The Mary Hamilton Papers : Letter from Frederick Hamilton to Mary Hamilton

Hamilton, Frederick

The Mary Hamilton Papers

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Letter from Rev. Frederick Hamilton to Mary Hamilton. The letter relates to financial matters, particularly the collection of rents, which is proving at times difficult because of the economic distress in Ireland. Frederick Hamilton writes of the necessity of ejecting a number of his tenants because they are so behind in their rents. 'I have not yet received a shilling of my May Rents of my Lands in the Counties of Kildare & Meath & that I shall be under the necessity of ejecting several of the Tenants'.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The letter is also concerned with Hamilton's disappointment over his failed expectations of promotion within the Church, which were 'rested on royal Promises frequently repeated'. He also discusses his views on the type of people who do gain promotion in Ireland, writing that it is the 'policy of Ministers to fill almost every department in this Country with very low men', adding that if he were a schoolmaster or a tutor in the house of a prominent family, he might probably be a bishop by this date.</p>