Blog post written by Andrea Grütter (16 December 2020)
This year is coming to an end, so before we gear up for the holiday season, for the next year and the challenges it brings, let’s talk about a topic a little lighter than the usual content of our letters: donkeys and their tales in our corpus. For the purposes of this blog post, we won’t be going into the role and treatment of donkeys or other equines in the early 1800s, but keep your eyes peeled for a blog post on the topic, coming out in early 2021. This blogpost is about the stories of the donkeys mentioned in four different letters that we have transcriptions of, 3 from Kent and 1 from Norfolk.
First, let’s explore my favorite letter of the entire corpus, and the inspiration for this blogpost. When I started working on the project in January 2019, this letter stood out to me, and I regularly remind myself of it while working on the project. It was written by Henry Warters, just after Christmas 195 years ago, on December 26th 1825. Henry Warters wrote to ask to be advanced 8 pounds worth of Tunbridge ware (which is ornamental woodwork, typically in the form of boxes). He wants to sell them across the countryside, and thinks that he will be successful enough to be able to reimburse not only the people sending him the ware, but also the person he knows that will buy a mode of transport for him. Specifically, he writes:
“i have a genteman that will
by me a little donky and cart so that i can
get a bout the contry”
As is the case for several other applicants of the corpus, Henry does not have any income and relies on his father for money and food. Receiving the boxes and the little donkey and cart would allow him to become independent and generate enough income to no longer need any form of relief. Imagining Henry in possession of his little donkey and cart, travelling around the country selling boxes somehow stayed with me. When working on letters where the subject matter would get dark, with the focus on hunger, sickness, and death, keeping this image of Henry in the back of my mind brought me a certain lightness and optimism.
The next letter is not as heartwarming.
On February 26th 1819, John Parris writes to complain and enquire about Luke Bratt. Luke was lent a cart and a harness, and only the cart was returned by a Mr. Hilder, but the harness is still missing. The author of the letter has heard that Luke is with the person who the letter is addressed to (presumably an official with Luke at his parish). He is writing to complain about Luke being deceptive about the missing harness. He was informed of Luke’s wife passing away and sheds doubt on the details he received regarding this, as well as on the reports that Luke was robbed. He complains that he tried to contact Luke but to no avail. But where’s the donkey, you ask? Well, he also adds that he has been informed that Luke left his donkey at Chiddingly on Mr. Holman’s land and that the rent for the donkey’s keep is overdue. Luke already owes 15 shillings for it.
The fate of the poor donkey, alone and abandoned in a pasture is a sad thought. Even more so, John Parris, presumably an official at a Parish in Hellingly, is shedding doubt on Luke’s situation that, if true, is quite tragic. If you were wondering what happened to him, you’re in luck! Unlike many of the letters in this corpus, we have the response to this one.
On March 1st 1819, Thomas Woollet responds to John Parris, after having inquired after Luke: he and his son returned home after his wife passed away. In between his wife’s death and the return, he was indeed robbed, and could not be contacted by John Parris, because he was in Canterbury Hospital because of “a Cancer in his private parts”. After having the cancer taken out and receiving a cure, he left the hospital. The harness and cart were both given to Mr. Hilder to be returned, so if Mr. Hilder only sent over the cart, then he must know where the harness is! And as for the donkey? Well, he was left with someone with a name similar to Mr. Harmer in Chiddingly and Thomas Woollet states that once Mr. Harmer receives the money owed to him (which the Parish will take care of), the donkey can be returned to Luke!
So, a good ending for the donkey that can be returned to its owner, Luke Bratt! Let’s look at one last heartwarming donkey letter.
On October 14th 1817 (exact year unsure), Mary Armytage writes to Charlotte to inform her that she has given Charlotte’s aunt some financial relief as she recovers from sickness. In the same letter, she informs Charlotte that her own sister has improved in health and is able “to take long walks with very little assistance from a donkey”. This donkey is a supportive donkey who is helping a sick woman get her strength back and support her, should she become too tired or in too much pain to continue.
So maybe, dear reader, the next time you’re having a hard time or feeling lonely, especially in this upcoming holiday season, think of these donkeys! Who knows, maybe the images of the donkey helping Mary’s sister go for walks during her recovery, of the donkey in a pasture that will soon return to its owner, and of Henry Warters riding around the countryside with his little donkey and cart, will warm your heart just as much as a cup of hot chocolate.