As I was transcribing this letter, signed simply “W. Robinson”, it did not occur to me that he might be a clergyman. Despite the doctrinal framing and textual references to the Bible, he read simply as someone with a very secular grievance: he is being (or has been) left out of a Will. But then I realised that he includes a detail which only an Anglican clergyman would be likely to know: the very handsome £1200 income which Dr Law will now enjoy as a Prebend – more precisely, as holder of the Twelfth Prebendal Stall in Durham Cathedral. The Bank of England inflation calculator converts that to £178,000 at today’s prices. But the detail led me to the Church of England clergy database, and there he was: William Robinson, BA of St John's College in the University of Cambridge, and then Rector of the Huntingdonshire parishes of Hamerton and Little Gidding from 1731 until his death in either 1774 or 1781 (the C of E offers both dates on the same page).
The
Dr Law to whom he refers was the very distinguished Edmund Law, eventually
Bishop of Carlisle and a noted theologian. Law attended St John’s College
Cambridge in the early 1820s (BA 1823) and that date is right for Robinson to
have been a fellow student. There was also a Cumberland connection. The Reverend
Robinson is writing to his cousin Captain Robinson (no first name given)
whose prominent family held the manor of Watermillock (which appears in the letter's address
line) as barons of Greystoke – and Law
was presented in 1737 to the church living of Greystoke by its patron, Cambridge
University. The Reverend Robinson was probably born in Cumberland.
Hamerton
and Little Gidding are adjacent parishes in Huntingdonshire, and the latter with
its very small country church – more like a chapel - is now known principally from T
S Eliot’s Four Quartets, the fourth of which bears the title “Little Gidding”.
That
all established, here is the letter written by the Rector of Hamerton and
Little Gidding; I can only categorise it as tragi-comic:
Transcription
Addressed:
To Captain Robinson Watermillock to be left at Mr Hindson in
Penrith Cumberland
Datelined:
Hamerton [Huntingdonshire] August
14th 1767
Postmarked HUNTINGDON
and charged 4d on delivery
I
most affectionately condole with you, my dear Sir, ye loss of my good Unkle,
yet perhaps we ought rather to rejoyce at it, since it pleased God to spare him
to us as long as his existence with us here co’d be any pleasure to himself, or
comfortable to others. Infirmities at his age multiply apace and have then but
few amusements to alleviate or take off ye keen Edge of them: and we cannot
doubt, but that he has changed ye miserable situation for a most happy one,
where I hope we shall at length enjoy him again without fear of any such
mortifying separation. I more anxiously lament ye unhappy conduct of my still
nearer Relations, who seem to me not to consider (with due attention) ye Rules
of Religion, and ye inavoidable consequence of deviating from them. Oh! that
they wo’d consider an eternity as just opening upon themselves, & time
& all its concerns very shortly to vanish when ye sound of ye Gospel, ye
offers of Mercy, and ye means of Salvation, will all be at an end. The Period,
during wch we are to inhabit this Earth, and enjoy our Spiritual
advantages, or our worldly possessions and pleasure, is confined in very narrow
limits. Oh! that they wo’d wisely reflect upon this, & improve each
transient moment to ye purpose for wch it was given; and not doat so much upon ye
glittering vanitys of this life, wch
as they are Baites to pleasure & allurements to sin, will one day
add more keen & exquisite sensibility to our future pain.
I
cannot but commiserate my Bro’s want of health, & warmly wish him a speedy
release from his complaints; tho’ his want of affection for all his own
Relations as well as myself & my inoffensive Child, in some measure blunts
that Pity. I well know ye cause of this aversion to us all, & greatly
lament his weakness to suffer himself to be so gratly imposed upon by a familly
who have always endeavour’d ye Ruin of His; & ever heretofore made him ye
Cat’s Paw [ a person manipulated to do the bidding of others] in ye
contract for Coals. But now again they are his best Friends, & cannot be
content with his woods only, but must have his Paternal Estate, tho’ I fear at
the expense of his Soul. His will is certainly his last Act, & by that they
purpose to get his Estate: tho’ both natural priinciples, & ye Mosaic Law
(Numbers 27, twelve first verses) & ye Gospel (Math 7 ch. 12 verse) &
in several other places most absolutely forbid such disposal. With the breach
of all these (unrepented of, for there is no repentance in ye Grave) He must
appear before an omniscient judge, And ye Gospel teaches us yt [that] without
repentance there is no salvation! Oh may he find mercy in that day!
My
heart thanks you & all my friends, for their very kind attention to my Poor
Daughters welfare; she is indeed very greatly & unexpectedly recover’d yet
her thinness & weakness remains, & my [?] apprehensions of a return
(For ye Doctor saies it is constitutional) either at ye fall of ye leaf [ even then probably obsolete for "Autumn"]
or in ye Spring, are very great. Her Hectical Cough & Fever is quite
gone for ye present, but I cannot flatter myself & Her against ye worst.
I
was truly sorry to hear of Coz Peggy’s indisposition, but by promise I expect
her along with James soon here, & hope to see them well. Dr Law is not at
Durham, where for ye future He is to reside a mnth in ye year as a Prebend. His
income now is 1200 £ per An so yt [that] He is at last enabled to provide for
his large family. My child most cordially joins me in my concern for my Coz.
Nancy’s bad health, and as sincerely wishes everything yt is good & kind to
her & all Relations with & near you, as does
With
ye greatest regard & Esteem
Your
sincerely affectionate Friend and Relation
W Robinson
Hamerton
Augst 14th 1767
References
Wikipedia: Edmund Law
Wikipedia: Little Gidding (poem)
https://littlegidding.org.uk/