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, concerning Nina Herries and her divorce from Edward Foote, and Herries's friend Mrs Anne Hunter.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Lady Herries writes on her concerns for Hamilton's health and asks her if she uses a 'fine flannel next to the shin' to help promote perspiration, which may prevent 'many Maladies arising from the want of it from unequal circulation'. She continues on Hamilton's daughter Louisa and alludes to Nina Herries, who she had brought up as her own daughter and who she had once believed would 'be a Louisa to me'. Herries thanks Hamilton for all she has said on the subject of her brother Edward's remarrying after his divorce from Nina (mentioned in HAM/1/17/276). She continues on his new wife, Mary [daughter of Vice-Admiral Philip Patton], writing that she is not the woman he was in love with before he married Nina; that woman had been married for some time. Herries has heard that Nina's 'state of mind was of the quietest agitation'. Herries had written to Nina, as she felt it her duty having brought her up as her own child to tell her 'that repentance ought to banish despair', and that 'she might hope to regain at least some degree of that [...] good opinion w[hic]h her sad misconduct forfeited'. Herries's feelings as well as her duty caused her to write and she wanted to offer her some comfort.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Changing the subject, Herries reports that Mrs Anne Hunter and her daughter Mrs Campbell are currently visiting Cheltenham, as Mrs Campbell has suffered a bilious attack and has come for recovery. Herries wishes Hamilton was part of their circle. Concerning Mrs Hunter, 'Lord & Lady Montgomery on their marriage settled £400' and leased a house on Grosvenor Street for her. The rent will be small and on this along with her own small income she will be able to 'live very comfortably though not to keep her carriage'. Mrs Campbell proposes to go to Canterbury to see her husband, Colonel Campbell, the 'deputy adjutant General of the army in that district'.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Herries ends her letter on Hamilton's 'protégée' (see HAM/1/17/275) and her hopes that she has been able to find a good place.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dated at Cheltenham.</p>