Anna PALMER [10968]

  Research Notes:

Re Anna's letters:
Dorothy Stirling nee Willing was born 16 Jul 1735 Philadelphia PA the daughter of Charles Willing of Bristol GLS then Philadelphia PA. Dorothy married Capt Sir Walter Stirling R.N. of Faskine SCT 12 Nov 1753 Philadelphia PA She died 20 Sep 1782 Drumpellier SCT.
Anna may have been a God-Daughter to one of Dorothy's children.
Data courtesy P. Gaskell 2017

  Other Records

1. Anna Palmer: Letter to Dorothy Sterling of Philadelphia America, 4 Jun 1763, Love Lane.
University of St Andrews Archives.
Ref: MS38526/1/3/1

June the 4th, 1763
Love Lane
To tell my dearest Dolly that I am miserable would I am sensible be frustrating all my wishes
which alone is to endeavor to add to the happiness of her whom I so sincerely love & not for the
world to disturb that Peace & tranquillity I so ardently wish it was in my power to promote; but as
that is a pleasure at present denied me I will endeavour to please my self with the agreeable
prospect that it may return & till then shall strive to learn that necessary but difficult lesson of
Contentment; the most essential requirement we can make for to obtain Happiness in this World
and like all other things of true Value not to be gained without trouble and Pains: We had a very
safe Journey to Town and arrived at the Castle in Love Lane a little after seven where I mett
with my Dear Kate who was Charitably home to condole with me the only person I should have
desired to have seen but it being late she cou'd not stay long I soon took my departure being
but poor Company: today I find myself much refreshed by a good nights rest etc & I know today
but my dearest Mrs Stirling
(Page 2)
the talking so much of self must appear highly ridiculous & disagreeable & I am thoroughly
sensible of the great unpoliteness of it but where I know sincere Love reigns all those little
indecorums are never so much as thought of on the Contrary & is pleasing to hear how ones
friends go on, & at present I have not anything to amuse you with except I hear by the gent_
that your dear little girl is perfectly well. be easy my Dear friend nothing shall ever be wanting in
my power that can possibly conduce to her happiness or Welfare & I trust & hope you will find
her a fine girl at your return. heigh ho my Dear Dolly how much I wish that time to arrive; you
wou'd laugh perhaps was I to tell you how much I long to kiss you: but of this no more:
sometimes think of me & believe me sincere in saying you have no friend except your good
man: who is more sincerely anxious for your Welfare when convenient let me have the pleasure
of a few lines all about your Dearself but don't ever put yourself to the least inconvenience of
writing to me as I had rather not hear then have your health or other inconven
(Page 3)
iences of that sort happen from it I have today bought you a Comb & a pair of Scizzars
which I hope are such as you may approve (as to your gold wires I can at any time send them in
a letter & as at present they want mending) these with 2 bedgowns and an apron I have sent by
the Surgeon, I gave a shilling for each which money I shall charge to your account I have sent
the sack and taken care of the China according to your directions: I have had a most polite Card
as an answer to mine from the Dear Post: which as I know you partake of all my joy as well as
sorrows I shall transcribe for your amusement tis as follows '97 Mr W begs leave to furnish Miss
P with an apology for keeping his Books: it is only for her to assure him that they afforded her or
any of her friends a pleasure, as he shall always think no time too long when they can answer
so good a purpose He shoud be very unhappy if Miss P cou'd have a grain of sorrow on
account of the Books; but he fears the sorrow she alludes to, is in parting from her friend which
he can easily conceive not to be the slightest; & of which he shoud much rejoice to have it in his
power to offer anything in Alleviation. Wednesday
(Page 4)
my dear I have just received your dear Hubby obliging letter thank him for me ten thousand
times for it has afforded me much pleasure my Uncle desires to join with me in every hearty
good wish for your Happiness and prosperity & believe me ever your sincerely affectionate real
friend & most obliged humble servant AP
To Mrs Stirling
Miss A Palmer June 1763
Letter searched and transcribed by P. Gaskell 2017
Original Image on file

