Sheffield Archives LD1567/1

Sheffield Archives LD1567/1

TRANSCRIPTION 

Dear Daughter    London    May 31st 1746

I received a letter from your father to come down by William, but cannot leave here till a nurse come for the other nurse leaves her on Monday and she is so fearful she neither dare dress nor undress the child so if you get a nurse they desire you would send her up next week by Jervis wagon that the child may be settled to the breast before it comes down. Your sister has but very little milk left. She has come down with it herself, but for Mr. Cooper coming his journey I put up some things in a box to come down by William and he promised to call for it and did not, so shall send them down a Monday. There is Gatty Loy silk. It is a tabby for I could not have a deucupe under five and sixpence or 8 (?) pence. Silks is so advanced and I had it cheaper because it had two or three spots in it. There is Cousin Creswick lace, it cost 6 and 6 pence per yard. There is that old silk jacket of your sister's your grandmother may make her a cloak of it and there is something for Jackey. Give my love to him and tell him I cannot get time to write to him yet.

I desire you would be as much in the Park as you can to keep all things as easy as you can. It is not out of choice I stay but cannot come sooner. Your father is not come to town nor did not say whether he should or no.

Please to give my duty to Mother and love to Mr. Elliot and hope you'll except the same from your loving and affectionate Mother

D. Wright

P.S.  Your brother and sister desires their respects to you and all friends and begs you would send a nurse as soon as possible.

COMMENTARY

Letter[i] dated : 31st May 1746

To : Catherine Elliott, Norfolk Street Sheffield

From : Dorothy Wight, London

Dorothy is still in London having stayed on since the date of her last letter. She sounds in a state of high anxiety.

She and Rebecca[ii], as well as Catherine “Kitty’[iii], are still in search of a wet nurse, with Mrs Gaskings, mentioned in the last letter. The local nurse is due to leave Rebecca’s employment within a few days and Rebecca still hopes to send her baby to Sheffield, away from the health risks of London.

It must have been a very worrying time for the parents, David[iv] and Rebecca Cooper. From the tenor of Dorothy’s letter, Rebecca was not coping too well with her first child. For David, it must have brought back memories of his first wife and child. It was stated at the time of David and Rebecca’s wedding, that he was a widower. His first wife was Mary Eden[v], whom he had married on 9^th June 1741 at All Hallows London Wall. Just over a week after their only child, Elizabeth[vi], was baptised at St John at Hackney, both mother and child were buried on 1^st June 1742, four year before the date of this letter.

Whilst the letters do not inform us if a nurse was ever found, we do know that little baby Anne[vii] did get to Sheffield. She was buried there on 18^th January 1746/47; at eight and half months of-age. Rebecca went on to have six more children, of whom three sons made it to adulthood. Indeed, her youngest lived to the age of 98.

To add to Dorothy’s anxiety, she felt she could not leave her daughter, despite her husband, Thomas[viii], wishing her to return home. He had arranged for Dorothy to return to Sheffield with William; probably one of the drivers for the transport business. Ever the dedicated shopper, Dorothy had organised a box of materials to go back with William. However, William seems to have felt that if he was not taking Dorothy back he certainly was not taking her luggage! Instead Dorothy planned to send it with David on his next trip north.  Dorothy also mentions Jervis, who has a wagon and is coming to London. This cannot be her eldest son Jervas[ix], as he had joined the army as a surgeon, unless he helped while on leave and visiting home. What we can say is that these two people, William and Jervis, were well know to both Dorothy and Catherine “Kitty” as no other name was needed.

This letter shows how much Dorothy now depended upon Catherine “Kitty”. She had been asked to find a nurse. Now Dorothy was also expecting her to manage things at her parent’s home in Sheffield Park, as well as her own house in Norfolk Street. At this date Dorothy and Thomas still had five children under the age of 18, most of whom would still have been at home or at school.

Finally she mentions Jacko. This was her son John[x], baptised 1729.

 Notes & Bibliography