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We find her( Elizabeth ) writing to her second cousin, Thomas, 1st Baron Dimsdale, the small
pox inoculator, in 1776 on paper rather like greaseproof paper with a fancy blue border. She
shows herself to be an observant traveller and was later to keep a journal of a journey to
Russia in 1781. "Paris 31.th July 1776 Dear Cousin You have my best thanks for your kind Letter received at Deal & the intelligence was very kindly taken. I am extremely glad to find my Cousin (Ann Dimsdale, Thomas Dimsdale's second wife and mother of all his hildren) continues mending & hope the next account will be that she is got down stairs & likewise that you are all well which will give me great pleasure. We arrived here yesterday about two o clock & have had a very pleasant Journey our first Days Journey from Calais was to St Omers where we lay, I saw Major Mrs & Miss Hare? & went to the English College where Master Turton is & he is very well, the next day we got to Lille a very fine Town & so to Valenciennes which is nothing extraordinary & Saturday night lay at St Quintins saw Mr & Mrs Demostier who were extremely polite & civil & invited me very much to lay at their House, St Quintins is a small Place we did not admire it much, but our Journey to Compiegne was very delightful the Country (is) exceeding fine, but Compiegne is a poor place, & nothing extraordinary in it, but the King's hunting Palace which we saw & rode about the Forest where the King hunts which is twenty Miles long, but what I admired the most is a little village near Compiegne called Verberie, The beauties of that valley are inexpressible & the vineyards on the left on the slope of the Hill, indeed alltogether it was the most pleasing prospect I ever saw In regard to Paris I am rather disappointed, tho I have not seen much of it at present Miss Sharpe has hired a Coach as her own Coach will not do here & it is like the Lord Chancellrs Coach with the sides glass I have been out with her in it to the Mercers & the Coachman has a fine large bag wig, really it surprises me not a little to see how everybody is dresst & powderd, Miss Sharpe brought a Hairdresser from England therefore we all are powderd We did not come by Chantilly as the Colonel says he thinks we had better get settled here & rested after our Journey & then go, as it will take us up two Days to see, & it is the finest Place in the World, we are likewise to go to Marlow (Marly), & see the King dine in publick indeed we are to see every thing that is worth notice, & we are at the Hotel de Treville, Tournon Street, Faubourg St Germain I believe the Servants are tired of France for William has made great complaints to me & told me this morning his bed he was sure is straw & never in so bad a bed in his life, dinner is ready which obliges me (to) conclude & am very much afraid this Letter cannot be read, my next shall be wrote on English paper to make it more legible, & must beg you would give my Duty to my Mother & kind love to my Cousin & all Relations & believe me your Affect Cousin E Dimsdale" Thomas replied:- "Augst 11. 76 Dear Cousin I must be obliged to answer your fine french Letter on plain English paper. We were all extremely glad to hear a good Acct of the health of your whole Party & entertained with the amusements that you have already met with, tho I expect they are only the the prelude to far greater of which we expect a full acct on your return I wish it was possible to have a view of you just when you are dressed to wait on the King the Headdress & Rouge which I hope you now wear to appear like other Mortals would be matter of entertainment. I have a good Acct to give of your Cousins health which has mended fast of late insomuch as to spare me to take a journey to Leeds which will occasion an absence of at least 10 Days. All the rest of us very well But you will be sorry to hear that your old favorite Jack has been shot for Madness. He was by all accts most dangerously & violently seized & we think it a great happiness that none of the Children or family were bit & I think it was well that neither you or I who have been foolishly fond of him were in the Way. In respect to home news I can only say that my Br.o has taken Miss Marlbrough(s) House & is about to commence Housekeeper again. I can truly assure you that we shall be all very glad to see you again which we hope will be early in Sep.br at farthest. At present we can only wish you well & drink your health for neither of which you will be one farthing the better. I beg my respectfull Compts to Miss Sharpe & also to the Colonel tho I have not the honor to know him I am Dear Sr Yrs affectionately Dimsdale I saw the Hitchin Family lately I think Yr Brother better the rest well - but there has been & indeed still is a bad fever in Hitchin for which Yr Nephew & his Nurse are now living at Rocksley" After the death of his second wife, Thomas and Elizabeth were married. Thomas the Collector wrote, "He then married his third wife, Elizabeth Dimsdale, who had resided in