2. Anna Palmer: Letter to Dorothy Sterling of Philadelphia America, 13 Jun 1763.
University of St Andrews Archives.
Ref: MS38526/1/3
1763
Monday June 13
Thanks to my very dear friend for her most kind affectionate letter & do let me beg she wou'd
never for the future think any apology necessary when she writes to me as a correct letter is of
all things what I shou'd be most sorry to see from my Dear Dolly & don't forget sometimes to
give me that pleasure of hearing from you as so perverse is my nature from what I would have it
to be: that the very consideration of the disagreeableness of the employment to _on that as it of
consequence heightens the favor of your letters; so therefore it adds to the pleasure strange
this is to own tho' I must confess tis true: & my dear friend I must beg you never to mention my
sincere & faithful Love & friendship for you in the Cold formal strain of your being under the least
obligation for it as tis the only tho' poor return I am able to make for the many favors you have
heaped on me; under which Title your esteem & kind advise is not the smallest part in my
estimation tho' your merit alone claims my warmest Gratitude & will ever have it with all those
services that are in my power to you and yours:
Your Dear Baby I visited yesterday & have seen her today she is perfectly well & happy in not
feeling the loss (I do) of her Dearest Mother
(Page 2)
my Aunt is gone to Town today to again consult Dr Penssell about her eye which has been & is
very much inflamed by the Cold she got about a week ago; her face is not worse: this
consultation is only upon the account of Eye which you know never was affected before &
therefore thought it proper to let him see it: Miss Molly has got a bad Cold & being rather
inclinable to perspire is confined to her Bed, so I am as you know happy in being Solus [?]
which I own I had rather be then be obliged to endure three fourths of the Company &
conversation I meet with among my acquaintances, for as a learned Author says: Solitude I
often find the best Company or at least most agreeable to my Disposition: I thank you my Dear
my very Dear friend for your kind tender advise in your last letter about - but indeed I hope I
am in no danger of being too far taken in: as I am by yours & other good friends advice a good
deal upon my guard against it what he may with his friends determine when he comes seriously
to think of matrimony and all that I know not: but that he is a small matter himself infected I am
very clear his yesterdays behaviour has plainly showed it as he certainly said as much as he
cou'd without a declaration, & indeed my Dear Dolly he is an agreeable Creature, here I own I
think it very likely to end as I think the Familys so very different as will I doubt ever be a breach
provided every thing else was agreeable however time will show & as I know you
(Page 3)
are much kindly interrested in all my concerns - (but I shoud be glad to have this & all my
letters burned as that is a security of my folly from the rest of the World which I am sure is a
necessary precaution) you shall also be acquainted with all the Circumstances as they occur:
pray make my best Compliments to Dear Mr Stirling with those of this Family to you both &
believe me my my Dearest friend your ever affectionate & obliged Humble Servant AP
Newington June 13th
next Sunday: my birthday
Your brother who is here desires his Love __ he is very well as is also his Uncle
Letter searched and transcribed by P. Gaskell 2017
Original Image on file

3. Anna Palmer: Letter to Dorothy Sterling of Philadelphia America, 18 Nov 1764, Wanlip LEI.
University of St Andrews Archives.
Ref: MS38526/1/3

