William Steele, Bristol, to Mary Steele, Yeovil, [Saturday] 24 September 1774.

Bristol Sep 24th 1774

My Dear

   I rec’d yours of the 19th last Night on our Arrival at this place, we came from Pershore yesterday Morning, had thro’ the badness of the Roads an unpleasant Journey, but blessed be God we were preserv’d in safety.  I am sorry you were made so uneasy by Mr Rawlings Letter, as I find by one rec’d from Clary that your Aunt was not worse than usual, and I hope you were not obliged to set out for home.  We propose to go to Bradford Tuesday Morning next & think to stay a day there & another at Bratton which will make it the End of the Week before we get home.

   Dr Ash’s Dictionary is not yet publish’d when it is there will be a paper as usual in the Magazines giving an Acct of it, the Publishers Name is Dilly.

   I must cut short this scrawl with our tenders of Parental Love to my Dr Girl & due Compts to all as usual &

                     am Yr affec.t Far

                                 Wm Steele

Text: Steele Collecction, STE 4/5/xli, Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford. Postmark: Bristol. Address: Miss Steele / at Mr Geo: Bullock’s / Yeovil / Somerset. For an annotated text of this letter, see Timothy Whelan, ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, vol. 3, p. 255. 

John Ash's The New and Complete English Dictionary was published in London in 1775 by Edward  (1732-79) and Charles Dilly (1739-1807) at 22 Poultry Street, a popular retreat for some of London’s leading literary figures, including Catherine Macaulay, Samuel Johnson, and James Boswell. The Dilly’s attended the Independent meeting in New Broad Street, London, and published many works by Dissenters.