The Mary Hamilton Papers : Letter from Lady Catherine Herries (née Foote) to Mary Hamilton

Herries (née Foote), Catherine

The Mary Hamilton Papers

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Letter from Lady Catherine Herries to Mary Hamilton. She has been occupied with 'business' and is now preparing for a visit to Bath, where she intends to go in a fortnight or so. There are various reasons for this on which she will write more fully at a later date [Herries is possibly referring to Sir Robert's resignation from his bank (see HAM/1/17/234)]. Herries is disappointed that she and Mrs Elizabeth Carter will not be able to visit her because of this, and also hoped that Hamilton and her family would have visited and stayed with her at St. James's Street in the spring. She does hope that they will be able to meet soon though she is unable to say when that will be.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Herries continues with general news. Herries does not wonder that Mr Dickenson liked Lady W__ [perhaps Lady Wake]: 'She is certainly very fascinating -- but has not hitherto been a Character seriously to receive approbation from one of his sense & principles'. She does, however, hope that she has 'altered in these particulars'. Again it is unclear as to which relation of Hamilton she refers but continues on an attachment between a 'Mr H [who] was a gentleman by birth & education & had even a Baronet's title in his family & yet he was received in very genteel Society', and a woman so 'totally opposite' to Hamilton, in terms of how she was educated and how she spends her time. The letter continues on Elizabeth Carter and on the death of her sister, Mrs Pennington. Mrs Carter is 'low' but 'tolerable in health & better as to spirits'.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dated at St. James's Street, [London].</p>