John Taylor, Manchester, to Mary Ann Taylor, Broughton, [Sunday] 8 December 1811.

12 mo. 8, 1811.

   […] I wrote pretty soon after thy arrival at Broughton, in answer to thy letter informing us of it. Since then I have been in such a State of Mind, & had so much writing to do, & of such a particular kind, that my Mary Ann must excuse me when I tell her I could hardly make up my mind to write to her. The fact is, we have been engaged in a very violent war about the Lancasterian School.  This began very soon after my Return from the West of England, & was continued till the Anniversary. To enter into all the particulars would be tedious.

   […] But I could not write to thee sooner, for while this School business was undetermined I could do nothing else. I could not rest night or day and have often on account of trouble of mind for the School & myself (but principally on account of myself) had very bad nights, getting up sometimes at midnight to write to O. Wood 3 long letters, besides other pieces of writing on this subject [...]

   We want thee sadly to come home, or rather we want thee at home, for I would not wish thee to come till thou art filled, as Paul says, with thy friends company.  I must tell thee that my friends say I have been too violent & personal in my opposition to Ottiwell Wood, & to have acted imprudently gives me great pain, for I feel condemnation of myself. 

   I am glad thou hast, as thou says, been introduced to thy Mother’s acquaintance. O, mayst thou be like her, only more happy! I wish thou hadst time to transcribe the little poems thou so much admires; the prose pieces will I hope be thy own, when thy kind friend has enjoyed them as long as her friends can wish in this world & is prepared for the blissful Society of her many highly valued Friends & the nobler employments of a better. My recollections concerning her are very painful to myself, very painful indeed – He only who knows my guilt & misery can remove it. O that I may be washed in that precious blood, that cleanseth from all sin! Tis true I never saw any comparable in my eyes to thy Mother, but my duplicity of conduct & carelessness of her peace wrings my Heart. I wish (together with my Son) to be affectionately remembered to thy Mother’s Friend.

   When thou gettest to Portsmouth give my dear love to thy Uncle, Aunt, & their dear children, & write immediately, and I will write thee again without delay, I hope. Farewell, my dear love….

Text: Isabella Scott and Catherine Scott, ed. A Family Biography 1662 to 1908 (London: James Nesbet & Co., 1908),  pp. 109-10; address page notes that letter was sent to ‘M. Duncombe’s, Broughton, near Stockbridge, Hants.’  Mary Ann had been staying at Broughton House with Mary Steele Dunscombe for some time. For an annotated text of this letter, see Timothy Whelan, ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, vol. 4, p. 307.