Z699/55b

Mary Ann Kenway (schoolfriend) to Priscilla May Coventry 8 Mo about the 23 My dear Priscilla Thy acceptable epistle reached me yesterday & tho' an accusation of neglect was placed to my account, it was welcomely received & I hope to do my best to answer it. I cannot think that thou wilt exclaim against me, should it be several days ere thou gets this (or gettest) I think ere we enter on any other subject, I had better answer the queries contained in thine - first thou mentioned my friend E. Hutchinson I should thank thee to deliver a message of love to her, & say that I should much pleased with a letter from her, either from Bedfordshire or Yorkshire as she will doubtless have some leisure hours, she must dispose of them by amusing her friends - she is a sweet young woman my dear friend & the more she is known the more she is to be admired. Thou knowst I believe that she is my bosom friend, we formed an early friendship & I believe nothing will affect the affectionate feelings we possess for each other - I do not envy thy day in the dirty metropolis especially in Bishopsgate St I would much rather feel the pure unscented oxygen of the country - however tastes differ & thou I hope will find enjoyment in the change. I often think of these lines, which are often very appropriate - "It is not that nature has produced the scene The fairest of crystal & brightest of green 'Tis not the soft magic of the sunlight on hill Oh! no it is something more exquisite still. 'Tis that friends the beloved of my bosom are near That makes every dear scene of enchantment more dear And we see how the best scenes of nature improve When we see them reflected from looks that we love" I was surprised to hear what thou mentions about J.P.W.[John P.Wise] I expected from what I had lately heard that his poor heart was suffering under disappointment - however I am glad to hear all is going on a-march, & I am sure they have my wishes that it may end well - tho' I know neither of them except from character - Thou queried me as to how I liked the hot weather ? I may reply as much as can be expected - I certainly feel it oppressive, but then I prefer it much to the biting frosts {so} that I cannot well complain. Stern Winter which is now soon upon us & makes me creep around the fire pretty snugly.- I hope our C. Nield will be where she will get better treatment than she did at S.N.[Stoke Newington] - she has most sadly spoken against the school - I regret that she ever entered the doors - she says that she was kept more like a slave than anything else, that she was not allowed to sit in the parlour & various other things most disrespectful,- it is quite a shame for it has evidently fixed prejudices in the minds of many not easily eradicated, I have worked hard to remove some, but I find almost vainly. I received a silver pencil from dear William Allen which I was proud enough of as thou mayst suppose - dear creature when at N. on my way here I had such a sweet squeeze from him worth pounds - I suppose thou wast not aware that I went to Grace C.[Gracechurch] St. Meeting on the Y.M. day then went down with the cargo & spent the afternoon & evening there which I enjoyed greatly, most of the girls were there & about 6 new ones - they behaved most affectionately & many feelings were renewed on visiting that enchanting Priory - There were about 15 friends in the evening attending the sitting & it was a sweet little opportunity. Our precious friend Wm A. addressed us - thou wilt not likely frequently go down, when thou dost don't forget me - It is time to collect my chickens I must go into the garden to cluck after them so for the present adieu - When my scholastic duties are ended, I may enjoy the recreation of addressing my friend P. Fifth day evening - some days have passed over my head since I wrote the foregoing. Now I am seated for the purpose of concluding it I hope I shall not be disappointed - I wish thou couldst anyhow copy those lines [the satire?] on the Newington Scholars when which thou got from thy brother Francis - I should very much like to have them, would not mind paying a post on purpose for them, so don't forget. [1st crossing begins] Thou wilt like to know something of my present situation I guess. I may inform thee that I am with a delightful family of friends - a more comfortable home away from my own I could not even wish for - I think thou perhaps knowest that there are two families, they live under the same roof, tho' in separate houses - Joseph & Sarah Corte - Joseph & Elizabeth