Welcome to The Sloane Letters Project
A pilot of this project, Sir Hans Sloane’s Correspondence Online, was first launched at the University of Saskatchewan in 2010 to coincide with the 350th anniversary of Sir Hans Sloane’s birth. The project was renamed The Sloane Letters Project when it moved to this site in 2016.
The correspondence of Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) consists of thirty-eight volumes held at the British Library, London: MSS 4036-4069, 4075-4078. The letters are a rich source of information about topics such as scientific discourse, collections of antiquities, curiosities and books, patients’ illnesses, medical treatments and family history. Most of the letters were addressed to Sloane, but a few volumes were addressed to others (MSS 4063-4067) or written by Sloane (MSS 4068-4069).
So far, we have entered descriptions and metadata for Sloane MSS 4036-4053 and 4075, as well as several letters from each of the following: Sloane MSS 4054-4055, 4066, 4068-4069 and 4076. Several of these entries also include transcriptions. Further entries and transcriptions are being made available gradually.
Please, explore the website and database. You can search through the letters, learn about Sir Hans Sloane or the letters written to him, and peruse blog posts about interesting letters!
Random Letter
Author:Recipient:
[fol. 263]
North Bierley Dec.24 718
Dear Sir
After soe long silence, I take the freedome to assure you of my best service & have by Mary Wellis a Bradford Carier this day sent you a Box of such naturell [?] as I could pick up nigh this please some of which I hope may be worth your notice, in the Box you wil find the Skin of a Hare of a very sensnell coloun alsoe the Case of a Wooduck of as odd a coloure alsoe A eyulus cristalus Adnocand Sometimes to be not with here motenille listria mar of fimine not infrequent in the spring time in our stny Banter, monhforigila, prety fregned though not much taken notice of a small long [?] water foul wich I can not meet with in any Ornithologist I have, the skins of gerulus Bohemians, & Lenius linerius minor were destroyed by the Ratts the first sometimes met with there in winter, the later in sumer, some odd varietys of controchi which though prety Amm in someplaces nigh up to my admiration I could never yet in any place have any me radix some fragments of the [?] arrows at Burrowbidge by which you wil believe [?] to be natural stones.
I sometimes meet with Mr Thoresby who is always very inquisitive after you (your) health I have not faile to collect for you such curiositys as I cant yet meet with here & of one own siruge you shall have from my service to Mr [?] & I sent him some dried [?]
your friend [?] servant
Ric: Richardson
Read more- Letter 1298
Latest Statistics
| Pages digitised | |
| 4,545 | Document summaries |
| Documents transcribed | |
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| 1,527 | Medical Cases |
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