Long Houghton 30 May 1799
My dear Children Mary Ann Betsey & James
Your Mother & I have been from you now ten days
& wish very much to hear of you & Miss Roberts
Charlotte & Jenny & our neighbours & friends in Lanca=
shire who we hope are all well, I am sorry we did
not desire Miss Roberts to write on the friday after
we left you, we shoud then have received a letter
from home yesterday and nothing woud give your
Mother & I more pleasure than to hear you were well
& very good Children, your grandmother & Aunt
love you dearly, we tell them you are very often
good Children & take pains to learn what we
think proper to teach you, & that we hope you
will be clever when you grow up – The Box you
saw me pack for your grandmother only got here
last night, I opend it & found all its contents safe,
your letters were acceptably received so were the hand=
=kercheifs & the pincushions – your grandmother
Is well & your {^Aunt} Abbott is better than we expected to
find her but she has a bad cough, that hurries
her very much, we did intend going on Monday
next to Rotherham, but I cannot go until tuesday
[new page]
having some business at Barnsley on monday, a Town
six miles from home, which you may find in your
map of Yorkshire, tell Miss Roberts we may probably
not get to Manchester until the 9^th June, where
we shall hope to receive a letter from her telling us
how each of the family are, & have been, how the
Garden looks, how the grass grows & how she manages
without us, at the same time tell her we have no
design of prolonging our stay, though our friends
are very kind & we are happy in their company yet
we shall daily wish more to be with you again,
we have the same kind providence every where
that takes care of you, and pray my Dears always
remember to strive to deserve his care & he will
love you – we saw your Cousin Tom at Travis
Isle before we left he had gotten safe home –
Your Mother was very wet before we reached Warrington,
& they day we came over Woodhead Moors, (where you M A
once saw a Mountain Shaped like a Sugar Loaf) was
very stormy yet your Mother did not take my cold,
& you will be glad to hear we have both been very well
[new page]
ask Miss Roberts to shew you the Towns we shall be at
during our absence which are Warrington, Altringham, Manches=
=ter, Ashton, Mottram, Peniston, Barnsley, Great Houghton
Rotherham but great Houghton you will not find in
the Map, it is of little note & too small to be inserted in
a small Map, but I will shew it you when I get home.
Writing to you is something like talking to you, & is
pleasant to me, I will teach you to write, that if you
take pains, you may almost talk to me when I am
very far off, would you not like it. I hope your
Uncles & Cousin Boardmans have been with you since
we left, & that Miss Roberts will send us a very good
account of you, your Mother grandmother & aunt send
their dear love to you all & to Miss Roberts – your
grandmother does not come to see Gateacre this Summer
I wish the other Sister that is your Aunt Abbatt may
visit us the next Summer – give Miss Roberts your
Mothers & my affectionate regards, our kind remembrance
to Charlotte Jenny & William, and receive yourselves
our best wishes & kindest affection – when we get home
we shall have a great deal to tell you. I am always
my dears – your affectionate Father Thos Nicholson
1 June The weather is very fine after pleasant rain
We go to M^rs John Sandersons tomorrow after Service at Church
[new page]
Single
Miss M A Nicholson
Gateacre near
Liverpool

Long Houghton 30 May 1799
My dear Children Mary Ann Betsey & James
Your Mother & I have been from you now ten days
& wish very much to hear of you & Miss Roberts
Charlotte & Jenny & our neighbours & friends in Lanca=
shire who we hope are all well, I am sorry we did
not desire Miss Roberts to write on the friday after
we left you, we shoud then have received a letter
from home yesterday and nothing woud give your
Mother & I more pleasure than to hear you were well
& very good Children, your grandmother & Aunt
love you dearly, we tell them you are very often
good Children & take pains to learn what we
think proper to teach you, & that we hope you
will be clever when you grow up – The Box you
saw me pack for your grandmother only got here
last night, I opend it & found all its contents safe,
your letters were acceptably received so were the hand=
=kercheifs & the pincushions – your grandmother
Is well & your {^Aunt} Abbott is better than we expected to
find her but she has a bad cough, that hurries
her very much, we did intend going on Monday
next to Rotherham, but I cannot go until tuesday
[new page]
having some business at Barnsley on monday, a Town
six miles from home, which you may find in your
map of Yorkshire, tell Miss Roberts we may probably
not get to Manchester until the 9^th June, where
we shall hope to receive a letter from her telling us
how each of the family are, & have been, how the
Garden looks, how the grass grows & how she manages
without us, at the same time tell her we have no
design of prolonging our stay, though our friends
are very kind & we are happy in their company yet
we shall daily wish more to be with you again,
we have the same kind providence every where
that takes care of you, and pray my Dears always
remember to strive to deserve his care & he will
love you – we saw your Cousin Tom at Travis
Isle before we left he had gotten safe home –
Your Mother was very wet before we reached Warrington,
& they day we came over Woodhead Moors, (where you M A
once saw a Mountain Shaped like a Sugar Loaf) was
very stormy yet your Mother did not take my cold,
& you will be glad to hear we have both been very well
[new page]
ask Miss Roberts to shew you the Towns we shall be at
during our absence which are Warrington, Altringham, Manches=
=ter, Ashton, Mottram, Peniston, Barnsley, Great Houghton
Rotherham but great Houghton you will not find in
the Map, it is of little note & too small to be inserted in
a small Map, but I will shew it you when I get home.
Writing to you is something like talking to you, & is
pleasant to me, I will teach you to write, that if you
take pains, you may almost talk to me when I am
very far off, would you not like it. I hope your
Uncles & Cousin Boardmans have been with you since
we left, & that Miss Roberts will send us a very good
account of you, your Mother grandmother & aunt send
their dear love to you all & to Miss Roberts – your
grandmother does not come to see Gateacre this Summer
I wish the other Sister that is your Aunt Abbatt may
visit us the next Summer – give Miss Roberts your
Mothers & my affectionate regards, our kind remembrance
to Charlotte Jenny & William, and receive yourselves
our best wishes & kindest affection – when we get home
we shall have a great deal to tell you. I am always
my dears – your affectionate Father Thos Nicholson
1 June The weather is very fine after pleasant rain
We go to M^rs John Sandersons tomorrow after Service at Church
[new page]
Single
Miss M A Nicholson
Gateacre near
Liverpool