Pièce 03 - Letter from Lady Anne Ruthven, Struthers, Fife, to Lady Grace Campbell, Cowgate, Edinburgh, concerning Lady Grace's pregnancy and family news.

Letter, 3 pages

To
The Right Honble [sic]
The Lady Grace Campbell
At her House in the
Cowgate oppiset [sic] to the fish
Market Close
Edr [Ednburgh]

My Dearest Sister
tho’ nothing has occurred worth your perusal, since I wrote last, yet cou’d withstand, so good an opportunity sending you a few lines, fraught wt my best wishes to you & yours; I am glad you agree wt moving about, since I am persuaded ’twill do you good, & make you less unwieldy, as you increase in bulk; so Mrs Campbells arrived, & how fares it wt her, honest woman, does she patrolle [sic] about the streets, by way of wholesome exercise; tis certainly as good as the Dean’s runing [sic] up and down stairs, of a rainy day; well I long to hear what Milton says of the Duke’s motions, if he chuses to be communicative; my Lord, & Jack, left this Sunday, to look after his harvest, but preposed [sic] being back this week, & if Dumbarneys ready in some measure, to receive me, I shall go up again wt him; & where have I been to day, think you, at Leven, to gather shells, I’m not fee you see, but a most fruitless expedition ’twas, never did I see such barren sands; extensive but bare of any beautiful productions, Conscience Jenny &c: is now at London, wt her shining greasy Spouse so we cou’d not see her; but to make amends for this days disappointment, shall beat up the shelly beds at St: Andrews soon, where I hope to be more successful; do you know my Dr Lady Mary’s marriage wt young Greeme, is confidently talk’d here, & one of these days, he’s expected in his Country, so probably will soon come out if true; all you heard about her conversation wt Lady [?] was fact, who knows not, what to think; I believe I wrote you, miss weer, was here really a fine smart like Girl; did the little wife call at you, wt: the diaper, since I saw you, has Dr little Jenny said Mama again, My Love attends them but shall write Dr Jane for so soon as I have a spare moment, & am vastly indebted to her, kind anxiety about me; in consequence of her last letter, am to see his Grace, before his departure, in any event; now my Dearest, if you’d oblidge me, write a nice card, to the Ladies of Tweedale, who excell so much in breeding canary’s at least, & beg the favour of them to give me a she Canary, which I’ll take, as a singular favour, & will send a purpose for it, if they consent, now forget not this, as you love me, & I persuade my self, they will not refuse, when you show’d them off at plays, & all that:
must now wind up all, wt kind Complements [sic] to our friends, from me & mine, & all here; & best wishes to you, whos most Affect’d is AR [Lady Anne Ruthven]

Struthers
tuesday night.

Good condition

• anglais

Written by Lady Grace’s sister Lady Anne Ruthven to the Campbell’s house in the Cowgate, Edinburgh. Dumbarneys is in Perthshire. Struthers Castle was home to the Lindsays of the Byres in Fife.

Entry created by Marian Pallister, 30/10/2018