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Ann May to Priscilla Strange 24 May 1838 Kennington 7th Day. My dear P. We are almost on the point of setting off for meeting & yet I must make an effort to assure thee that I am very far from forgetting home & its endearing associations in which my anxiety about thee is often prevalent at the same time as it feels a duty to be as abstracted as much as possible in order to give the whole attention to the all important business upon which we meet - I conclude thy F. has told you that J. Lister is our Clerk she is a good reader & clever but who is there to be compared with E.Dudley? Her state of health sometimes prevents her attendance - yet is her voice heard powerfully in supplication &c. dear Ann Lucas services at the desk are very important & Sarah Allen's appointment as assistant is almost a failure, for want of a good sounding voice, indeed we have not one of the good old fashioned sort - Rachel Pease reads sweetly but too weak, however I trust nothing has suffered, for we have been often made sensible of a heavenly covering like a canopy of Divine love over the meeting - Yesterday we were a large family party at Francis's & quite enjoy'd it, W. & E.Maddock, Charles Crowley & Curtis a great tall boy, other Curtis's &c. Hannah May went home yesterday - Joseph had some thought of coming - I am now at Brother Arch's just come from meeting, A.Marsh, Maria Morris and Maria May are here to dinner - my sister Tuckett came by last night's coach with Philip I have just been up to see her. She is dressing, Helen had been very well but at their parting was feeling rather chilly - but knowing thou art wishing to hear how we fare I may tell thee thy F. is remarkably brisk & well, thinks of dining at J.Morland's today, I seem quite well but took a slight cold yesterday - producing pain in the teeth & gums which is somewhat relieved by my brother H. scarifying them this morning - I had longed for an account of thyself from thy own pen - it is difficult to lose a sense of thy pain, please write by first opportunity and tell me about things in general in addition to thy own health. I have very many enquiries after thee, Sarah Smith said Catharine was wishing to hear - To-morrow we join the Holmes's at Peckham & have engaged to see my aunt at Wandsworth,- We left the cream of our meeting drawn off to consider of an Address to the Counties, dear Caroline very properly flowed in that rich stream, contrary to ancient usage we have a sitting of the large Committee this afternoon, the Hoopers mean to go home to dinner - I believe we must not think at all of Elizabeth here perhaps Mary would stay two or three months if we do not hear of one - I have sent a few pencill'd lines in sad style to Nancy but better than nothing, as perhaps as perhaps this may be to thee - but all are chatting my sisters &c. in full chorus - Thy F. retired from the dinner table yesterday to escort G.Billingn to Fish St. Tertius' uncle met him so I have not seen him, I called on Jse & Mary Cooke at the White Hart yesterday - Brother H. was called up last night to see Nancy Phillips in a sad fit partly from the excitement of hearing that her daughter Alexandra had a second daughter - I have at thy F.'s request sent again an invitation to Nancy to come with Charles & the dear {boys}, the girls are to come to make a visit at Dr Sims & Tottenham & Peckham - I sat next Charlotte Crowley {&} the Curtis's in meeting - they all go off to Croydon - I saw J.Ransom to-day, also M.A.Tatham - Elizabeth Wheeler is worse. W. & M.Exton leaving four this afternoon - We have Carry from Newington & Maria Marsh from Andover at Kennington, my sister H. was only once at Meeting - J.Grubb is mostly there, E.Fry & E.Dudley sometimes prevented, but we have favoured meetings. Accept love from all, give mine to all & believe me Thy affectionate Mother. Dinner time. P.S. We have dined without the men as their meeting held till near four I have not seen thy F. since morning so cannot tell whether he would add anything - we see our letters yesterday at Frank's table I hope the breast ointment will effect a cure - Philip is come in to dinner from their lengthened meeting which is ended in appointing a committee to visit our friend baptists in Westmorland - sincerely is it to be hoped that their spiritual sight will enable them to distinguish between ."things that differ" - W.Dillwh Crewdson having avowed his opinion in favour of Baptism will be a prompter I think our forbearance has been sufficiently put to test - How kind & generous of the young Pumphreys to remember our little Mary Ellen - Wilt thou send me a commission to procure some small memento to send by Stanley who much enjoyed his visit to you. May & Strange Postmark : LS in Maltese cross 26MY26 Ampthill 1838 P.S. Beds

24 May 1838

From: 1838 To: 1838

No. of pieces: 1

paper

item

May, Ann,
Strange, Priscilla,
Lister, J.,
Dudley, E,
Lucas, Ann,
Allen, Sarah,
Pease, Rachel,
May, Francis,
Maddock, W.,
Maddock, E.,
Crowley, Charles,
Curtis,
May, Hannah,
Arch,
Marsh, A,
Morris, Maria,
May, Maria,
Tuckett, Elizabeth,
Tuckett, Philip,
Morland, J.,
Smith, Sarah,
May, Nancy,
Southall, John Tertius,
Cooke, Mary,
Cooke, Joseph,
Phillips, Nancy,
Crowley, Charlotte,
Ransom, J,
Tatham, Mary Ann,
Wheeler, Elizabeth,
Exton, M.,
Exton, William,
May, Caroline,
Marsh, Maria,
Fry, E,
Strange, Mary Ellen,
Crewdson,
Pumphrey,
Pumphrey, Stanley,
May & Strange

health, Ampthill White Hart, Baptists, general medicine, health, May & Strange, Kennington, Peckham, Wandsworth, Tottenham, Croydon, Stoke Newington, Andover, Westmorland