 in Tomis, Scythia minor, Roman empire.
Roman orator and poet.—lmw
I knew nothing at all. I have now had the honour of an introduction—to his tale of PhaetonPhaeton
Character in Metamorphoses, book two. Phaeton attempts to drive his father the Sun’s chariot and winged horses and must be killed by Jupiter when he loses control of the vehicle and endangers the earth.—lmw & I think him a very fine fellow indeed. I don't know anybody who talks so much magnificent nonsense—he goes far beyond Mr. SoutheyRobert Southey | Born: 1774-08-12 in Bristol, England. Died: 1843-03-21 in London, England.
English poet, historian, essayist, and biographer. Early friend of Coleridge. He was Poet Laureate of England from 1813 to 1843. Mitford mentions reading Southey’s Life of Wesley in her Journal on April 27, 28, and May 9 1820.—lmw, hjb
—KehamaThe Curse of Kehama: A Poem in Two Volumes. Robert Southey . London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown. 1810. page 5
is "pale pink compared to the flaming scarlet" of the MetamorphosesMetamorphōseōn librī, The Metamorphoses, Books of Transformations. Ovid . 0008.
First translated into English by William Caxton in 1480. —lmw. The 4th AeneidThe Aeneid. Virgil .
Latin epic poem written between 29 and 19 BC.—lmw too surprised me with its matchless beauties & its in my mind intolerable faults. How VirgilPublius Vergilius Maro | Born: -0070-10-15 in near Mantua, Cisalpine Gaul, Roman Republic. Died: -0020-09-21 in Brindisium, Italy, Roman Republic.
Roman poet, author of the Aeneid.—lmw
could make his pious hero such a cold heartless abominable rascal—& his tender heroine such an incomparable fool passes my comprehension. In the critical readings which passed between Mr & Mrs Dickinson & myself we of course did not fail to compare Mr DCharles 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 translations with those of others—PittChristopher Pitt | Born: 1699. Died: 1748-04-13.
English poet, translator, and clergyman. Translated into English the Aeneid and Vida's Art of Poetry and also published Imitations of Horace which were favorably compared to those of Alexander Pope.—lmw
's—DrydenJohn Dryden | Born: 1631-08-09 in Aldwincle, Northamptonshire, England. Died: 1700-05-01 in London, England.
Named Poet Laureate in 1668 , Dryden authored Annus mirabilis: the Year of Wonders, MDCLXVI in 1667 , reflecting on climactic events of the previous year, the Great Fire of London and the second Anglo-Dutch War. Dryden supported a revival of drama in Restoration England, and in 1668 he wrote Of Dramatick Poesie , which contained critiques of William Shakespeare's and Ben Jonson's plays and reflection on English and French theater and playwrights from the Renaissance to the Restoration in England. Several of his plays were staged in London in the 1670s, including his treatment of the Antony and Cleopatra narrative, in All for Love, or, The World Well Lost, performed in December 1677 and published in 1678 . His satirical poem Absalom and Achitophel, published in 1681, presents Restoration politicians and government figures in Old Testament roles, casting King Charles II in flattering terms as a merciful and benevolent David.—ebb
's—& BeresfordJames Beresford | Born: 1764-05-28 in Upham, Hampshire, England. Died: 1840-11-29 in Kibworth, Leicestershire, England.
Clergyman and writer, best known as the author of the satirical work The Miseries of Human Life.—lmw
's—which ^last has without intending it all the merit of a travestie. In the finest part of DidoDido
Character from Virgil’s Aeneid; Aeneas’s wife.—lmw's passion where she talks of sacrificing her faithless lover—immolating his son & so forth—Mr. BeresfordJames Beresford | Born: 1764-05-28 in Upham, Hampshire, England. Died: 1840-11-29 in Kibworth, Leicestershire, England.
Clergyman and writer, best known as the author of the satirical work The Miseries of Human Life.—lmw
very quietly makes her say—"Why should not I smile as kill AscaniusAscanius
Character from Virgil’s Aeneid. —lmw & Dish him to his father?" This Mr. BeresfordJames Beresford | Born: 1764-05-28 in Upham, Hampshire, England. Died: 1840-11-29 in Kibworth, Leicestershire, England.
Clergyman and writer, best known as the author of the satirical work The Miseries of Human Life.—lmw
was no other than the Author of the "Miseries"The Miseries of Human Life, Or the Last Groans of Timothy Testy and Samuel Sensitive; with a few supplementary sighs from Mrs. Testy. With which are now for the first time Interspersed, Varieties, Incidental to the Principal Matter, In Prose and Verse. In Nine Additional Dialogues, as Overheard by James Beresford, A.M. Fellow of Merton-College, Oxford. James Beresford . London: William Miller. 1807. &c—& this doughty Translation is subscribed for by a[gap: reason: torn.][ll] OxfordOxford, Oxfordshire, England | Oxford | Oxfordshire | England | 51.7520209 -1.2577263000000585 County town of Oxfordshire, in the south east of England about twenty-five miles from Reading. Site of Oxford University.—lmw & half CambridgeCambridge, Cambridgeshire, England | Cambridge Cambridgeshire England | 52.205337 0.12181699999996454 City on the river Cam, north of London, in Cambridgeshire. Location of Cambridge University.—lmw—I think they ought  and yet to have known be[gap: reason: torn.][tter]. Don't you?—

