Unlocking the Mary Hamilton papers

Single Letter

HAM/1/8/2/19

Letter from Dorothy Blosset to Mary Hamilton

Diplomatic Text


                                                         Wing Janry 2d 1800 --

My dear Mrs Dickenson
At last I send you the Magazines -- & with them
a piece of intelligence which is so new to us both
that we conclude it may be so to you -- Mrs John Hunter
has Avow'd her self the Authoreʃs of the Series of
[P]lays[1] -- & one of them is now in preparation at  ------ 
Drury Lane[2] -- it is also confirm'd, that this had this
Country has taken the poor Cardinal of York under
its immediate Protection[3] -- pray asʃure Grand[4] in yr
next that I shall Subscribe my pittance toward this
new Tax -- not only with Submiʃsion. but with cheerfulneʃs.
& readineʃs -- did Henry tell you Yesterday, that Lord
Stanley is going to Claim the Dukedom of Hamilton[5] --
from the Stories I heard from Lady Charlotte Edwin[6]
& from Dr Milman from the Mouth of the present duke
(which Stories differ'd materially as how & by what means
lord something Douglas became Duke)[7] I did conceive that the


lawyers wd Easily make out a Case which may fill
their pockets --
We are glad you have heard from Miʃs W:[8] I hope these
Young ladies will never forget the kindneʃs you & Mr
D: Shewed them in their melancholy circumstances -- I Hope
this for their sakes. for I wish them well. at the same
Time I think their prospect is but a gloomy one.
it requires not only Steadineʃs -- but great good Sense. for
a Young pretty Girl with the Talents of Miʃs W:
to Conduct her self with Prudence in such a World, as
London contains -- she, a perfect Stranger -- of an Age
to believe any Profeʃsion of regard made to her by the
most Selfish. & often the most Unworthy -- in Short. it
seems to me that nothing Short of a Miraculous interference
can save those poor innocents & that such a wonderful
instance of divine Mercy may be shewn to them all -- is the
sincere wish of yr ever Affect Friend
                             DBloʃset
Love from all to both Dr de S: is better --



      23

      Mrs Dickenson

      Leighton House


[9]

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


Notes


 1. In 1798, the first volume of Plays on the Passions was published anonymously as A Series of Plays, and was later in 1800 confirmed to have been written by Joanna Baillie (11 September 1762 – 23 February 1851), a Scottish dramatist and poet, after she published the third edition of the volume under her name (Mrs Piozzi confirms this in a letter dated 4 June 1800. See E. A. Bloom & L. D. Bloom (eds.), The Piozzi Letters: Correspondence of Hester Lynch Piozzi 1784-1821, Vol. 3, 1799-1804, p.198). Anne Hunter was Joanna Baillie's aunt through John Hunter's sister, Dorothea Baillie (née Hunter), and likely claimed to have been the author until the third edition was published in order to protect Joanna Baillie, who was initially reluctant to publish her works. The volume referenced in this letter contained Count Basil, a tragedy on love, The Tryal, a comedy on love, and De Monfort, a tragedy on hatred.
 2. De Monfort was produced and later performed at Drury Lane from 29 April 1800 onwards, starring John Kemble and Sarah Siddons in the leading roles. It ran for eight nights but was not a theatrical success.
 3. After the French Revolution and the Napoleonic invasion of Italy, Henry Benedict Stuart, the Cardinal Duke of York, experienced several financial setbacks and went into poverty. From 1800 onwards he received an annuity of £4,000 from King George III.
 4. This probably refers to John Dickenson Senior. He and Blosset seem to have shared an interest in current affairs (see HAM/1/8/2/17). Moreover, in HAM/1/8/2/29 Blosset refers to Louisa Dickenson seeing 'her Grand' when she is better.
 5. Edward Smith-Stanley had a claim to the dukedom of Hamilton through his mother, Elizabeth Hamilton, a daughter of James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton. The current Duke of Hamilton, Archibald Hamilton (9th Duke), was the son of James Hamilton, the 5th Duke, and was given the title after his nephew Douglas Hamilton died in 1799 without any legitimate issue. Interestingly, Douglas left the contents of Hamilton Palace to his illegitimate daughter by Mrs Esten, Anne Douglas-Hamilton (later Lady Rossmore, c.1796-1844). Archibald Hamilton (9th Duke) was forced to buy back the contents.
 6. This likely refers to Lady Charlotte Edwin (née Hamilton), daughter of James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton and wife of Charles Edwin, MP, even though she died in 1777, long before this letter was written. It could also refer to the daughter of Robert Jones of Fonmon Castle, who married Charles Wyndham, MP, who took the name Edwin after he inherited his uncle's estates in 1776, but given the subject matter this seems unlikely.
 7. The only 'Lord something Douglas' to become Duke of Hamilton (in the Peerage of Scotland) was Lord William Douglas (1634-1694), who in 1660 received the title through his wife, Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton. Rather than him, this seems to refer instead to Archibald Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas (1748-1827) (née Archibald James Edward Stewart), who was one of main parties in the Douglas Cause (the other party being James Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton). After Archibald inherited the castles, properties and lands in Scotland from his uncle Archibald Douglas, 3rd Marquess and 1st Duke of Douglas, at age 13 in 1761, he legally changed his name to Douglas, though his uncle's titles (i.e. the Marquessate of Douglas and the Earldom of Angus) went to James Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton. The Dukedom of Douglas expired when the duke died in 1761, so his nephew Archibald Douglas never became a duke. Dorothy Blosset does however seem to refer to the court case that followed this division of castles, properties and lands to Archibald Douglas on the one hand and the Marquessate and Earldom titles to James Hamilton (7th Duke of Hamilton) on the other, in which the latter side claimed that Archibald Douglas was not really the child of the Duke of Douglas, and therefore the Hamiltons should have received not only the titles but also all of the Duke of Douglas' material wealth upon his death in 1761. The court case attracted international attention and ended up costing more than £100.000 in legal fees (see also Blosset's following line concerning lawyers easily filling their pockets with such a case as is alluded to here with Lord Stanley).
 8. See also HAM/1/8/2/18 for discussion of the daughters of this family.
 9. Damage from closing device, possibly a gummed wafer.