Wanlip
Nov 18 1764
My dearest Dolly does not want many assurances on my part to convince her of the pleasure I
experienced from the receipt of her two last obliging kind letters indeed my dear friend the
hearing of your recovery after so long & severe an illness is a pleasure only to be felt not
described & I sincerely hope you have by this time regained your Strenght & like me (who since
I wrote last to you am) grown fat as a little Pig how rejoiced shou'd I be to see you so my dear
upon your return to England; & how glad if that time was near; for I really long for a little
unconfined chat with you such as we have often enjoyed in your Room at Love Lane; I have a
thousand things to say but which are by no means worth communicating in this limited
uncomfortable manner as wou'd you believe it I hate writing now as much as I once liked it &
except your good self or my dearest Kate and a third Person as justly valuable to me I have
dropped all my correspondents: -
I receiv'd both your last letters dated June the 12th & August the 29th since my arrival at Wanlip,
& if I have missed any opportunitys of writing I am very sorry as I well know the pleasure of
hearing from those we love when so far separated & the pain of a disappointment of this sort; I
heard from my Aunt a few days ago & a very good account of your dear little girl who she says
grows very stout & hearty & is in perfect Health; I cannot say she is so forward in her Tongue as
Misses commonly are; when I left Newington she cou'd only say 2 or 3 single words however
her sex removes all doubts of her chattering fast enough by & by; I think she grows like Charles
sweet dear boy how does he do; half a dozen kisses I beg you wou'd give him for me, I hope
Watty has had no returns of his disorder & that your little one is well: who I flatter myself is likely
to continue your youngest at least till we
(Page 2)
meet again, tell me my dear Dolly if my wishes are successful if not tis time enough to know
when you can send me your additional news of the safe arrival of the stranger:
I am extremely sorry to be so unfortunate not to have it in my power to shew that civility to Miss
Greame I wish to do as an acquaintance & friend of yours; but my present situation renders it
totally impossible, however you may depend on my taking the very first opportunity of seeing
her when I go to London, which at present is uncertain whether it will be before Christmas or
after, which also deprives me of the pleasure I shall always feel in having it in my power to
render my dearest Mrs Stirling the least service by executing to the utmost of my abilitys any
commissions she will favor me with, I have however wrote to our faithful Kate whose sincere
attachment to you will make the employment very pleasing to her she wrote you a few lines in a
letter I sent by Mr Ingles which I hope you have long ago received in which we gave you a long
account of ourselves & our own concerns Subjects in general of little importance except to the
writer & too contrary to the rules of Politeness to be defended upon any other principle, than that
by which I woud ever wish to direct my conduct towards you my dear friend, whose kind
professions of esteem has always been such as to convince me your affectionate heart is above
all those little forms & that trifles if they concern the happiness of your friends become equally
interesting to you as things of more material consequence does to the generallity of ones
acquaintance: secure in this Opinion I propose giving you a long History of myself & my own
transactions since I last did myself the pleasure of writing you which if I recollect right was the
1st of August the day (or rather the night) Kitty Lewis & I set out for this place, we had a very
good Journey & was so happy to find my Father in perfect health (as thanks for your enquiry he
now is) the House my dear Dolly you have often heard of and I hope have thereby formed an
Idea as tho not in my power by description to give you one in this least degree equal to its
(Page 3)
appearance as tho in no one respect like any I have ever saw before; it was certainly in former
days, one of the Fortified Castles belonging to the Ancient Baron's indeed we have it on record
to have been built above 500 years but how much longer it may have stood is not known; the
Situation is extremely pretty, tho entirely destitute of all neighbours except my Father's Tenants
consisting of half a dozen Farmers Families who Inhabit the Village: at the distance of 5 or 6
miles round the Country however we visit under that denomination which indeed is perfectly in
the style of my favorite Jenyns Country Visit
"Where if you send three days before - The Squire who meets you at the door,"
"with Superfluity of breeding - First makes you sick & then with feeding"
"then Whirled over hillocks ruts & stones, - Enough to dislocate ones bones
" we, home, return, a wondrous token, - Of Heavens kind care, with limbs unbroken:
however most of our time has been spent in the more satisfactory enjoyments of friendly
conversation amongst ourselves, with the kindly assistance of reading writing & work; with
which we have always so divided the day as never to find it too long for our amusements but on
the contrary frequently complain for the want of leisure notwithstanding tis now above three
weeks since we have stirred beyond the limits of the garden, or seen a Soul but ourselves:
different as this recluse way of life is from what I have ever been accustomed tis perfectly suited
to my taste & cou'd I have the happiness of now & then seeing a few dear friends the Town has
