Preserved in the Sotherton-Estcourt family papers are a small bundle of letters written in the first quarter of the eighteenth century to Elizabeth Hodges of Shipton Moyne by men offering themselves as potential suitors.1Glos.C.R.O. D1571/F127 - catalogued as to Edith Hodges, but the dates make clear that they are directed to her daughter. These letters throw an interesting light on marriage negotiations in the period, involving a mature spinster of independent fortune.
Elizabeth Hodges, the eldest child of Thomas Hodges and his wife Edith Estcourt, was born in 1687. Her father was the head of the second wealthiest family in Shipton Moyne and her mother came from the wealthiest. Elizabeth had two younger brothers. Her father died in 1696 and Thomas, the elder of her brother's, died in 1708. Neither left a will. In 1717 her mother Edith left Elizabeth £2,000 'as my Legacy and in sattisfaction of all her part and shares of her Father and Brothers personall Estates who both dyed intestate'.2P.R.O. PROB11/557 This was not a large fortune, but the money was under Elizabeth's own control. Four years later the death of her surviving brother, Estcourt, left Elizabeth the mistress of a manor house in Shipton Moyne and an estate worth around £1,000 per annum.3In the court cases subsequent to her own death in 1724, Elizabeth's income per annum was assessed at between £900 and £1,200 per annum and her personal estate between £1,700 and £3,000. As is clear from the letters, her independent wealth was a considerable attraction to Elizabeth's suitors.
Letter 1 reveals something of the process of courtship. The potential suitor has heard good reports of Elizabeth, called at Shipton Moyne and looked her over and then writes seeking permission to be accepted as a suitor. This procedure seems to have been short-circuited by Ralph Neville (letters 2 and 3), who apparently proposed himself as a suitor on the basis of third-hand reports alone. These letters are particularly informative, since Neville described his position and prospects to Elizabeth and sought her approval before a personal interview. By contrast John Ellis (letters 4-6) was a former member of the Shipton Moyne household. Of a lower social position than Elizabeth, Ellis claimed the strength of his love as justification for proposing himself as a prospective husband. The final letter is a curious example of doggrel poetry, apparently sent by a rejected lover.
Transcription policy: Spelling and punctuation are preserved, but abbreviations expanded and original line breaks ignored. Supplied text resulting from damage to the original is indicated by square brackets [thus].
| Print version | First letter |