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Maria Ricketts wrote from Otto House in Hammersmith, London to M. Dayton (Polly) at General J. Dayton’s in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. The following correspondence contains several entries dated September 15th, September 29th, and October 6th. Maria was disappointed that she had not heard from any of her friends in New Jersey, aside from receiving one letter from America. Maria and her family were well. They saw the Cottage Ladies, Ms. Perkins, and Ms. Barnett, almost every day. They also spent time with the Penn family. Maria was pleased with the daughters, the eldest especially was a charming girl. Maria made plans to spend the following day in Richmond Hill and to attend a party at Harrington Court. That evening, they made plans to go to the theatre to see the celebrated Ms. Jordan. Mr. Roper stopped by unexpectedly to see Maria and her family. Business brought him to London, and he returned to Berkhamsted Castle afterwards. Mr. Roper mentioned a ball where there would be six hundred people in attendance. Maria frequently visited London and mentioned that the Covent Garden Theatre had opened. There were whispers that the fever was in New York and that they were experiencing very hot weather. The weather in London was cool. Maria found it too cold in the evenings that she was obliged to wear flannel to keep herself comfortable. On Sunday, September 29th, Maria added a few lines regarding several pleasant jaunts her and her friends experienced over the last few weeks. They went to Hampton Court, which was situated on the Thames and was built by Cardinal Wolsey. It was said that he put 280 silk beds in the palace for the use of guests alone. Cardinal Wolsey gave Hampton Court to Henry VIII. There were many fine art pieces in the great gallery including five famous cartoons by Raphael that William III brought into England and Lewis XIV offered 700,000 pounds for. There was a Labyrinth in one of the gardens that Maria and her acquaintances were guided into the center of. Wanting to see if they could find their own way out, they sent the tour guide away and followed small, white pieces of paper that Phil had left behind as they made their way through the Labyrinth. The tour guide was so surprised to see that they made it out by themselves that he was convinced one of them was a witch. They rode through Bushy Park after the left Hampton Court, which was very beautiful. There were numerous roads lined with horse chestnut trees, four times the size of the one near Mrs. Bellasize’s front door. There was a cascade in the middle of the park and a pretty house where Ms. Jordan lived. The Duke of Clarence was master of the park and Ms. Jordan was his mistress. Maria went to the Richmond Theatre and saw Ms. Jordan perform and was very impressed with her. She also went to Windsor Castle. William the Conqueror built the castle and Henry I made improvements for future succeeding kings. Queen Elizabeth added the noble terrace. The Round Tower was strongly fortified as it was where the state prisoners used to be kept. At the top of the tower there were views of twelve different counties of England. They returned home through Eton so they could see the famous school. They also visited Stoke Park, the seat of Mr. John Penn, which was a beautiful place. Maria was enchanted with the beauty of England, but she would be glad to return to America. There were no new fashions, and Maria could not make any commission for her friends until the Court Mourning was over. Maria frequented the theatre and saw some of the nobility including Lady Elizabeth Cole, Lady Arabella Townsend, and several other young ladies. Because of the Court Mourning, they were obliged to wear sable-colored dresses. To some parties, Maria wore scarlet germaniums in her hair. The following week, they were to wear black with either colors or white. Crimson shawls were generally worn. Planned to attend a public ball in Richmond and wanted to visit Bath in December. Two of the greatest theatres opened in London, and Maria saw in the papers that Ms. Siddons would perform in the winter. On October 6th, Maria added a few additional lines where she explained that her father’s friend was planning to go to New York and offered to mail her letters. Maria was anxious to hear from Polly.
Landmarks mentioned: Berkhamsted Castle, Hampton Court Palace, River Thames, Bushy Park, Windsor Castle, Eton College, and Stoke Park.
Artwork mentioned: The Raphael Cartoons
People mentioned: Ms. Perkins, Ms. Barnett, John Roper, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (c. 1473-1530), Henry VIII (1491-1547), Raphael (1483 – 1520), William III (1650-1702), Louis XIV (1638-1715), Dorothea Jordan (1761-1816), Prince William, Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) (1765-1837), William the Conqueror (c. 1028-1087), Henry I (c. 1068-1135), Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
John Penn (1760-1834), Lady Elizabeth Cole (1769-1807), Lady Arabella Townsend (1787-?), and Sarah Siddons (1755-1831)
Author/Creator
Maria E.P. Ricketts
Recipient
M. Dayton
Creation Date
1805-09-15
Creation Date
9-15-1805
Document Type
Manuscript
Location
London, England
Inventory Location
Series 2; 103 C
Recommended Citation
Ricketts, Maria E.. Maria E.P. Ricketts to M. Dayton, September 15, 1805. Manuscript. From Special Collections Research Library and Archive, Kean University, Liberty Hall Collection 1800s. https://digitalcommons.kean.edu/lhc_1800s/536
Rights
This collection is open to the public for research use. Copyright remains with Kean University. Credit this material. Personal photographs may be made for research purposes. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to the Special Collections Research Library and Archive at keanscrla@kean.edu.
Publishing Repository
Special Collections Research Library and Archive, Kean University
Collection
Liberty Hall Collection, 1711-1847 (bulk 1790-1830)