Shore. I have three of the children from one family & 2 from the other - so that I have 5 pupils - I will here insert their names in order of ages - Mary Ann, Priscilla, Eleanor, Southam (a boy), & John & Elanor is by far the most troublesome, something of a facsimile of myself when a child, I imagine - so very trying, careless & fidgety & yet she is certainly an affectionate little girl, & so they are all - Their father & mother are so fond of them as to indulge them more than I consider proper - which is about the only fault I can find - but I hope as they grow older they will in this respect shed it. It has been very pleasant for me to know that they feel satisfied with me, which they have kindly expressed & I hope to enjoy a long time of comfort - the care of dear children is a responsible situation & causes frequent depression of mind, but there are many things to counterbalance & make up for it - I go into school at 1/2 past 10 in the morning, out at 12 & in the afternoon 1/2 past 2 out at 5 - then I have the spare time pretty much at my own disposal & excepting a little employment of needlework am to have it so continued. We have so much garden ground that I am not required to go out with the children except about once a week - Each family keeps three servants - If I say more of this I shall not have room for more & I want to ask thee if thou art acquainted with R.Ransom - I know thou art tho' - he paid us a visit at breakfast before I left & all of us enjoyed his society, very much indeed - but were sorry to hear that he had conducted himself most unhandsomely to some females - one we heard was that the young person had actually turned Quaker for him & then he had deserted her - another that he had gained a young woman's affections & then left her which had so sensibly affected her as to make her out of her mind - & I think the story was that he was now engaged to a 3rd the sister of J.P.W.'s intended - Soon - not judge this severely of him & knowing that a slanderous tongue speaks evil of every one I should like to have a fair & impartial account of him - don't forget this - he spoke of thee when at breakfast as being a very clever Newington Blue - I hope it is not thee whom he has sent to a madhouse I certainly did not observe where my letter was dated from - - This morning just after breakfast we parted with a most interesting company of friends Joseph J.Gurney, Rebecca Dickinson's brother Abraham Derby & Benjamin Cadbury - Then the latter accompanied the former, who is travelling on a religious visit - we had them at our house where he lodged last night. I was previously one of the prejudiced ones against him - but now he is outtopping favourite & I wonder how any one can for one moment feel anything but true & Christian unity with so very dear a friend - he made himself most truly agreeable here, read many very interesting papers to us & in every aspect conducted himself so as to make us quite lament his stay was so short - I think I never liked my name here as much as I did yesterday - I thought when he said Mary Anne it seemed so very open-hearted & sweet. [final page crossed a second time, diagonally, in purple ink] He had a public meeting here last evening & I never attended another one so led before. One of the young men gave S.Hughes secretly one of his old gloves each, [?] a prayer I think in keeping with dear Wm Allen's ideas. Is this interesting friend a favourite of thine or not? I think thou wilt be amused at the length of this and it will be well if thou canst. As I did not intend crossing it in this way but could not get it in written - On my journey to Coventry I saw a Post sign marked Woburn & I suppose I was then in Bedfordshire near Ampthill I wonder how far and from my friend, I descend in Luton, Priscilla. I must now conclude with my very dear love to thee and [though I] have no wish to bring this correspondence to an end [?] and my dear P with dear love from Thine most affectionately Mary Anne Kenway [illegible postscript] Samuel May Ampthill Priscilla May Bedfordshire

Aug 1826

From: 1826 To: 1826

No. of pieces: 1

paper

item

Kenway, Mary Ann,
May, Priscilla,
Hutchinson, Elizabeth,
Wise, John P,
Nield, C,
Allen, William,
Corte, Joseph,
Corte, Sarah,
Shore, Joseph,
Shore, Elizabeth,
Ransom, R,
Gurney, Joseph J,
Dickinson, Rebecca,
Derby, Abraham,
Cadbury, Benjamin,
Hughes, S,
May, Samuel

weather, Stoke Newington School, governess, women's education, Quakers, Coventry, Yorkshire, City of London Gracechurch Street, Stoke Newington, WOBURN, LUTON