The
marks on this fragile, folded sheet of paper (approximately A4 size), with a
wax seal, appear hard to decipher but they tell an interesting local story.The front of the letter is addressed to –
Mr Thomas Swift
Hobart Town
Vandamans Land
Ship Letter
It is stamped first “BURTON ON TRENT 24 JA 1840” ( i.e. January) and over-stamped “PAID” It is then stamped “PAID SHIP LETTER LONDON 25 JA 1840” with the royal crown.
The reverse of the letter states “cannot be found” and is stamped first “GENERAL POST OFFICE SYDNEY JY 15 1840” (i.e. July) then “SHIP LETTER 28 JY 1840”
It thus appears that the letter spent its first six months on voyage to Australia and when undelivered returns to England.
We know that Thomas Swift was formerly the licensee of the Bell Inn in Horninglow Street, Burton and that his wife was a sister of Thomas Robinson of Rolleston.
The text of the letter reads as below and the original spelling has been retained. There is very little punctuation and / marks have been inserted to indicate the probable sentence structure. The letter is written in a fine copperplate hand and the mix of correct and incorrect spelling and grammar indicates a basic education for the writer.
We are grateful to Mrs Jeanette Robinson for making a copy of the letter available from her family papers.