Wednesda[gap: reason: torn.][y] My FatherGeorge 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 did not go to LondonLondon, 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 & [gap: reason: torn.][Mr.] PalmerCharles Fyshe Palmer, or: Long Fyshe | Born: 1769 in Luckley House, Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1843-01-24 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
Charles Fyshe Palmer was the son of Charles Fyshe Palmer and Lucy Jones. He married Lady Madelina Gordon Sinclair in 1805 at Kimbolton Castle in Kimbolton, Herefordshire . They lived at Luckley House, Wokingham, Berkshire and at East Court, Finchampstead, Berkshire. Through her siblings, Lady Madelina was connected to several of the most influential aristocratic families in the country, and Charles Fyshe Palmer’s marriage to Lady Madelina thus gained him access to aristocratic houses, including the Holland House.
A Whig politician, Palmer began running for Parliament elections as the member for Reading after 1816, and appears to have served off and on in that role until 1841. He led the Berkshire meetings to protest British government’s handling of the Peterloo Massacre in 1819. On March 16, 1820, Palmer ran for a seat in Parliament against two other candidates. The votes ran: John Berkeley Monck (418 votes), Charles Fyshe Palmer(399 votes), and John Weyland(395 votes.) Mitford’s letters around this time indicate she much preferred his opponent J. B. Monck, and she had earlier satirized Palmer in 1818 as vastly like a mop-stick, or, rather, a tall hop-pole, or an extremely long fishing-rod, or anything that is all length and no substance.
Mitford also mentions Palmer in connection with a legal issue surrounding the Billiard Club, in her letter to Talfourd of 31 August 1822 . Mitford also mentions the ways that Palmer’s political opponents sometimes undermined his Whig reformist positions by referencing the noble privileges (and money) he accrued by marrying the Lady Madelina Gordon in 1805.
—ajc, lmw
See note 2 in The Browning’s Correspondence rendering of Mitford’s letter of 12 March 1842 to Elizabeth Barrett Browning .
is returned—^& we shan't to use the words of a Blacksmith Friend who wrote to the Votary of Vulcan on the occasion—"Our Frend Charls Fish Palmer is got a good seet—& hopes he'll keep it."—He is to make his grand Entree 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 Tomorrow—bells are to be rung—bonfires made—houses illuminated—& that his Victory may be graced in all possible ways he shall have the honour of franking this letter—I am very glad he has beaten Mr. WeylandJohn Weyland | Born: 1774-12-04 in England. Died: 1854-05-08 in Woodrising, Norfolk, England.
Tory journal editor and political figure. He and William Roberts founded the Christian evangelical periodial the British Review and London Critical Journal, a quarterly that appeared between 1811 and 1825. He authored several publications on population and the English poor laws, including A Short Enquiry into the Policy, Humanity, and Effect of the Poor Laws (1807); Observations on Mr. Whitbread's Poor Bill and on the Population of England (1807); The Principle of the English Poor Laws, illustrated from the Evidence given by Scottish Proprietors (before the Corn Committee,) on the Connexion observed in Scotland between the Price of Grain and the Wages of Labour (1815); and The Principles of Population and Production as they are affected by the Progress of Society (1816). He believed that hardship was an incentive to industry and he did not support further education of the poor. On March 16, 1820, Weyland was the Blue (or Tory) candidate, supported by the municipal corporation, in the Reading election. Three candidates ran: John Berkeley Monck (418 votes), Charles Fyshe Palmer(399 votes), and John Weyland (395 votes.); Weyland was not returned. See . Weyland later won a seat as Member of Parliament for Hindon, Wiltshire, and served from 1830 to 1832. —ajc, lmw

—but I hope he'll give up the Pension.[3] Palmer's wife Madalina received a state pension and it was a point of contention during the election and after, as to whether or not an M.P.'s wife should accept one.—lmw

Now you must write very soon & tell me that the jujubie (is that right?) has cured your cough—that you are coming ^to LondonLondon, 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 this Spring—& about the time you are likely to see us—for I will take care to be at home & bespeak the nightingales—Adieu my dear Friend—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 & MamaMary Russell Mitford, or: Mrs. Mitford | Born: 1750 in Ashe, Hampshire, England. Died: 1830-01-02 in Three Mile Cross, parish of Shinfield, Berkshire, England.
Mary Russell was the youngest child of the Rev. Dr. Richard Russell and his second wife, Mary Dicker; she was born about 1750 in Ashe, Hampshire. (Her birth date is as yet unverified; period sources indicate that she was ten years older than her husband George, born in 1760.) Through the Russells, she was a distant relation of the Dukes of Bedford (sixth creation, 1694). She had two siblings, Charles William and Frances; both predeceased her and their parents, which resulted in Mary Russell inheriting her family’s entire estate upon her mother’s death in 1785. Her father’s rectory in Ashe was only a short distance from Steventon, and so she was acquainted with the young Jane Austen. She married George Mitford or Midford on October 17, 1785 at New Alresford, Hampshire. On the marriage allegation papers, both gave their addresses as Old Alresford. Their only daughter, Mary Russell Mitford, was born two years later on December 16, 1787 at New Alresford, Hampshire. Mary Russell died on January 2, 1830 at Three Mile Cross in the parish of Shinfield, Berkshire. Her obituary in the 1830 New Monthly Magazine gives New Year’s day as the date of her death.—ajc, lmw
join in kindest remembrances & I am always