but small charms to make me wish ever to revisit it. My dearest Mr: W: paid us a visit for a few
days is very well tho' far from happy as his Father continues to deny his consent
notwithstanding he knows of our keeping up the same connection & intercourse as ever & his
Sons determination never to give it up; & so my dear you see I am likely to remain Miss for
these twenty years at least, for I cannot approve of marrying without, during his life; however I
am not much deprest (altho I cannot say my Situation is the most desirable) with the thoughts of
it and as a proof I have not enjoy'd such a happy flow of health & spirits as since I came to
Wanlip at least these three years
(Page 4)
for my dear, I am happy in the sincere & tenderest affections of a Man I highly esteem & Value;
as believing more & more every day he is completely formed to make me as happy as this
World can do; for tho' tis unfashionable (& perhaps uncommon in a young man, whose
connections have chiefly been with People in high Life) he is not only Virtuous but good: I am
sorry to be obliged to say my Uncle still continues his displeasure so strongly on the other affair
that I believe I shall be little at Love Lane for the future especially as my Father proposes to
spend 9 months in the year at Wanlip; Nobody can be much surprised that my Aunt woud prefer
a Husband to all other considerations as tis certainly natural to join in the Opinion of those we
love therefore I believe it will not be the pain to part with me I have reason to think it once wou'd
have been: nay I am rather inclined to believe I am become an unwelcome guest at Love Lane
as my presence only serves to keep up a more constant remembrance of my having
disappointed their schemes by the refusal of that they had plan'd for me; but in an affair of such
import I think my own happiness is certainly (by the great director) designed to be the principal
consideration tho' I am far from thinking a Child has a right to go contrary to his Parents'
consent whilst they live; & on the other hand I think they have as little right to force their
inclinations by any of those methods so frequently practised of continually taking all opportunitys
of recommending what is disagreeable to them: these are my principles & I hope my practice
will ever be conformable; for the perverse old Gent declares if his Son forbears to go contrary to
his consent during his Life he does not mean to lay any farther restraint as he says then (by way
of Justification of his conduct) our Fortunes may be sufficient to maintain a Family which at
present it has been impossible to persuade him it is altho' tis me only who cou'd be any sufferer
by the match: in the chance there might be of this Son's Death
(Page 5)
but I will prate no longer about myself a subject I feel heartily tired of; therefore can Judge of
your necessarily being much more so: Kitty is now in Town very well her affairs in much the
same situation as when she wrote you in the summer; he almost lives with them as my Aunt is
extravagently fond of him; she is also extremely kind in her behaviour to my dearest E & the
brothers are as intimate as two Monkeys in a handbasket; so that coud I freely enjoy the going
there as often as I coud wish I shoud not wish for greater happiness whilst the grreat obstacle
continues I design myself the pleasure of writing by this conveyance to your dear good Man &
therefore I shall reserve all News of the Family to tell him;
Why shoud my dearest friend suffer her Spirits to sink; my dear let me earnestly entreat you not
to give way to that great destroyer of Health & happiness; alas I have suffered too severely not
to be most anxiously [illegible] Sollicitous to warn others against the Rock I have [illegible] upon
for tho not only the present affliction by which our Spirits are affected but the impression has a
lasting influence upon our lives: I am universally told I am grown so grave that to many of my
former acquaintance I am sensible I am no longer agreeable & as the natural consequences I
look too proud to all Strangers to be likely to gain any new & what is worse I inwardly feel the
dire effects & often am so low I am scarce able to bear either myself or the World & till I can vent
it by tears am unfit for any society; but thank God I am this summer amazingly better & by care
& the greatest attention I hope before we meet to be as Volatile as you first knew me; I hope you
are careful of your Health by taking frequently strenghtening things do dear Dolly leave nothing
untryd in that way that may be thought good for you; is not riding on Horseback possible surely
it would be of service; I have found it greatly so to me but I do not pretend to prescribe only wish
for the sake of your friends amongst which perhaps Self claims no small share in the sollicitude I
shall ever feel for your Welfare and
(Page 6)
happiness in which no one is more warmly interested than my Dearest Mrs Stirling your truly
Affectionate & Obliged friend & Obedient Servant.
A. Palmer
my Father & Miss Lewis present their kindest respects to you: I beg mine respectively as due to
your obliging Family & hope they are all well: Pray have you learnt any tidings of the Young
Woman I enquired after in my last.
My dear shall I beg the favor of you for the future to be more particular in your directions as in
your last you only say a net hand[?] without telling me whether done or Sent & Caps you set
no price upon; nor Hat & Cloke neither or whether for Winter or Summer. Now as I sincerely
wish always to execute so as to gain your approbation shd be glad of orders more explicit: My
Service to your maid & ask why she does not write to her friends:

