Jane Blatch, [Nunton[, to Nancy Overbury, [Tetbury], c. early 1801.

   Be assured my dear Miss Overberry it has been much on my Mind to write to the much lovd & highly esteemed Friend of my valued & beloved Niece.  Previous to your Brothers coming to Bratton, at first I was inform’d your Father was acquainted with ye mournful Intelligence – but since I have thought the intimate Friendship that subsisted between you & the dear deceased must naturaly make some particular Information of the state of her mind desireable.

   In the beginning of her Illness she seem’d perswaded she should not recover – She appeared quite composed & resign’d to the Will of God often ennumerating her mercies & admiring the Goodness & tender compassion of her heavenly Father in not Excercising her with extreem pain.  She frequently desired her Bror & Mr B to pray with her usually chose the Chapr or Psalm that was to be read previous to prayer – When I was present one of ye chapters was ye 12th of Hebrews another where it is mentioned having a desire to depart & to be with Christ &c to these words she seemd to particularly refer – this was the language of her heart, thro’ ye whole of her Illness.—She long’d to be perfectly freed from sin  Sin was her greatest burthen – She anticipated ye joys of Heaven with peculiar pleasure “There (said she) shall we be perfectly free from sin perfectly holy! – There I shall see my dear Father my dear Grandmama my dear Nancy the prophets the Martyrs & Jesus my blessed Saviour  “There shall I see his face & never never sin & from the rivers of his Grace drink endless pleasures in” – please aunt to find out some hymns of Theodosias relative to the joys & employments of the Saints in Heaven.” Heaven & heavenly things seemd to occupy her attention supremely – In the beginning of her Illness she told me the particulars concerning her funeral &c with as much composure & self possession as one going a journey wd speak of Domestic concerns – she mentioned it to me because she wd not pain her dear parent & sister too much – I endeavourd to put it off – told her it was ye Effects of ye Disorder (being a nervous fever) wch tends naturaly to debilitate the spirits I hoped she wd soon get better & live to write down every particular herself – she desired me to attend to it & remember it as she did not think she shd live & if that was the case the fever might increase & she might not be capable of thinking of those particulars so as to express them properly “let it be wch way it may I wish to have my mind quite disincumbered of all these things.” –  I little thought her words wd prove so prophetic!—Soon after this my dear niece got better Maria Attwater who had been here was at Bradford was taken very Ill I was repeatedly sent for thither to see her  we was much alarmed for her Sister Attwater was sent for Marias extreem lowness retarded her recovery & increased ye disorder but after a few days it was please God to restore her & spare her life wn I returned from Bradford I found my dear cousin Mary had been much better her mama told me she sat up three or four hours.  Hope now began to dawn with pleasing lustre but alas the bright prospect was too flattering long to last – In a few days I hoped to see her down stairs I congratulated her on being better & told her I hoped now her began recovery wd soon be perfected & that we should not be calld to part with her we could so ill spare I assure you “Aunt (she said) I dreaded much more the thoughts of returning back to life then I did to die.”  She began now to think of coming downstairs in order if her life was spared to go out to the Baptizing or at least to meeting on the future Sabbath – but the Doctor prohibited her going down said she was not so strong as she thought she was & she must be very careful of taking cold her mind was so animated with the thought of the addition to ye church that she was busy in contriving about ym kindly interesting herself as usual in their concerns & tho her dear hands were unable to afford ym assistence her Head & heart seemd Employd in their service – In a few days a relapse took place & the fever took a different turn  she now appeared in eminent danger with rapid progress grew worse & worse became very sleepy & sometimes delirious the Saturday before her Death Mr Saffery who was here  (to administer the ord.ce of Baptism) and the Lords supper ye ensuing Sabbath) went to see her conversed with her for some time she express’d her pleasure that there was an addition to ye Church  rather regretted that she could not be present but on Mr Saffery telling her that her situation was such that it was not her duty to attend she check’d herself & said, “Perhaps I may then be with the general assembly & begin  an Eternal Sabbath” – the next day being ye Sabbath she desired to see Christopher Pierce he went to see her but she could only hold her hand to shake hands & softly repeated “A Lover of Jesus” then again went into a dosing way very frequently taking Liquids with a tea spoon till Monday about 2 or 3 oclock when she calmly & quietly fell asleep in Jesus without a sigh the last words she was heard to say was “my dear mama” – Mr Clift by her desire spoke over her grave at the funeral Mr Kingdon preachd a funeral sermon the ensuing sabbath from Isaiah 41st & 10 verse this text my dear sister made choice tho her beloved Daughter could appropriate those words to herself in her Illness she thought ym proper for the funeral discourse. Thus my dear Friend I have given you a short account of some particulars I am sorry its not in my power to be more particular both for my sake & yours.—Mr Blatchs sister was at our house & consequently I had many additional calls at home which claimd my attention  so that I could not be half so much with my beloved Niece as I wish’d.—My mind was much divided & distressd that I could be of no use to my dear sister & cousin – but her unweard constant attendance abundantly made up for my deficiencies.—It was wonderful how she was supported & inabled to think of & do everything for her valuable beloved child!—She who used to need the tender fillial affections of her dear Mary – was now the constant assiduous attendant on her Beloved Daughter.—Nelly their old servant was with my niece great part of her Illness she would have been constantly with her but her husband was so Ill as to be confind to his bed wch obliged her to be absent & made it worse for my dear Sister.  Thro’ divine goodness all has been preserved from the fatal Disorder – Such a loss we must all exquisitely feel – & shall long deplore – She was an Inestimable Friend & Relative & could not be parted without feeling the keenest pangs of Separation. No indeed it is a painful loss to ye church – to the poor as well as to her Friends & relatives. Her memory which will be forever blessed will be to all but particularly to those who knew her most – her prudence – her uniform Piety her tender affection to all but particularly to those near & dear to her are characteristics that must sanction our sorrow.—Her natural shyness timidity of mind & extreme Humility would sometimes amongst strangers becloud the rays of that sun which shone most resplendant amidst her most Intimate Associates.  Kind considerate affectionate conscientious & just was her uniform conduct thro’ Life apt to feel for others woe she with her own hands as well as heart would commiserate the distresses of others with chearful feet run to their assistence & do all in her power to lighten the Burthen of affliction.—At first I exquisitely felt for my dear sister & remaining niece but now I also feel for myself.  Yes on every occasion she was the kind attentive sympathizing useful Friend as well as affecte Niece.—In her infant state I dearly lovd her but when years matured her judgment & religion influenced her every action esteem & double affection united her to  my Heart.—But whilst the tender tear ceases not to flow for my own Loss let me think of her happy spirit that is now entered on Eternal Blessedness.  Yes she is now perfectly freed from Sin which was her greatest Burthen – & is where her pious soul long’d to be – present with her Lord.  Enjoying those refind delights which Eye hath not seen neither have it entered into the heart to conceive of that glory which she now participates.—O may her bright Example – her happy End – Encourage & Animate me to press forward with renewed ardor in the path she trod.  May this world with all its concerns be kept at a proper distance & tho I mourn yet may I not murmur – Her work was done – Early she fought the good fight – Early she finished her course with joy.  She is gone to receive the reward the Crown of glory laid up for her,[x] may we be thus enabled to do – be thus supported through Life – in Death & triumph with her in an endless felicity.—My dear sister is tolerable in Health but feels inexpressibly the loss she has sustained, but that God who gave her such a daughter who has now seen fit to resume the blessing can support her, & I trust will.  My dear cousin Annajane is greatly affected – her constitution is very tender & this shock has enervated her very much – I hope as ye spring comes on her health will be renewed & strengthend at present she is often very unwell.—Mrs Whitaker at Farm has another son (thro’ mercy) is charming well.  Thus my dear Friend I have given you a short account of our beloved Mary – I should have written before – I attempted it, but my mind was not strong enough for the undertaking since we have had company & I have been very unwell myself.—All wch I  hope will plead my apology.—When Miss Overbury can make it convenient we shall again see her at Bratton tho so rich a treasure is forever gone yet be assured I shall rejoice to see the friend of my beloved Niece & tho I cannot in any respect supply the place of my valued Relative yet I would wish to make your first interview as little painful as possible with respectful compts to your Hond Father believe me with affectionate sympathy