Normalised Text


                                                         Wing January 2d 1800 --

My dear Mrs Dickenson
At last I send you the Magazines -- & with them
a piece of intelligence which is so new to us both
that we conclude it may be so to you -- Mrs John Hunter
has Avowed her self the Authoress of the Series of
Plays -- & one of them is now in preparation at
Drury Lane -- it is also confirmed, that this
Country has taken the poor Cardinal of York under
its immediate Protection -- pray assure Grand in your
next that I shall Subscribe my pittance toward this
new Tax -- not only with Submission. but with cheerfulness.
& readiness -- did Henry tell you Yesterday, that Lord
Stanley is going to Claim the Dukedom of Hamilton --
from the Stories I heard from Lady Charlotte Edwin
& from Dr Milman from the Mouth of the present duke
(which Stories differed materially as how & by what means
lord something Douglas became Duke) I did conceive that the


lawyers would Easily make out a Case which may fill
their pockets --
We are glad you have heard from Miss W: I hope these
Young ladies will never forget the kindness you & Mr
Dickenson Showed them in their melancholy circumstances -- I Hope
this for their sakes. for I wish them well. at the same
Time I think their prospect is but a gloomy one.
it requires not only Steadiness -- but great good Sense. for
a Young pretty Girl with the Talents of Miss W:
to Conduct her self with Prudence in such a World, as
London contains -- she, a perfect Stranger -- of an Age
to believe any Profession of regard made to her by the
most Selfish. & often the most Unworthy -- in Short. it
seems to me that nothing Short of a Miraculous interference
can save those poor innocents & that such a wonderful
instance of divine Mercy may be shown to them all -- is the
sincere wish of your ever Affectionate Friend
                             Dorothy Blosset
Love from all to both Dr de Salis is better --





