William Steele, Pershore, to Mary Steele, Broughton, [Monday] 1 September 1777.

   I duly rec’d My Dear Maria’s Letter of the 23rd past & was in some expectation of another this Morning but it is not come & I must now exercise my patience till Thursday, which will be the last time I can hear from home whilst here, as we intend to go for Bristol Friday as I told you in my last. Miss Ash was to have accompanied us, but some thing has happen’d to prevent it & her going to Broton is postpon’d till Spring when we are to expect her; we shall return without any other with us.  Our Rout is to be as I mention’d before, & I desire you will send W Morrant with the Chariot to Bratton Monday the 15th Instant & if he does not find us there let him come on to Bradford to Mr Head’s the next Morning & we shall then sleep at Bratton Tuesday Evening & hope if Providence favor us to be at home Wensday unless they should importune us to stay a day there; if so then it will be Thursday before we reach home.  I presume the Painting of the Chariot will be finish’d & dry before that time, but if it should not, or if any thing else should prevent Will’s going, you will inform me in a Letter to Bradford & we will then go in Post Chaise.

   I suppose the Letter of yours you say I did not mention the Rect of must be your second, I rec’d two in London & three since I have been at Pershore.  I hope shall hear from you both at Bristol & Bradford, as amid all our Peregrinations the sweetest Consolation is the good tidings of the Welfare of our dear Family. May the indulgent Care of our best Benefactor remain with every One of them & give us again a happy Meeting & a grateful disposition of Soul for all his Mercies.

   I forgot to say any thing to you about our Legs, which you will say is a Sign that they are well, mine is so nearly so that it gives me no trouble, but the little Knob in your Mos is troublesome tho’ not very bad I mean in the Calf of the Leg.  Our Health with that of all this Family is thro’ Mercy continued & I have no threatnings of the Gout. – I am glad to hear your Aunt was able to remove her Lodgings, & hope it may be some way beneficial to her, tho’ I find toward the Close of your Letter that she was worse. Oh that her Sufferings were alleviated, but this the best Physician alone can accomplish & to his direction we must be resign’d.

   Saturday last we made a Jaunt to Hanly Castle about Ten Miles from hence to dine with Mr Tho Rickets of whom you heard much talk at Bradford & from which I had entertained a strange idea of him & was greatly surpriz’d to find him a very agreeable sensible Man, I was much pleas’d with him & Mrs R. – They have taken the House where they now are for the Summer. ’Tis a romantic Place encircled with a Mote full of Water, from the Room we sat in we went up Stairs into the Garden & down into the parlor to dinner.  They are going to quit London & settle at or near Worcester.

   I never heard of Mr Bestly that you say has married [paper torn] Sharp have you learnt what he is & from whence.

   And now I think I have learn’d of you & your Correspds to fill up my Paper must therefore draw to a conclusion, with our usual good Wishes for every One of the dear Circle at home & am

                 My Dear Dars ever affect. Far

                                 Wm Steele

P.S.  The Scheme is again alter’d & Betsy is to accompany us as first intended

Text: Timothy Whelan, ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, 8 vols.  (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 3, pp. 281-82 (annotated version); STE 4/5/lvii, Steele Collection, Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford. Postmark: Evesham.  Address: Miss Steele / Broughton near / Stockbridge / Hants. 

References above include Thomas Ricketts, prominent papermaker, mealman, and a dissenter, who settled in Great Marlow in 1778; possibly the Sharps of Newport, Isle of Wight; and Elizabeth Ash of Pershore.