                                 for you most deeply distressd

                                             Yr sincere friend

                                                               J B

Text: Timothy Whelan, ed. Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, 8 vols. (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 8, pp. 169-72 (fully annotated version); Reeves Collection, Box 19/2/a, Bodleian Library, Oxford; the subject of this letter is the recent death of JAB's niece, Mary Whitaker of Bratton, late in 1800, at the age of 27. The letter was written not long after the birth of Joshua Whitaker in January 1801 (mentioned above). The Overburys of Tetbury were close friends of the Whitaker family of Bratton; see Reeves Collection, Box 22/5, Bodleian, for fourteen letters, mostly from the 1790s, by Nancy Overbury to Mary Whitaker.

Other references above include one concerning the death of Thomas Whitaker and Anne Attwater Whitaker in 1784, and  and her grandmother (and Jane’s mother), Anna Attwater, both in 1784; Maria Attwater (1783-1840) was the daughter  of Mary Drewett Attwater (‘Sister Attwater’) of Nunton, now widowed. Maria was visiting her cousins—George, Elizabeth and Marianna Jane Head of Bradford, the children of Marianna Attwater Head, JAB’s sister; John Kingdon (1731-1806), minister to the Baptist congregation in Babcox Lane, Frome, 1762-1806; Anna Jane Whitaker (1784-1838), who never married, living in Bratton her entire life; and Anne Andrews Whitaker’s second son, Joshua, born 15 January 1801. There are also references to Watts's hymn, ‘Come, we that love the Lord’, from Hymns, Book II, Hymn 30; and a reference to the hymns of Anne Steele, which were published in 1760 and 1780.