from A Palmer

To Mrs Stirling
Letter searched and transcribed by P. Gaskell 2017
Original Image on file

4. Anna Palmer: Letter to Dorothy Sterling of Philadelphia America, 29 Feb 1765, London.
University of St Andrews Archives.
Ref: MS38526/1/3

London properly March the 1st
February the 29th 1765
My very dear friend
upon my arrival in Town I was so happy to find a letter from your good Man giving me a more
pleasing account of my Dearest Dollys Health than I have heard for a long time I need not say it
gave me infinite pleasure & that my most ardent wishes are for a long continuance of that &
every other blessing this World can bestow to render Your Life as Happy as You are capable of
being & as I think you deserving of; in short my dear coud my wishes Avail you woud not have
any unsatisfied so firm a dependance have I on your not desiring any thing but what woud be
really advantagious to you; I am much obliged by Mr Stirlings affectionate expressions of
concern for my Happiness I wish his apprehensions were nearer the truth I mean with respect to
my having changed my situation I cannot say I have or even am within View of such an
Alteration notwithstanding my dear I live upon Hope altho the old Gent remains at present quite
inflexible to his Sons repeated request: some time or other in all probability if we Live it will take
place tho I begin to think it will be about 20 years hence and not sooner however I can with truth
& pleasure assure my dear friend my Health is quite reestablished & my Spirits better than she
ever knew them & as you will guess from hence I am as happy as I can be in so undesireable a
Situation I see my dear Mr W very frequently tho not at home as my Uncle
(Page 2)
continues his Cool behaviour & which I am told I am never to expect any alteration in, as he
woud never have agreed to any but is own favorite Scheme, my Aunt Handley kindly
countenances us & my Father also; his dear Picture now lies before me & seems to express the
Sentiments of the Original in desiring every affectionate kind wish in your favour as being most
sincerely interested in your happiness as my friend as he has not the pleasure of knowing from
experience your own merit;
I am very happy to have it in my power to tell my dear Dolly my sweet little girl is perfectly well
the poor Soul I made so very long a stay in the Country that I found her almost naked I have
now again new Cloathed her & again in Jams as that I am told is the most fashionable Dress for
little People at her age, she has Long Lawn for her best & Coulourd for Common & this Summer
I propose her to wear quilted Caps with pleated Borders she is as hardy as any Country
Milkmaid which from her present healthy appearance she very much resembles & from the
indifferent management she is under as humourus same as a little Pig & I wish very much for to
know your Sentiments & Mr Stirlings with respect to a scheme I had in agitation: for her & which
I believe my Aunt just hinted to you in the summer I mean if you approved it the putting her to a
Mrs Crisp, who is a Gentlewoman who has had a very good Education & has a very good
Character but from misfortunes is drove to great necessity & she has taken a House at
Tottenham (which is about 2 miles beyond Newington) & takes little children only to teach them
to read and behave a little tolerably, as at Nurse to be sure she has none of those advantages
but on the contrary her Temper & Spirit every day gains upon her & I own I don't like her
(Page 3)
being under such improper management as I am sensible she at present is when she comes to
grow older it will be still more so & therefore I much wish to know your opinion on this subject I
sincerely wish I had a House of my own. I should be extremely glad to have it in my power to act
(as far as my little abilitys woud permit) the Mother's part I'm sure no care or attention shoud be
wanting that I saw necessary but my Ill stars have ordered my Lot far otherwise & God only
knows how long it may be before I have any little Place to call my own however I hope, I have
suffered enough to make me content even with a Situation that must be allowed not your most
desireable I have according to my promise & your request been to wait on Miss Greame who
appears to me a very sensible Woman & I have promised to spend an Afternoon with her soon I
sent Nurse & your Child there yesterday with whom, she seemed much pleased & indeed who
can be otherwise; She thinks Nanny very like the Willing Family I think her very like Chas:
my Aunt Handley, Sister & Kitty Lewis are just returned from Bath I am sorry to say the latter for
whose acount they prinicpally went, has received but little benifit & I doubt her Disorder the
Physicians are still ignorant of they have some of them apprehended it to be. the Stone but in
that I hope their is a sufficient ground to believe them mistaken: Kitty Palmer is Kitty Palmer still
likely to continue for ought I know as long as your H:S: tho tis now publicly owned & Mr: H:
absolutely lives there, I do think tis rather uncommon two sisters being in such a Situation
(Page 4)
all the rest of the Family much in status Quo except poor Miss Bab Palmer the Death of her
brother has quite overset her & she is now under the Care of a Dr at St Albans Miss Molly as
usual rather better than otherwise I have done my best in executing your Commissions which on
my Arrival in Town I was amazed to find Mr John Ewen had not done, the round Cap I doubt you
will think with me very dear, but I really coud not make Mrs Lilly take less, the other which is
called (after Lady Kildare) a Kildare Mob I made myself & I hope you will like I wear them & think
them very becoming they are wore very forward at Top & Pinned almost to the forehead with
such a pin as I have taken the liberty to stick : instead of a Handkerchief I have sent you the
Fashionable Pereon which you may either wear dressd or undressd by just pinning it together or
else wearing it open with either a Tippet or flowers as you please it is not to come over your
shoulders, no do they wear their Handkerchiefs so the dressd Caps are now very small with a
Ribband puffed round them & ruffles not half so deep as formerly no Egrets now but Diamonds
Garnets or Pearl Pins in the Pleat of your Cap & to pin your Handkerchief together thus my
dearest friend I have recited to you a list of fashions to the best of my abilitys I don't know
whether they will be either useful or entertaining to you but I did not recollect any thing of more
consequence; my Subjects and paper being exhausted I beg leave to conclude with assuring
you of my constant Affection & the best joint wishes of the Family to you & Mr S & believe me
ever yours AP
Letter searched and transcribed by P. Gaskell 2017
Original Image on file

