autograph letter signed

Among the most difficult items to locate are individual LETTERS
amassed by private collectors.

 A letter from October, 1798. Mr & Mrs Charles Smith had married in the Spring.
Addressed to Charles Smith Esq MP / Suttons near Epping / Essex

I don’t know what terms to search for. You simply cannot do an internet search for ALS, and few seem to use the “official” term of Autograph letter signed. Entire letter seems a useful search term — and yet one can spend mega-hours online looking, for few sellers list who wrote a letter or to whom it was sent. Most collectors pay attention to the postal marks. I’ve been lucky to come into contact with several collectors, each of whom owns a small piece of the Smith&Gosling puzzle.

To make things easier, I long ago posted signatures. I add to them as I obtain more signed letter images.

I’ll use this page to post names and places vitally important to this research. If you come across any of these people, or letters written to or from these estates, please contact me (see author). The main period I am researching covers 1790s-1840s. The earliest letters cover the grandparents and early married years of the parent-generation.

early letters
1790s-1820

to & from
Earlstoke Park, Devizes (Wiltshire)*
Joshua Smith, MP
Sarah Smith (née Gilbert, his wife)
Maria Smith / Lady Compton / Lady Northampton (eldest daughter)
Eliza Smith / Eliza Chute (2nd daughter)
Augusta Smith (3rd daughter)
Emma Smith (4th daughter)

*also spelled Erle Stoke Park and Earl Stoke; also called ‘Stoke’ or ‘Stoke Park’

 other estates during this period

Roehampton Grove (Surry {sic}; also Middlesex)
William Gosling
Margaret Elizabeth Gosling (née Cunliffe) (died 1803)
their children: William Ellis, Robert, Bennett, Elizabeth, Mary
Mrs Sandoz, governess
*
the Hon. Charlotte de Grey (married 1806)
their children: Charlotte and Thomas George

Suttons, near Epping / Rumford {Romford} (Essex)
Charles Smith, MP (died 1814)
Augusta (née Smith, his wife)
their children: Charles, Augusta, Emma, Fanny, Spencer,
Sarah Eliza, Charlotte Judith , Drummond, Maria Louisa
Miss Ramsay, governess
Miss Pond, governess

LONDON
No 5 Portland Place – the William Goslings
No 6 Portland Place – the Charles Smiths
New Norfolk Street – Lady Cunliffe
Norfolk Street – Thomas & Susannah Smith
Great George Street – the Joshua Smiths
No 144 Piccadilly – the Drummond Smiths
No 145 Piccadilly – Sir John & Lady Smith Burgess
Grafton Street – Goslings (prior to Portland Place)
Queen Ann Street – Smiths (prior to Portland Place)

Stratford Grove (Stratford, Essex)
Judith Smith, sister to Charles Smith

The Vine / The Vyne, near Basingstoke (Hampshire)
William John Chute, MP
Eliza Chute (née Smith, his wife)
Thomas Vere Chute, his brother
Caroline Wiggett, adopted niece of William & Eliza

Castle Ashby (Northamptonshire)
Charles Compton, later Marquess of Northampton
Maria Compton (née Smith, his wife)
their children: Frances Elizabeth, Spencer
Lady Frances Compton, Charles’ sister
*
Margaret, Lady Compton (daughter-in-law) (after 1815)

 Oakley Hall (Hampshire)
Mr & Mrs Wither Bramston, sister & brother-in-law to Mr Chute

Tring Park (Hertfordshire)
Drummond Smith
Mary (née Cunliffe, his 1st wife)

Bersted Lodge (Sussex)
Thomas Smith
Susannah (née Mackworth Praed, his wife)

 Other people:

Lady Cunliffe (Mary, widow of Sir Ellis Cunliffe)
Mrs Norman, often at Stoke Park
Mr & Mrs Hicks Beach / Sir William Hicks
Rev. George Austen of Steventon and family (including novelist Jane Austen)
Sir George & Lady Colebrooke
Horatio Nelson
Alexander Davison, of Swarland (brother-in-law of William Gosling)
Mr & Mrs Capel Cure, of Blake Hall
Arabella, Countess Mayo & her husband the Earl of Mayo
Mr & Mrs Charles Scrase Dickins, of Brighton; their son Charles Scrase Dickins
Sir Eliab & Lady Louisa Harvey, of Rolls Park
Mr & Mrs Francis Gosling, of Twickenham
Mr & Mrs Henry Gregg, of Lincoln’s Inn (Mary Gosling’s ‘Aunt Gregg’)
Mrs. Christie and her sons Langham and Charles
Henry Colebrooke and his nieces Belinda and Harriet Colebrooke
Belinda Taaffe, mother of Belinda and Harriet Colebrooke

Other estates / places:
Blandford
Eastwick Park (Surrey) [Smith in 1780s]
Hassiobury (Essex) [Gosling]
Brighton
Horsley (Surrey) [Currie family]
Wells [home of the Bishop of Bath & Wells]
Pickenham (Norfolk) [a Chute estate]
Langley (Buckinghamshire [now: Berkshire]
Hampstead [Colebrooke sisters]
Argyle Street, London [Colebrooke]
The Albany, London [Henry Colebrooke]

***

1820s letters

In 1819, grandpa Joshua Smith died; he and his daughter Emma were the main reasons for writing to and visiting Earlstoke Park. Emma Smith relocated to Hampshire (but she also travelled abroad, a LOT, too). The Earlstoke estate sold out of the family by 1822. Some of the family estates still come into play during the 1820s, but as the older generation died, their estates sometimes went to other family members – and sometimes were sold.

