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 knows that Hamilton does not like to write often and also that she has lots of correspondents but, still, she has not received a letter from her for four or five months and is anxious to hear that she is well.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Herries refers to her last letter in which she had told her of Mrs Hunter and Mrs Hunter's daughter of being in Cheltenham, and updates Hamilton on them. They left here early in October and Mrs Campbell [Mrs Hunter's daughter] is in Ramsgate with her husband. She has benefited by the season and by bathing. Mrs Hunter has settled into her house in Grosvenor Street; her son is currently stationed in the West Indies, which is causing her some anxiety.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Herries continues with news of her brother Edward, on Edward and Nina's daughter [Caroline Foote], who she is bringing up (see HAM/1/17/272) and who has been ill. Edward has been 'unemployed' but little wonders at this in 'such a winter of storms'. She will be disappointed if he is not able to get a ship soon. His new wife is liked by his family and it seems that she will 'make up [for] his past sorrows by future domestic Happiness'. Her father is Vice-Admiral Philip Patton and is 'very agreeable'.</p> She continues on Mrs Elizabeth Carter, who she has heard is well. Herries wishes to know if Hamilton has any plans of going to London this year and, if so, whether she will have the pleasure of seeing Mrs Carter there. Herries ends her letter on the subject of her estranged step-daughter Nina Herries. Nina has never answered Herries's letter to her (see HAM/1/17/277), but asked someone 'who had very humanely seen her' to pass her on her thanks for it. She assures her that she will show by her future conduct that she 'repents' her actions. Herries hopes that she will do so for 'her eternal peace'. She also briefly mentions Mrs Holman and her husband, who are currently in Cheltenham [Hamilton's cousin Jane Holman, née Hamilton, married Joseph George Holman, actor; see <a target='_blank' class='externalLink uom-purple' href='https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/manchesteruniversity/data/gb133-ham/ham/1/4/3'>HAM/1/4/3</a>]. Herries is not acquainted with Mrs Holman but notes that she is with 'respectable people here', and her husband is bringing 'forward a new play he has written' <p style='text-align: justify;'>An annotation by the address states that this letter was answered on 2 February 1804, probably written by Mary Hamilton.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dated at Cheltenham.</p>