5. Anna Palmer: Letter to Dorothy Sterling of Philadelphia America, 29 Oct 1765, Wanlip LEI.
University of St Andrews Archives.
Ref: MS38526/1/3

Wanlip
October the 29th 1765
I feel myself doubly obliged to my dear friend for her two very kind Affectionate Letters
as I well know her real dislike to this employment to be such, as proves it to me, a strong effort
of her attachment which can never be more gratifying to receive than from those we sincerely
Love & my dear Dolly I believe does not require any assurances from me on that score I mean
that words can give, I hope my actions will ever tend to shew what my heart so truly feels; & that
the time will soon come when we shall enjoy the greatest pleasure this Life affords I mean the
Social hours of true friendship of which we have the pleasing rememberance of having once
liberally partook; I can truly say the reflection has frequently afforded me great tho not equal
satisfaction to the past reallity & the hopes of future is by no means in my Opinion of
inconsiderable Value as it now seems a prospect I may be allowed to gaze on as arrived within
my View your Letter giving me hopes by this time twelvemonth you will be in England where I
heartily wish dear Mr Stirling may be more successful than he has hitherto been: I was told the
other day the reports in Town strongly favor his R: [Royal] H: [Highness] being soon to have the
Post of Lord High Admiral; but no t'was Country News I don't pretend to Vouch the truth of it; I
own he has my hearty good wishes as I do believe he is sincere where he professes friendship
& I can't help supposing it might be much in my good friends favor, you see therefore interest
calls for your return dont think I press it through any selfish Motives No No all sheer generosity I
promise you
(Page 2)
I am very sorry tis not in my power to give you a later account of your dear little Girl, but I have
not received a line from home these five Weeks she was then extremely well & if my partiallity
will allow me to Judge I think her greatly improved this Summer, her Temper appears very good
notwithstanding she takes after her Namesake in being rather Violent I doubt I cant brag much
of her Learning, Altho we made some attempts towards the Alphabet, but my stay at Newington
was too short to make much progress in it & you know that is a sort of Pride my good Aunt has
no Notion of so I dare say she has entirely forgot all she had acquired: I am sincerely sorry to
hear of such repeated distresses as you have suffered this last year & not only so from the
various causes but the severe influence that I know would be the effect on your tender frame,
but indeed my dear Dolly I can't entirely acquit you in having indulged your grief beyond what
your reason cou'd Justify for the death of your dear little Boy, surely you forgot my sweet little
Nanny who in loving you woud have received the most irreparable misfortune that cou'd befal
her, besides that we ought always to remember immoderate Grief is little less than repining &
what I,m well convinced my friend wou'd never designedly indulge; but dont from hence suspect
me of want of candour as I,m truly sensible how much you had to combat in seeing your good
Man's sufferings which altho not dangerous, yet little less affecting to a feeling heart like Yours,
but I hope I may congratulate you on his happy recovery long before this Letter reaches
Philadelphia as the last Accounts were so much more favorable to my wishes of both Mr Stirling
& (of consequence) your dear self
(Page 3)
I hope he has received a Letter I sent about two months ago as I shoud be very sorry to give
cause for an accusation of neglect of his kind attention to my happiness in giving me such
frequent intelligence how you all do; I am vastly glad to hear the dear little Charles is so well in
Health & good Conditions indeed I never suspected his Honest Heart of turning out otherwise
than excellent if I though it woud not fatigue you I shd beg you to present him with my Love &
half a Dozen Kisses & I think myself much obliged to Papa & Mama for his kind remembrance
of me after so very Long a separation which of himself alone cou'd not be expected:
I am vastly astonished to hear you did not receive your Satten Shoes as I,m sure they came
home right from Chamberlain and the fault was mine in not seeing them packed up I heartily
wish I was a few miles nearer Town I wou'd have done to the utmost of my power to have made
you some recompence in an additional care of your last order which I heartily wish may in all
respects be better executed, thus far I think is certain they cant be worse; & I wrote to my friend
Walter very particular who, by the way is now just going if not gone to Jamaica, on but I heartily
