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:
(f. 283r)
Sr:
all tho you are unknown to me by person
yet your undeniable Judgment and good
suckses in physick give me a very
satisfacry knowlidge of your wonderfull
meritt sr: wee have now a son at
Westminster scooll which is a very dear
dearling child to us wee are the more
fearfull of his health by reson wee
have been very un happy in baring
four sons which put us uppon any
illness under afar greater concern than
I can expres or any one be a Judge
of unles it be aparant who knows the
value of children: sr: I am recomended
to you by worthy dear Lady Tipping
for his phision if ill which favourd
(f. 282v)
I humbly beg you to grant me so as to take him
in to your compasinat and affecinat cear as a youth
far from his own family and sr: both Mr: Tothills and
my grattud shall attend you in the most perticullers
manner affecinat parants can show Mr Tothill and
presents you his humble seravuice as doth
Sr: the favour of Sr:
a line from you would your very humble searvaunt
be a very great pleasure to Eliz: Tothhill
me
Bangor August
ye 14
1722
be pleased for to Derect for me at Bangor to be
left at the post office in Ashbourtown. Devon.
Read more- Letter 2860
Latest Statistics
Pages digitised | |
4,545 | Document summaries |
Documents transcribed | |
People | |
1,527 | Medical Cases |
Places |