Letter to <persName ref="#Webb_Mary_younger">Mary Elizabeth Webb</persName>, <date when="1820-02-11">February 11, 1820</date> Mary Russell Mitford Samantha Webb Mary Russell Mitford Society: Digital Mitford Project University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center Elisa Beshero-Bondar Transcription and coding by Annie Gill Date last checked: March 20, 2017 Proofing and corrections by Samantha Webb First digital edition in TEI, date: February 8, 2017. P5. Edition made with help from photos taken by Digital Mitford editors Digital Mitford photo files: Digital Mitford: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive Greensburg, PA, USA 2013

Reproduced by courtesy of the Reading Central Library.

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Digital Mitford Letters: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive Reading Central Library No collection identified No shelfmark identified Letter from Mary Russell Mitford to Mary Webb, 1820 February 11.

[One] page of paper, four page surfaces photographed. Page has been folded in half width-wise and in thirds length-wise.

Sheet stained on right edge of page four.

No seal is present.

 Someone, apparently other than Mitford, perhaps cataloging letters and describing them, who left grey pencil marks and numbered her letters now in the Reading Central Library's collection. This letter is dated "11 Feb. 1820" in square brackets in the top left of the first leaf.

Mitford’s spelling and punctuation are retained, except where a word is split at the end of a line and the beginning of the next in the manuscript. Where Mitford’s spelling and hyphenation of words deviates from the standard, in order to facilitate searching we are using the TEI elements “choice," “sic," and “reg" to encode both Mitford’s spelling and the regular international standard of Oxford English spelling, following the first listed spelling in the Oxford English Dictionary. The long s and ligatured forms are not encoded.
11 Feb. 1820 written in square brackets Bertram House Friday. My dearMary

Will Mr. James Wheeler think me the greatest encroacher on his kindness that ever lived, if I venture to ask him to extend the gratifiation he has afforded me by the perusal of Mr. Lawrence's book to one much more worthy of it--to Mr. Sherwood?--I met him yesterday at Mrs. Jolliffe's & in course of talk Mr. Lawrence came on the carpet--I found Mr. Sherwood a great admirer of his very indignant at his ill usage & above all Is very desirous to read this uncomeatable book that I even ventured to say I thought I could procure him that pleasure. Will you tell this to Mr. James Wheeler & if he is so very very good as to gratify Mr. S.'s desire tell him that it will be best I think to send it directed to Mr. Sherwood Esqre Church Lane, Reading--I would not give him this additional trouble but as I don't know when I should myself be able to fetch it from Wokingham, I think it the best way of avoiding a certain round-about & a possible risk . Mr. Sherwood promises & above all to be very expeditious & careful, & grateful all his life--so do I.

Papa got home quite late the other night--or rather the other morning--sad man to keep you all up so! I dare say it was his fault--(I brought him in excellent time from Mrs. Jolliffe's)--he was quite full of a new lover which you or Miss Eliza (he has not quite settled which) has gotten--he says he won't give his consent--& boasts that Miss Wheeler was of his opinion--for my part I scarcely know the gentleman--so I say nothing.--Mrs. Dickinson is not in bed yet--very tiresome--Molly's in the same way--very tiresome too!--Papa & Captain [Tappen/Taffer] were out for 6 hours today on Mortimer Common & never saw hare or rabbit! Think of that!--There is no place like the dear Heath after all.

We had a very agreeable day yesterday--Harry Marsh Mrs. Jolliffe & I made such a noise that you might have heard us at Wokingham if you had been listening--Good bye my own dear love--say every thing affectionate to all your house & to dear Miss Wheeler--

-->Ever your's M. R. Mitford.

Write soona vertical strike mark follows the word soon

Wheeler James Lives in Wokingham. Most likely has some connection to Kate Wheeler. Need more information. Lawrence William Cirencester London Author, possibly Sir William Lawrence, the british surgeon who published two books in 1816 and 1819. Mr. Sherwood, whom MRM wants to lend Mr. Lawrence's book to, practiced medicine, so it is not too much of a stretch to think he might be interested in reading the works of a surgeon. Jolliffe Need more information. Tappen/Taffer[???] A captain. Friend of George Mitford. Need more information. Marsh Harry/Henry[?] Sherwood Thomas doctor Practiced medicine in Reading. He was a friend of John Berkeley Monck, and likely others in the Reading political scene. Sources: Needham Papers, Reading Central Library ; History of Parliament Online. ReadingBorough http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/constituencies/reading. Lived on Church Lane in Reading, Berkshire, England <!--Title--> Pregnant pet dog