wish him safe back as tis certainly a horrid climate; how cou'd you my dear Mrs Stirling give
yourself the unnecessary trouble of sending me such pretty things why not rather test them on
somebody who might want such Momentos to bring the dear donor to their remembrance,
however since tis your Will I can truly say they are to me most Valuable as your kind present. I
am exceedingly obliged to you for them.
I fancy Miss Greame has before this quitted England tho she did me the favor to promise to let
me know when she returned from Bristol but have not received any such intimation, I really wish
it had been in my power to have cultivated her acquaintance
(Page 4)
only as thinking her a very sensible well bred Woman but as having the still more powerful
Charms of being the particular friend of my dearest Dolly & nothing but the necessity I was
under of staying so horrid late in the Country shou'd have made me appear so deficient in
respect to her; if you shoud see her I beg leave to present my best Compliments and shall much
rejoice to hear of her Health being re'established:
I hope you'l hear from some of the Love Lane Family as they can best inform you of all sorts of
News but lest it shoud be forgot I must tell you Saff[?] is half Mad I,m told, with the flattering
expectation of a Son & Heir as my Cousin I hear is happily advancing.
Mary who sets at my elbow begs to be kindly remembered to & by you & Mr S: She and I are
now alone with my Father tho we have had much Company this year at Wanlip for 5 Weeks we
were so happy as to have My Aunt Handley Sister & Mr Hudson I fancy your dear Kate you'l
scarcely again know by her present Name as She talks of this Winter exchanging Ease
Indolence & her own inclination for a Life of certain Care and uncertain Comfort; Strange
unaccountable design & what No Woman in her right Senses wou'd think of, at least this is the
doctrine I ought to endeavor to inculcate since tis what probably I may practice & tis to be hoped
nobody will do me such injustice as to suppose it to proceed from any thing but inclination tho
Jokes apart my dear, the fact is truth however the cause may be & notwithstanding I can with
great sincerity assure you I am in better Health & Spirits than almost any time since you knew
me & perhaps you woud not suspect it but I propose growing quite Gay & lively in my old Age &
to this end wou'd I wish to fancy myself as happy as
(Page 5)
I am capable of since I would chuse the World shou'd know I dont the least repent the Situation
I have placed myself in & tho present circumstances may not be the most desirable yet woud I
try to deserve better by not repining under them, by this my friend I mean to express what I wish
to be, rather than what I am as such a Conduct wou'd not only testify to the World the real
feelings of my heart but be truly pleasing to the Man my Soul most wishes to oblige and whose
chief Study & desire is to make me happy as far as circumstances will admit I,m sure I may
return you his best Compliments tho I have not had an Opportunity of delivering those you sent
not having had the pleasure of seeing him since,
I beg [illegible] Compliments to Dr Shippen & am obliged for his civil [illegible] Sorry [illegible] is
too late for his happiness converted to the Opin[illegible] of the rest of the World it might have
been better to have remained [illegible] in his ignorance, as that I conceive to be a most
necessary ingredient to render it secure: but I dont mean to be too s_ere & I own I cant speak
with Moderation on this Subject so will proceed no farther & indeed I belive tis almost time to
take my leave of every other & Assure you my dear friend of my best Wishes ever Attending
You & Yours in which my Father & Mary desire to be included & am most truly your much
Obliged & Affectionate friend A: Palmer

My Respects wait on Mrs Willing & any of your Family who do me the favor of enquiring -
I have lately had Letters from Bengal with a good Account of the dear Harry's Health; - he now
begins to like his Situation much better then he at first expected & indeed seems to write as if he
was happy
(Page 6)
I beg your pardon for once more mentioning that young Woman in Virginia as you had not told
me if you had heard any intelligence of her & her friends here often enquire of me I have entirely
forgot her name now, possibly you may recollect it.

From A Palmer 1765

To
Mrs Stirling
Letter searched and transcribed by P. Gaskell 2017
Original Image on file

Anna married Elborough WOODCOCK [10969] [MRIN: 3645], son of Edward WOODCOCK [26846] and Unknown, on 31 Oct 1767. (Elborough WOODCOCK [10969] was born about 1745, died on 11 Nov 1794 in Bloomsbury London and was buried in St Andrew Holborn.)