Add MS 72856

PETTY PAPERS. VOL. VII. Letters from Petty to his wife, Elizabeth (née Waller, widow of Sir Maurice Fenton, 1st Bart.); 1672-1685. The letters were written during separations, chiefly while Petty was in Ireland, and accordingly they cover only 19 March-27 Aug. 1672, 24 April-26 July 1675, 24 May 1679-2 June 1682 (intermittently), 27 May 1683-22 April 1684, and 16 May-1 June 1685. Several are written partly or wholly in the hands of amanuenses, including Lady Petty's brothers, Thomas and James Waller, and sister, Bridget Cadogan. The letters contain many references to the upbringing of Petty's children and to his business affairs, with enclosures concerning the ironworks at Glanerought, the accounts of Thomas Waller, a case in the Admiralty court, the Kerry estates and Lady Petty's jointure lands. Also included (f. 120) is a copy of a letter to Dr Robert Wood, 8 Feb. 1681, supplementing those in Petty's letterbook, Add. 72858 below. A copy of a letter from Petty to his wife of 5 April 1684, of which the original does not appear in this volume, is in Add. 72855, f. 10 above, and a few further letters are entered in Petty's letterbooks, including two of June 1675 in Add. 72858. Several excerpts from the letters are printed in Fitzmaurice, Life. The fly-leaves (ff. i-ii) contain a list of the letters by the 6th Marquess of Lansdowne, and a label of James Matthews, 'Sir William Petty's Letters to his Lady between March 1672 and May 1675'. For Petty's directions to his wife and her diary of a journey into Kerry undertaken on his behalf in 1675, see Lansdowne MS 1228, ff. 23-37v. For an item by item list, see Slatter, 'Report', I, pp. 35-43. Formerly Bowood Vol. 5 (James Matthews' Vol. 14).

ff. iii + 245. Mounted on guards and bound in brown leather, in the same style as Add. 72850 and 72851 above, 19th cent. 385 x 270mm.

Sir William Petty, political economist: Elizabeth Petty, née Waller formerly Fenton; wife of Sir W Petty; formerly wife of Sir. M Fenton, 1st Baronet; suo jure (1688) Baroness Shelburne: Letters from Sir W. Petty to his wife: 1672-1685: Partly copies.

includes:

• f. ii James Matthews, librarian to 1st Marquess of Lansdowne: Labels for Sir W. Petty's archive by James Matthews: 1780s.
• f. ii James Matthews, librarian to 1st Marquess of Lansdowne: Notes rel. to arrangement of Petty Papers by James Matthews: 1780s.
• ff. 41, 56-58, 167, 244 Ireland: Accounts: Sir William Petty, political economist: Accounts and papers rel. to Sir W. Petty's Irish estates: 1663-1682, n.d.
• f. 58v Sir Robert Southwell, Secretary of State for Ireland 1690: Letters, etc., from Sir W. Petty to Sir Robert Southwell: 1670-1687: Partly copies.
• ff. 68-71v Charles Petty, 2nd Baron Shelburne: Mary Petty, née Williams; wife of Charles, 2nd Baron Shelburne: Letters to Lord Shelburne from Lady Shelburne: 1691.
• ff. 74-77v Accounts: John Eaton, haberdasher: Bill and subsequent proceedings for debt against Sir W. Petty by John Eaton: 1662-1676.
• ff. 107-109v Matthew Elliston: Ireland; Admiralty: State of case in Admiralty court by Sir. W. Petty rel. to Matthew Elliston: [1679?].
• f. 109v Sir Henry Pollexfen, Chief Justice of Common Pleas: Legal opinion by Sir Henry Pollexfen: [1679?].
• f. 110 Sir William Hedges, merchant: Letter from Sir W. Petty to Sir William Hedges: 1679: Imperf. copy.
• f. 129 Redding, fl. 17th cent: Letter from Sir W. Petty to — Redding: 1674: Copy.
• f. 219 Elizabeth Petty, née Waller formerly Fenton; wife of Sir W Petty; formerly wife of Sir. M Fenton, 1st Baronet; suo jure (1688) Baroness Shelburne: Bridget Cadogan, née Waller; wife of Henry Cadogan: Letter to Lady Petty from Bridget Cadogan: 1684.