the family most of her life, at an advanced time of life, of course had not any children by her". She was a good housekeeper and her Commonplace Book survives, containing everything from puddings to practical matters like how to keep vermin from hen houses. There is a mischievous hint of her character in a book called "Paramythia" by the engraver James Walker, who worked in Russia. "There are some folks not to be drilled, persuaded, advised, or even thumpt into good breeding, and the observance of the common received forms of society. I think such had better be treated as I have sometimes seen a country fellow treat an obstinate calf or pig, drive him the wrong way, that he may go the right. Tell any loquacious person you have reason to fear will commit himself, to talk and chatter away, for he is very amusing and clever, and ten to one you keep him silent���.. such is the perverseness of human nature, and more particularly the error of women than men. Oh! that some I have seen, who were virtuous wives, kind and good mothers, prudent and careful house keepers, had but had the good sense to have held their tongues, when lifted, by the success of their husbands, into situations their early expectations in life never could lead them to expect. How many domestic broils would they have avoided, and how much they would have been esteemed by their husbands, children, and all around them. Pardon me, ye sweet partners of social life; ye, whose soft endearments form the solace, comfort, and happiness, of labouring, afflicted, troubled man, in this best of all possible worlds; pardon this single twig of birch; it shall be tied up with any coloured riband you choose to select, so that ye promise it need never more be used. When Baron Dimsdale was about to leave Russia, after having, with so much success, introduced the blessing of inoculation throughout that extensive empire, Her Majesty, the Empress Catherine so nobly setting the glorious example in her own person, by daring to undergo the operation, which was successfully performed by the Baron, who, for that, acquired his title and an ample fortune. His wife, grateful for the flavours bestowed on him by the empress, naturally became desirous to see Her Majesty, and pour out her acknowledgements before her. This (as I have heard) was somewhat opposed by the baron, he knowing the baroness was more to be admired for the warmth of her honest feelings, than her knowledge of the graces, etiquette, and forms of a court. She was not, however, to be denied; and the Empress, being apprised of her wishes, appointed a day to receive her ladyship. The lady went; the baron, in fear and trembling, accompanied her; and as he feared, so it fell out. The gratitude of his honoured spouse so far got the better of her good breeding, that when Her Majesty entered the saloon, instead of half kneeling to kiss the hand held out with so much grace, she flew towards her like a tiger, and almost smothered the poor empress with hugging and kissing. As soon as the suffering sovereign could disengage herself, and shake her feathers, after so rude and boisterous an embrace, she walked on smiling, and told the baron that madame son epouse was tres aimable; and to her attendants she very coolly said Ces choses arrivent quelque fois. Your wife is truly amiable; and to her attendants, such things will occasionally happen." Elizabeth herself wrote a somewhat different account of this event. |
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Thomas, 1st Baron, writes to John on the occasion of his marriage to John's eldest sister Elizabeth. "I must now address you by a new Name that of Dear Brother & just say that we are got to Hertford & should be glad to see you & Sister when it may suit you to spend a Day with us not as a matter of form but when quite convenient. The desire I had to make sure of a Companion for Life of the Person I esteemed the most of any one in the World & the certainty of its being agreeable to my whole Family were my inducements & I hope as reasonable as a Man at my Time of Life can give - The reason for its being precipitated I dare say your Sister has informed you & I have now the additional satisfaction of assuring you that, as expected, every one of your Cousins have assured me that they are perfectly well pleased with the Event./ The Spare Rib you was so kind to send was eat twice by the Dr his Wife & we two & agreed to be some of the finest meat of the kind we ever tasted. Our kind Loves wait on you Sister & William & if it should be agreable (sic) to Dine with us on Saturday or Sunday we expect to be at Home but desire you would not put yourselves to any inconvenience Yr Affectionate Bro, Dimsdale" |
| "Died in Fore Street Hertford on the 16th October 1812 and was buried at the Quaker burial ground close to the end of her husband's grave, above 7 ft deep on purpose on Monday 26th October in a leaden coffin. It is supposed that the depth was made to allow of her relations being placed above her coffin." Written by Thomas, the youngest son of the 1st Baron. |