L30/12/9/26

Letter from Thomas Bland [to Alexander Hume-Campbell, 1st Baron Hume of Berwick]. Sent from Berkhamsted. Thanks for invitation to Southill; unable to accept until gained more strength following illness and gout. Also, daughter Charlotte and family are expected to visit and until the date is fixed, the writer cannot make his arrangements.

22 Jun 1780

From: 1780 To: 1780

Heard that Mrs Barker is expected at Southill the 12th of July, so if possible the writer will contrive to visit at the same time. The writer’s usher Whitehead and his sister were buried a few days ago. The writer has had various applications for the post of Usher, which is solely in the gift of the writer. ‘I mean to make it in some shape or other turn out to the advantage of Charles Smyth.’ Reference to the indolence of the Lord Chancellor in the disposal of his Church preferments. ‘If he should happen to die before these several vacancies are filled up, what a number of poor clergymen must be disappointed in their expectations!’ Will not speak further to Mr Whittington on the subject of the Cambridgeshire election. Hopes the violent and tumultuous disturbances in Town are not totally subsided. ‘…there seems a strange tendency almost everywhere amongst the inferior class of people towards riot and insurrection.’

item

Bland, Thomas,
Hume-Campbell, Alexander (1st Baron Hume of Berwick),
Smyth, Charlotte,
Barker (d),
Whitehead,
Smyth, Charles,
Whittington

CORRESPONDENCE, Berkhamsted, SOUTHILL, Lord Chancellor, elections, rioting