      Mrs Dickenson

      Leighton House


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



 1. In 1798, the first volume of Plays on the Passions was published anonymously as A Series of Plays, and was later in 1800 confirmed to have been written by Joanna Baillie (11 September 1762 – 23 February 1851), a Scottish dramatist and poet, after she published the third edition of the volume under her name (Mrs Piozzi confirms this in a letter dated 4 June 1800. See E. A. Bloom & L. D. Bloom (eds.), The Piozzi Letters: Correspondence of Hester Lynch Piozzi 1784-1821, Vol. 3, 1799-1804, p.198). Anne Hunter was Joanna Baillie's aunt through John Hunter's sister, Dorothea Baillie (née Hunter), and likely claimed to have been the author until the third edition was published in order to protect Joanna Baillie, who was initially reluctant to publish her works. The volume referenced in this letter contained Count Basil, a tragedy on love, The Tryal, a comedy on love, and De Monfort, a tragedy on hatred.
 2. De Monfort was produced and later performed at Drury Lane from 29 April 1800 onwards, starring John Kemble and Sarah Siddons in the leading roles. It ran for eight nights but was not a theatrical success.
 3. After the French Revolution and the Napoleonic invasion of Italy, Henry Benedict Stuart, the Cardinal Duke of York, experienced several financial setbacks and went into poverty. From 1800 onwards he received an annuity of £4,000 from King George III.
 4. This probably refers to John Dickenson Senior. He and Blosset seem to have shared an interest in current affairs (see HAM/1/8/2/17). Moreover, in HAM/1/8/2/29 Blosset refers to Louisa Dickenson seeing 'her Grand' when she is better.
 5. Edward Smith-Stanley had a claim to the dukedom of Hamilton through his mother, Elizabeth Hamilton, a daughter of James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton. The current Duke of Hamilton, Archibald Hamilton (9th Duke), was the son of James Hamilton, the 5th Duke, and was given the title after his nephew Douglas Hamilton died in 1799 without any legitimate issue. Interestingly, Douglas left the contents of Hamilton Palace to his illegitimate daughter by Mrs Esten, Anne Douglas-Hamilton (later Lady Rossmore, c.1796-1844). Archibald Hamilton (9th Duke) was forced to buy back the contents.
 6. This likely refers to Lady Charlotte Edwin (née Hamilton), daughter of James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton and wife of Charles Edwin, MP, even though she died in 1777, long before this letter was written. It could also refer to the daughter of Robert Jones of Fonmon Castle, who married Charles Wyndham, MP, who took the name Edwin after he inherited his uncle's estates in 1776, but given the subject matter this seems unlikely.
 7. The only 'Lord something Douglas' to become Duke of Hamilton (in the Peerage of Scotland) was Lord William Douglas (1634-1694), who in 1660 received the title through his wife, Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton. Rather than him, this seems to refer instead to Archibald Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas (1748-1827) (née Archibald James Edward Stewart), who was one of main parties in the Douglas Cause (the other party being James Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton). After Archibald inherited the castles, properties and lands in Scotland from his uncle Archibald Douglas, 3rd Marquess and 1st Duke of Douglas, at age 13 in 1761, he legally changed his name to Douglas, though his uncle's titles (i.e. the Marquessate of Douglas and the Earldom of Angus) went to James Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton. The Dukedom of Douglas expired when the duke died in 1761, so his nephew Archibald Douglas never became a duke. Dorothy Blosset does however seem to refer to the court case that followed this division of castles, properties and lands to Archibald Douglas on the one hand and the Marquessate and Earldom titles to James Hamilton (7th Duke of Hamilton) on the other, in which the latter side claimed that Archibald Douglas was not really the child of the Duke of Douglas, and therefore the Hamiltons should have received not only the titles but also all of the Duke of Douglas' material wealth upon his death in 1761. The court case attracted international attention and ended up costing more than £100.000 in legal fees (see also Blosset's following line concerning lawyers easily filling their pockets with such a case as is alluded to here with Lord Stanley).
 8. See also HAM/1/8/2/18 for discussion of the daughters of this family.
 9. Damage from closing device, possibly a gummed wafer.

Metadata

Library References

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

Archive: Mary Hamilton Papers

Item title: Letter from Dorothy Blosset to Mary Hamilton

Shelfmark: HAM/1/8/2/19

Correspondence Details

Sender: Dorothy Blosset

Place sent: Wing

Addressee: Mary Hamilton

Place received: Leighton Buzzard

Date sent: 2 January 1800

Letter Description

Summary: Letter from Dorothy Blosset to Mary Hamilton. The letter is concerned with general news and with a 'Miss W'. Blosset is glad that Hamilton has heard from Miss W and hopes that the ladies will not forget the kindness that Hamilton had showed them 'in the melancholy circumstances'. She continues to describe Miss W as being young and pretty with many talents and notes that such a girl should 'conduct her self with prudence in such a world as London contains'.
   

Length: 1 sheet, 343 words

Transliteration Information

Editorial declaration: First edited in the project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers' (Hannah Barker, Sophie Coulombeau, David Denison, Tino Oudesluijs, Cassandra Ulph, Christine Wallis & Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, 2019-2023).

All quotation marks are retained in the text and are represented by appropriate Unicode characters. Words split across two lines may have a hyphen on the first, the second or both fragments (reco-|ver, imperfect|-ly, satisfacti-|-on); or a double hyphen (pur=|port, dan|=ger, qua=|=litys); or none (respect|ing). Any point in abbreviations with superscripted letter(s) is placed last, regardless of relative left-right orientation in the original. Thus, Mrs. or Mrs may occur, but M.rs or Mr.s do not.

Acknowledgements: Transcription and XML version created as part of project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers', funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council under grant AH/S007121/1.

Transliterator: Tino Oudesluijs, editorial team (completed 17 February 2021)

Cataloguer: Lisa Crawley, Archivist, The John Rylands Library

Cataloguer: John Hodgson, Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Research Institute and Library

Copyright: Transcriptions, notes and TEI/XML © the editors

Revision date: 2 November 2021

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