| Description | A bundle of 15 documents done up in red tape; miscellaneous financial papers -- bills, receipts, accounts, etc., and one letter, here calendared as no.1. Only the letter is calendared
DDS 36/1
1 October 1801. Manchester
Letter to Miss Sarah Downes at Mr. Young's, Totteridge, Herts., from Edward Downes.
Transcript;-
Dear Sarah,
I have postponed answering your letter till I could see William Starkie, with whom I have consulted regarding the proper method of conducting the Ceremonials of your Wedding, about which you desire me to speak explicitly. All the Deeds are now completely ready, awaiting only the Transfer of your Stock, which must take place previously to the final execution of the Settlement, in which the Transfer is stated as having taken place on the 13th. inst. You must therefore take care that this Transfer is made on that morning & on the afternoon of the same day the Settlement may be executed by Yourself at Totteridge, when I will proceed with it for execution by Mr. William Mr. J. Panter, at Mr. John Wilson's in London, & return to Totteridge the same Evening. You can request them to meet me there about 3 or 4 oclock, & this done your Wedding may take place on the following day, the 14th. I propose to arrive at Totteridge with the Deeds on the Evening of the 12th. or morning of the 13th. probably the latter, but I should be obliged to Mr. Young to provide me a Coachhouse, & stabling for 3 horses, if he conveniently can at Totteridge, to be ready on the 12th if he cannot conveniently, I must send my horses back to Barnet. I agree with you in thinking that your Wedding cannot be conducted too privately. Your Sister & one of the Miss Panters, who will of course be your Bride's Maids should be in the house with you overnight. You three & myself can walk over to the Church, when we have notice of the other parties being ready to receive you. They viz. Mr. J. Panter, Mr. William Panter and such of his Family as particularly wish to attend at the Altar (but I should recomment not too many on this occasion on account of the appearance of Parade & the Expence) will drive directly to the Church, where Mr. Marston May have previous Notice by a Servant sent forwards to receive them. The attendance of my Aunt Wilson must be left entirely to yourself after what you say I can advise nothing regarding her, till I have seen you, but if she attends she will of course come from Newington with the Panters, & whatever carriages they bring there shd. be seats unoccupied besides Mr. J.P's He and you may set out immediately from the Church in my Chaise which shall be ready, & the two bride's Maids and myself can follow together in one of their Chaises, with the rest of the party as they can be accommodated in the other carriages. If Mrs. Panter will have the goodness to receive you on that day, it may do very well, to quite a private dinner & at an early hour, at which to avoid giving offence to any, no one person whatsoever besides the inmates of her own house & Bridget & Myself should be invited. This perhaps you can put to her in the most delicate way possible. In the Evening Mr. P. & yourself your other Bride's maid & Bridget can go quietly to your own house, where also you may perhaps wish to invite Mrs. P. for a few days if you have accommodation, & if you have also a spare closet for me, I will stop with you then, or else I shall accompany you so far & go on to Totteridge. I would advise you not to think of inviting any other friends, unless merely to ride over in a morning, till you are thoroughly settled, & you will perhaps request Mrs. P. to postpone any entertainment she may wish to compliment you with, for ten days or a week at least, during which time any of her relations and friends she wishes to introduce to you, may be brought over by some of the Family occasionally in small parties to your own house in a morning. In this part of the world Gloves & Favours for servants or friends attending a Wedding are now much out of fashion, but in this respect you must be guided by the custom of the country you are in. As for sending Gloves & Cake to any persons not attending, you need not do it to any of your friends, that I recollect, excepting Mr. & Mrs. Wilson & Mr. J.W., Mr. & Mrs. Pensam, & Mr. & Mrs. Young. Mr. Panter will judge for himself as to his own Connections --- Your Relations here may be pleased with a piece of Cake, but Gloves I wd. not send to any except Madm. Frances. I would.....a small cake very nice of not more than a Guinea value to be directed to Mrs. W.S. George Street Manchester, with a few lines from yourself after Marriage to her, & thanking William not forgetting E.S. Another of the same value to Frenchwood, near Preston with a few lines to your Aunt J.S. & enquiries after the Squire's health. Another similar to Mrs. M. Starkie, Preston, between her & Mrs. N.S. & her children, who are now at Mrs. M.S's. house & as you are in the habit of corresponding with Mrs. N.S. you may enclose a letter to her mentioning your change of Name & with a few proper Complts. to Mrs. M.S. For Madme. F. you must have a small most capital cake made on purpose, & with that only you should enclose Gloves & a smart favour, together with a letter in due form to the care of Mr. Sloper, Kingston Buildings. These letters I think with these hints you can manage as well as need to be, yourself, but if you wish for further advice on the subject it must be when we meet, till when with every proper Complt. to every body, believe me, Dear Sarah, Yrs. most sincerely,
Edward Downes.
P.S. Your account of Bridget distresses me very much. I shall bring up my little chaise for you, but it had better not be used on the Wedding day.
English
Mark: None.
Paper: 1 sheet folded, 4 pp 8" wide by 10", written pp. 1, 2, 3, 4; address p.4. Watermark; Postmark (10 o'clock Oc.5.1801 F.N.P.) Manchester and London. Seal wafered, fragments of red wax. |