Letter 3550

[fol. 30] London Janry ye 3d. 1728 sir I understand you’r a great virtuoso, and gives a valuable consideration for novelties of Antiquity. This sir, comes offer a pice of Antiquity to you, wch if you please may buy wn you have seen it. if has been many hundred years in our family, given for a Legacy, from one generation, to another; at last to me it’s my miss fortune, yt I’m forc’d to offer it to sale, wch never was before I being an unfortunate gentlewoman, who married a gentleman yt had an estate between two and 300 pd per annum: he proved a bad husband, spent more yn ye income of his estate, got in Debt, made no provision for his younger Children, Dies, and left me a Widow, wth eight Children, ye four Eldest being sons, was put to trads and other callings; ye other 3 girls & a boy, was young, & had very little left to maintain ym fell to my lot to keep them, wth my small joynture, I was willing to give ym some education, & put em to schools. wch made me sell pt of my joynture within two years after my husband Died, and to keep ye other pt of it, to maintaine me now old I’m forc’d to sell all yt I have that’s valuable being in Debt on ye afore sd acct ye pice sir, I have to sell is a silver pin wch weighs almost an ounce; I’ve heard say was ye pin of ye first Saxon King of ye West Angle wn this Iland was invaded by ye Saxons. History, as well as Tradition say, giving an acct of their Life, Laws, Customs, Religion, & Worship: together wth their Weapons & Garments &c. for ye latter they wore Red Cassocks, clasped together or pin’d wth shapr wyr. from wch custome ye old women in ye Western parts of England do ware something in imitation to this day, (viz) a garmt made of fine wool, wove in one pice, wth a fring out of ye same at each end, about 6 or 8 Inches deep, they call them Whittles and are generally Dyed Red, those they put ye 2 fringes together & pin ye middle pt wn Dubbled, about their shoulders wth a silver pin, made in fashion like to this originall, but much smaller, Both garmt & pin I have by me, being a West country woman, born a 100 miles southwest of London, in ye County of Somrsett but originally from Cornwall; sir I am ready to bring both pins and garm’t of yt sort, to yor house if you please to let me know wn will be a proper time yt you will be at home and at leasure; by a line Directed to mr Robt Talbot at ye General Excise office, who is a Relation of mine & will send it to me. I am sir yr Humble servt M: C p:s I Ask ten thousand pardons for taking ye liberty of writing thus, to an unknown person.