BIB_ID
421601
Accession number
MA 1352.655
Creator
Matthews, Antonina, active 19th century.
Display Date
Dent, England, 1853 May 18.
Credit line
Purchased with the assistance of the Fellows, 1951.
Description
1 item (3 pages) ; 18.4 x 11.4 cm
Notes
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 ten letters written by Catherine Dickens to Angela Burdett Coutts and 73 letters written by others to Miss Coutts or to Dickens in his capacity as her unofficial almoner. See the collection-level record for more information.
Antonina Matthews began asking Dickens and Miss Coutts for help on behalf of her invalid husband and daughter in January 1853.
Written from "Dent. Kendal / 18 May." Year of writing from Dickens letter to Miss Coutts, dated May 19, 1853, in which he refers to this letter.
Antonina Matthews began asking Dickens and Miss Coutts for help on behalf of her invalid husband and daughter in January 1853.
Written from "Dent. Kendal / 18 May." Year of writing from Dickens letter to Miss Coutts, dated May 19, 1853, in which he refers to this letter.
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
Providing additional information with respect to her need for assistance; saying "In my very great anxiety of mind when I wrote a week since I am sure I expressed myself very imperfectly - my thoughts were much disturbed. Mr. Batty of Sedbergh our surgeon says my husband and daughter must have change of air - with wine, porter &c to strengthen them. In my distress I wrote to you Sir with very little hope of your friends so soon again helping us, - for your letter of yesterday I am deeply grateful - indeed I am. We are 14 miles from a railway station and the chief expence is this part of the journey - it costs nearly a sovereign. By rail it is easy to reach Poulton, Fleetwood, Lytham, or Blackpool for about 6 or 8 shillings. Less than a fortnight would be useless to my husband - we must too find some one to take the duty of the Church. In thinking over the expences even for this fortnight I believe it would cost quite seven pounds. I acknowledge my chief anxiety is for my husband to regain his usual health for the sake of our large little family, the youngest only a year old. As to poor Ellen she would require the nursing of one of her sisters and longer time to be there. I cannot therefore hope or ask for, so large a sum as she would require, - I must do all I can for her at home. Till I began to reckon I did not think the expence would be so great - but now I see it is impossible."
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