Wednesday 12 December 2012

12th December 1812: The Luddite convict, Thomas Holden, writes a final letter before leaving England

Ship Fortune
Dec 12th, 1812

Dear Wife                       

I received your kind letter wich gave me Great comfort to hear from you I wonderd the reason I  Didnot hear from you sooner Theirfore I sent a letter to Know the reason you Didnot write to me but I received your Letter about the Same time you received my Letter, you say you are going to send some flannel Shirts but if you have not Sent them of I hope you will not send the [illegible] as it is an Hot Climate wheare we are going Therefore they will be very useless things but anything els that you may have to send that is Right, would be very serviceable and I hope you will not fail in sending Immediately as we Dont Know Know one Day before another

I hope you will not mind what you may hear from any one that writes to boulton Saying how good anyone have been to me for I in all my illness have Received no favour from any one of they that Come from boulton but for the other way I dont hold any conversation with any one of them, I thank God I am getting better now Daily – but what my father Desired me to get I have not got it in my Power to get it. if you have got any trifull of money to send to me, it would be thankfully to Received it and please not to Delay any time what ever in Sending as we expect to Sail Daily I hope and pray Cornel Fletcher will have the goodness to Sign a petition for me, and, I hope you will let me know every particulars you can in your next letter, if Brayley Box is not Lent I will be Obliged to you to send me a Quire of Writing Paper, and a few pens as they are very Dear hear. I Remember my Love to my Wifes father and Mother and her Sister Nancy and to my Dear Loving Mother and Brother and Father and I Conclude with Remaining your ever Loving Son and Husband till Death Thomas Holding, in the Next Letter you sends to me please to put my Christian Name in full as follows, Thomas Holding

For
Mary Holding
to be Left at the Sign
of the Golden Lion
Church Gate
Boulton Lei Moores
Lancashire

This letter can be found at Lancashire County Records Office, ref DDX 140/7/13

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