Thenford Sept^r 13.

My Dear Brother
As I imagine you are by this time
return’d to Wytham I take the first opportunity of
thanking you for the very entertaining Letter I rec^d
from Cockermouth. I hope the rest of your journey
has prov’d as agreeable as that you have been
so good to give me an account of. I think you
could not fail of being pleas’d with your Visit to
Derbyshire, & the Lakes of Westmorland & Cumberland,
of which I have heard such delightful accounts. I
know a Party who are lately return’d from thence.
M^r Isted and his Daughters & Mr & Miss Inglefield.
I hope you had the satisfaction to find all your
Harvest well got in, we have had very fine weather
for it here, and remarkable large Crops. I shall
be very glad to hear those about you have been as favourable.
My Love to Charles with many thanks for his letter
from Glascowe, I sincerely rejoyced to hear you have xxx
been so well amus’d, and I think myself extremely
{^^oblig’d} to you both for having been so kind to communicate
that pleasure to me by frequently writing.
Miss Ingram is a great deal better, and is now
gone to Southampton to bathe in the sea, which will
I hope soon restore her to perfect health.
M^r Wodhull and Mary have been to the Oratoria’s
at Winchester and the fortnight they were absent
M^r Russel spent here with M^rs Wodhull & I which
made our time pass very agreably.

[f.23v]

there have been some good meetings at Astrop
this year tho’ there is not much Company upon
the spot. There was the largest meeting ever
known at astroop about a fortnight ago, a Dinner
for the benefit of the Man at the Red-Lion,
M^rs Wodhull was the Lady Patroness, and everybody
came out of Compliment to her, we din’d in the
Great Room which was as full as it could hold,
and at night there was a very good Ball, m^rs
Wodhull danc’d with Lord Say, Mary Ingram with
Charles Bathurst. I danc’d a few dances with M^r
Alt, Lady Say I think does not dance with her
usual alacrity but she dresses as youthful as
ever, a yellow Gown with pink Gawz Ornaments,
so that she very much resembles a Cousin Betty
There is to be another Ball next Monday which
we are to attend.
Whitmore who is now here is more grotesque
than ever: he says he shall go to Lincoln soon
and talks of calling at Wytham in his way. But
he is a little uncertain in his motions so perhaps
he may alter his plan before that time.
We din’d lately at D^r Nicols, he enquir’d much
after you and desir’d to be kindly remember’d when I
wrote to you. He has very much improv’d his house
and Ground at Bodicot.
They were all very well lately at Kenilworth when
I heard from thence. The Liddiard’s have now left
them. Noland has taken a House at Solihull about

[f.24]

ten miles from Kenilworth. Robert has been to see
him, it is a distressing circumstance for a man
to be left with four little Girls the eldest but three
years old, M^r Fisher his Father-in-Law it is thought
can’t Live Long. I hope he will provide for them.
Robert has lately made an Excursion to Hagley,
Envil and the Leasowes, and was greatly pleas’d
with all, but the most so with Hagley.
M^rs Meysey and her little Girl, M^r & M^rs Charles
Willes and their Daughter, and M^rs Napier are
coming to stay here soon, so we shall have
quite a house full, M^rs Napier is Sister to M^rs
Bathurst, and is one of the most sensible women
I ever met with, she lives at Bath and
is a very good Neighbour to Robert and Nan
with whom she is very intimate.
We see a great deal of the Warkworth Family
who are certainly the most agreable people in
the neighbourhood, they yesterday all din’d here
and John Willes and his sister Peggy, who is quite
the Belle of Astrop, she is really vastly handsome.
There is no News hereabouts, except that M^r
Barbor a Lad of eighteen is going to marry Miss
Nanny Prowell of thirty six, an extraordinary Choice.
All here joyn in kind respects to you and Charles,
I shall hope to hear from you both soon, I only delay’d
writing till I thought you had return’d to Wytham,
and my Dear Brother
Most sincerely & affect<sup>ly yours
B. Johnson

[f.24v]

George Wm Johnson Esqr
Wytham-Hill
Stamford
Lincolnshire</sup>

Thenford Sept^r 13.

