Add MS 89077

The surviving collection of the letters of Ignatius Sancho, author written to William Stevenson, miniaturist and publisher and to his father Reverend Seth Ellis Stevenson, headmaster of Retford Grammar School.

The collection contains a copy of the fifth edition, of Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African, published for his son William Sancho in 1803. The volume includes an engraved portrait of Ignatius Sancho by Bartolozzi taken from Gainsborough’s original painting and a facsimile of a letter by Laurence Sterne to Ignatius Sancho, which has been mounted on to board. This copy has been annotated by William Stevenson and his son Seth Stevenson. They have added a number of the missing names of the correspondents and subjects of the letters included in the volume and have ceated a handwritten index in the back of the volume. The collection also includes an offprint, 'Ignatius Sancho, painted by Gainsborough, at Bath, November 29th 1768', which was inserted in the volume.

The collection contains twelve letters from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson and three letters to Reverend Seth Ellis Stevenson. It includes five letters from Ignatius Sancho’s daughter Elizabeth Sancho and two letters from his son William Leach Sancho all to William Stevenson after their father’s death. The collection also contains a note describing the painting of Ignatius Sancho by Gainsborough that must have been previously attached to the portrait, which was owned by the Stevenson family.

The letters include:

Fifteen letters from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson and Reverend Seth Stevenson

1.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 26th November 1776 and opens with Sancho quoting Young and Shakespeare. The letter concerns his happiness at Stevenson’s recovery from illness, his perceptions of the people of Hull, the news that Monsieur Barallet has opened an Academy on St Albans Street and that his friend Lincoln has returned to town. It has been published as LETTER XVIII in Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African but has been dated wrongly as 1774.

2.) Part of the end of a letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 24th October 1777 in which he apologises for the delay in replying to Stevenson and describes how he discussed with John Meheux the differences in his own letter writing style with that of Stevenson. The beginning of the letter and this portion has been published as LETTER LIV in Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African but one line is missing from the original letter.

3.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 22nd October 1778 in which Ignatius Sancho relates that de Groote has to wait for a fresh quarter before he can be admitted in to Charter House and the deaths of the Charles Douglas, 3rd duke of Queensberry and Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, Earl of Lincoln. It has been published as LETTER LXXIX in Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African.

4.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 19th December 1778, which concerns the puzzle that was the last letter he was sent and asks Stevenson to send a more intelligible letter in reply.

5.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 14th November 1778 in which he relates that he has received the money, that he was pleased to hear of Stevenson’s success, that his brother Priddie has gone and that Highmore is doing well. It has been published as LETTER CXIII in Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African but has been dated wrongly as 1779 and is missing two lines and a section of the postscript from the original letter.

6.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to Reverend Seth Ellis Stevenson, dated 5th December 1778, which concerns his gratitude for the provisions he has received from Reverend Stevenson. It has been published as LETTER CXVI in Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African but has been dated wrongly as 1779 and is missing the postscript from the original letter.

7.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 5th December 1778 in which he relates that Cummings and Squire Highmore are doing well and asks Stevenson to give his love and respects to Mr and Mrs Brown, Mr and Mrs Simons and Mr and Mrs Osborn.

8.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 14th December 1778, in which he mentions a proposal offered to Stevenson and relates the embarrassment he felt at receiving the basket from Stevenson’s parents. It has been published as LETTER CXVII in Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African but has been dated wrongly as 1779 and is missing ten lines and the postscript from the original letter.

9.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to Reverend Seth Ellis Stevenson, dated January 4th 1779 concerning an order of goods.

10.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to Reverend Seth Ellis Stevenson, dated 14th January 1779 in which he thanks Reverend Stevenson for paying his bill and wishes that more clergymen were like Reverend Stevenson.

11.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 11th March 1779 in which he praises his wife, relates the deaths of his daughter Kitty and the artist John Hamilton Mortimer and explains that he is intending to hold a dinner for his friend brother Osborn. It has been published as LETTER LXXXVIII in Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African but is missing three lines from the original letter.

12.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 1st April 1779 in which he criticises the Irish trade situation and expresses pride for being from Africa-‘I am Sir an Affrican- with two ffs if you please-& proud am I to be of a country that knows no Politicians- nor Lawyers’.

13.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 16th November 1779 in which he explains why he hasn’t written, relates that Stevenson’s father has sent a basket of provisions and asks after Squire Green and his pretty daughter. It has been published as LETTER CXIV in Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African but the line, ‘Blessed times for a poor Blacky grocer to hang or drown in!’ has been added in to the published version and one line of the postscript is missing from the original letter. The original letter also includes a short letter by J.H. [John Highmore]

14.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 4th January 1780 in which he wishes Stevenson a Happy New Year. It has been published as LETTER CXXVI in Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African.

15.) Letter from Ignatius Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 18th August 1780 in which he enquires whether Stevenson was in London and wishes for a reply to his last letter. It has been reproduced in John Ralph Willis’ article ‘New Light on the Life of Ignatius Sancho: Some Unpublished Letters’ in Slavery and Abolition. A Journal of Comparative Studies 1:3 (Franc Cass 1980)

Five manuscript letters from Elizabeth Sancho to William Stevenson

1.) Letter from Elizabeth Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 26th May 1818 in which she thanks her three friends William Stevenson, Elizabeth Scott (nee Montagu), duchess of Buccleuch and Mr and Mrs John Meheux from saving her from want.

2.) Letter from Elizabeth Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 1st June 1818 in which she accepts Stevenson’s kind offer and regrets that she can’t share the news with their mutual friends Mr and Mrs John Meheux.

3.) Letter from Elizabeth Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 23rd July 1818 in which she thanks Stevenson for the half years annuity he brought to her last Saturday.

4.) Letter from Elizabeth Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 9th May 1819 but written by her cousin expressing Elizabeth Sancho’s thanks for Stevenson’s annuity and informing him that she is moving to live with her cousin William Priddie Lyon.

5.) Letter from Elizabeth Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 29th February 1820 in which she presents her father’s portrait to William Stevenson. The letter has been reproduced in John Ralph Willis’ article ‘New Light on the Life of Ignatius Sancho: Some Unpublished Letters’ in Slavery and Abolition. A Journal of Comparative Studies 1:3 (Franc Cass 1980)

Two manuscript letters from William Leach Sancho, bookseller to William Stevenson

1.) Letter from William Leach Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 11th October 1808 concerning Stevenson’s incomplete set of volumes by Gough.

2.) Letter from William Leach Sancho to William Stevenson, dated 14th February 1809 concerning his financial difficulties and thanking Stevenson for thinking of him in respect of the purchase of libraries.