The Mary Hamilton Papers : Letter from Jane Holman to Mary Hamilton

Holman (née Hamilton), Jane

The Mary Hamilton Papers

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Letter from Mrs Jane Holman née Hamilton to Mary Hamilton. The letter mainly relates to Jane's health, her concerns for her future and her father. She writes that she is suffering from 'weakness' which has 'been brought on by agitation of mind', which in part was due to a miscarriage she had had. The letter also provides details of her father's financial arrangements at the time of her marriage, especially the promise of £6000 on her marriage. She writes of her father's temperament as being 'determined', and that there is a danger of causing him offence if she acts against his wishes. She is unable to travel to Bath for her father for at least a couple of days as her mourning clothes are not yet ready but writes of receiving a letter from him in which he affirms that although his affections towards her remain the same, he refuses to meet with her until she declares her 'conviction of the justice of all his opinions'. She notes that this is an 'impossibility', as 'such a declaration must give eternal offence to him with whom my life is to be spent, for, if two persons are diametrically opposite in their ideas, it is scarcely necessary to say, that nothing but silence can fail to offend one of them'.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dated at 35 Aldgate High Street [London].</p>