My Dear Brother
As I imagine you are by this time
returned to Wytham I take the first opportunity of
thanking you for the very entertaining Letter I rec^d
from Cockermouth. I hope the rest of your journey
has proved as agreeable as that you have been
so good to give me an account of. I think you
could not fail of being pleased with your Visit to
Derbyshire, & the Lakes of Westmorland & Cumberland,
of which I have heard such delightful accounts. I
know a Party who are lately returned from thence.
M^r Isted and his Daughters & Mr & Miss Inglefield.
I hope you had the satisfaction to find all your
Harvest well got in, we have had very fine weather
for it here, and remarkable large Crops. I shall
be very glad to hear those about you have been as favourable.
My Love to Charles with many thanks for his letter
from Glascowe, I sincerely rejoiced to hear you have xxx
been so well amused, and I think myself extremely
{^^oblig’d} to you both for having been so kind to communicate
that pleasure to me by frequently writing.
Miss Ingram is a great deal better, and is now
gone to Southampton to bathe in the sea, which will
I hope soon restore her to perfect health.
M^r Wodhull and Mary have been to the Oratoria’s
at Winchester and the fortnight they were absent
M^r Russel spent here with M^rs Wodhull & I which
made our time pass very agreeably.

[f.23v]

there have been some good meetings at Astrop
this year though’ there is not much Company upon
the spot. There was the largest meeting ever
known at astroop about a fortnight ago, a Dinner
for the benefit of the Man at the Red-Lion,
M^rs Wodhull was the Lady Patroness, and everybody
came out of Compliment to her, we dined in the
Great Room which was as full as it could hold,
and at night there was a very good Ball, m^rs
Wodhull danced with Lord Say, Mary Ingram with
Charles Bathurst. I danced a few dances with M^r
Alt, Lady Say I think does not dance with her
usual alacrity but she dresses as youthful as
ever, a yellow Gown with pink Gauze Ornaments,
so that she very much resembles a Cousin Betty
There is to be another Ball next Monday which
we are to attend.
Whitmore who is now here is more grotesque
than ever: he says he shall go to Lincoln soon
and talks of calling at Wytham in his way. But
he is a little uncertain in his motions so perhaps
he may alter his plan before that time.
We dined lately at D^r Nicols, he enquired much
after you and desired to be kindly remembered when I
wrote to you. He has very much improved his house
and Ground at Bodicot.
They were all very well lately at Kenilworth when
I heard from thence. The Liddiard’s have now left
them. Noland has taken a House at Solihull about

[f.24]

ten miles from Kenilworth. Robert has been to see
him, it is a distressing circumstance for a man
to be left with four little Girls the eldest but three
years old, M^r Fisher his Father-in-Law it is thought
can’t Live Long. I hope he will provide for them.
Robert has lately made an Excursion to Hagley,
Envil and the Leasowes, and was greatly pleased
with all, but the most so with Hagley.
M^rs Meysey and her little Girl, M^r & M^rs Charles
Willes and their Daughter, and M^rs Napier are
coming to stay here soon, so we shall have
quite a house full, M^rs Napier is Sister to M^rs
Bathurst, and is one of the most sensible women
I ever met with, she lives at Bath and
is a very good Neighbour to Robert and Nan
with whom she is very intimate.
We see a great deal of the Warkworth Family
who are certainly the most agreeable people in
the neighbourhood, they yesterday all dined here
and John Willes and his sister Peggy, who is quite
the Belle of Astrop, she is really vastly handsome.
There is no News hereabouts, except that M^r
Barbor a Lad of eighteen is going to marry Miss
Nanny Prowell of thirty six, an extraordinary Choice.
All here join in kind respects to you and Charles,
I shall hope to hear from you both soon, I only delayed
writing till I thought you had returned to Wytham,
and my Dear Brother
Most sincerely & affect<sup>ly yours
B. Johnson

[f.24v]

George Wm Johnson Esqr
Wytham-Hill
Stamford
Lincolnshire</sup>