BIB_ID
420122
Accession number
MA 1352.45
Creator
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870.
Display Date
London, England, 1845 September 10.
Credit line
Purchased with the assistance of the Fellows, 1951.
Description
1 item (7 pages) ; 18.1 x 11.2 cm + envelope
Notes
Envelope with seal, postmarks and Dickens' signature to "Miss Burdett Coutts / Budleigh Salterton / Devonshire."
The letter is part of a collection, MA 1352, which consists of letters from Charles Dickens to the Baroness, to her companion Hannah (Meredith) Brown, or the latter's husband, William Brown; with 70 letters written by others to Miss Coutts or to Dickens in his capacity as her unofficial almoner; and a few others. See the collection-level record for more information.
Written from "Devonshire Terrace / Wednesday Tenth September 1845."
The letter is part of a collection, MA 1352, which consists of letters from Charles Dickens to the Baroness, to her companion Hannah (Meredith) Brown, or the latter's husband, William Brown; with 70 letters written by others to Miss Coutts or to Dickens in his capacity as her unofficial almoner; and a few others. See the collection-level record for more information.
Written from "Devonshire Terrace / Wednesday Tenth September 1845."
Provenance
The letters formed part of the Burdett-Coutts sale (Sotheby, 17 May 1922); they were purchased for Oliver W. Barrett in whose collection they remained until it was sold by his son (Parke-Bernet, 31 October 1951).
Summary
Expressing his gratitude, at length, for her offer of help in the education of Charley; saying "He will be nine years old, next Twelfth Day" and relating details of his education thus far; asking if she will "...let me know at what age he is presentable at Marlborough, and whether it is desirable that his attention should be directed in the meantime to any particular books or branches of learning - or if you can put me in the way of ascertaining these things from the Head Master by going down there, myself - or if you can, at your leisure, tell me anything that it is advisable or necessary to do - I need not say how vigilantly I shall set about it. But do not trouble yourself to write to me, unnecessarily. I shall be quite easy until I hear from you;" relating news of Esther Elton and details of her hard work and success; saying "And if you could see her, with her pleasant face and her neat, composed, agreeable manner, you would recollect that time when you gave me a commission in behalf of herself and the others, with such an emotion as very few people can ever know;" extending his gratitude again for her help with Charley.
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