Roehampton Grove (Surry, spelled Surry)
William Gosling
the Hon. Charlotte Gosling
their children: William Ellis, Robert, Bennett, Elizabeth, Mary,
Charlotte, Thomas George
Mrs Sandoz, governess

Suttons, Stapleford Tawney (Essex)
Augusta, Mrs. Smith (widow of Charles Smith)
their children:
Sir Charles Joshua Smith, baronet (from 1816)
Augusta, Emma, Fanny, Spencer,
Sarah Eliza, Charlotte Judith , Drummond, Maria Louisa
Miss Susan Macdougall, governess
Miss Helen Macdougall, governess
*
1823-1825:
Lady Smith, née Belinda Colebrooke
*
1826-onwards:
Lady Smith, née Mary Smith
children of Sir Charles & Lady Smith:
Charles Cunliffe Smith
Mary (“Mimi”) Smith

LONDON
No 5 Portland Place – the William Goslings
No 6 Portland Place – Mrs. Smith and younger children
Fludyer Street – Lady Frances Compton

Stratford Grove (Stratford, Essex)
Judith Smith, sister to Charles Smith

The Vine / The Vyne, near Basingstoke (Hampshire)
William Chute, MP (died 1824)
Eliza Chute (née Smith, his wife)
Thomas Vere Chute, his brother (died 1827)
Caroline Wiggett, adopted niece of William & Eliza

Castle Ashby (Northamptonshire)
Lord Northampton, 9th Earl and 1st Marquess
Lady  Northampton
their daughter: Frances Elizabeth
visiting:
their son & daughter-in-law: Lord Compton, Lady Compton
the Compton children: Charles, Marianne, William
Lady Frances Compton (Lord Northampton’s sister)

Tring Park (Hertfordshire), after 1827
Mrs. Smith (“Mamma”)
her children: Augusta, Emma, Fanny, Spencer,
Eliza, Charlotte, Drummond, Maria
Miss Helen Macdougall, governess
Miss Eliza Ashley, governess
*
after December 1828:
James Edward Austen Leigh (Emma’s husband)

Bersted Lodge (near Bognor, Sussex)
Thomas Smith (died 1821)
Susannah Smith (widow of Thomas Smith)
Countess of Mayo (sister to Mrs. T. Smith)
Earl of Mayo (Arabella’s husband)

Sydney House (Southampton, Hampshire)
later: Glenville House (Southampton)
Miss (Emma) Smith

Stoke Park (Sussex)
Charles Scrase Dickins
Elizabeth Dickins (née Devall, his wife)
their son: Charles Scrase Dickins

***

1830s letters

Now the children were marrying – and moving into their own homes and buying their own estates.

Roehampton Grove (Surry, spelled Surry)
William Gosling (died 1834)
the Hon. Charlotte Gosling (died 1838)
their children: Charlotte and Thomas George
Mrs Sandoz, governess

Suttons, Stapleford Tawney (Essex)
Sir Charles Joshua Smith, bart (died 1831)
Lady Smith (widow of Sir Charles)
her children: Sir Charles Cunliffe Smith, bart;
Mary (“Mimi”) Smith; Augusta Smith

LONDON
No 5 Portland Place – after 1834: Robert Gosling & family
No 6 Portland Place – Mrs. Smith and younger children
Harley Street – Denis Le Marchant & Sarah Eliza (née Smith)
Cavendish Square – Arthur Currie & Charlotte (née Smith)

Tring Park (Hertfordshire), until 1834
Mrs. Smith (“Mamma”)
Mr. and Mrs James Edward Austen
their children: Cholmeley, “Amy” (Emma Cassandra), Edward
Mrs. Smith’s children: Fanny, Spencer,
Eliza, Charlotte, Drummond, Maria
Miss Eliza Ashley, governess

Mapledurham House (Berkshire), after October 1834
Mrs. Smith (“Mamma”)
her daughter: Maria

Purley (Berkshire) / Sulham (Berkshire)
Rev. Henry Watson Wilder
Augusta Wilder (née Smith, his wife)
their sons: Frederick and Henry Beaufoy Wilder

Kinwarton (Warwickshire)
Rev. Richard Seymour
Fanny Seymour (née Smith, his wife)
& their growing family

Brooklands (Hampshire), late 1830s
Spencer Smith
Frances  (née Seymour, his wife)
& their growing family

*
they also lived at other estates, including Cadlington

Blendworth (Hampshire)
Lady Seymour

Cobham (Surrey)
the Le Marchants

Preston Deanery (Northamptonshire)
Langham Christie
Margaret Elizabeth (née Gosling)

Botleys (Surrey), after 1826
Robert Gosling
Georgina Vere Gosling (née Sullivan)
& their growing family

*