William Steele, Broughton, to Mary Steele, East Knoyle, [Tuesday] 2 July 1771.

Broughton July 2d 1771

My Dr Polly

   I am afraid my Letter gave you a great deal of Anxiety, we were then in great distress on your Aunt’s Acct, but blessed be God, she is now much better and we have good reason to hope that the same kind hand that has spar’d her will again raise her up.

   I dispatch Jo.s Whitmersh with this that the distress of your Mind may be alleviated for the rest of your Journey & to desire that what I wrote in my last may not prevent Miss Frowd’s coming with you.  I then fear’d that our distress wou’d deprive her of all pleasure in being here, but now hope your Aunt’s being better will remove our melancholly Apprehensions & that we shall be able to make her abode here agreeable, therefore tender my Compts to her & tell her we depend on her accompanying you to Broughton.  If you come home tomorrow Jo.s Whitmersh will accompany you, if not send word by him what time we may expect you & Miss Frowd Thursday.

   Mrs Steele joins with me in best respects to Mr Mrs Russ Miss Frowd &c, and in wishing you a good Journey & committing to the Care of a kind providence.

                     I am My Dear Girl’s

ever affectionate Far

                                             W Steele

If Jos. come without you may send anything by him of yours or Miss Frowd

Text: Timothy Whelan, ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, 8 vols.  (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 3, p. 219 (annotated version); STE 4/5/xiv, Steele Collection, Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford.  No postmark. Address: To / Miss Steele / at the Revd Mr Russ’s / at East Knoyle. East Knoyle is a village in Wiltshire. Joseph Whitmarsh, like William Morrant and Joseph Dewey, was an employee of Mr. Steele.