| Title: | R. Hewitt, Ballymena, to Earl Hillsborough, London. |
|---|---|
| ID | 1426 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Hewitt, Robert/122 |
| Year | 1790 |
| Sender | Hewitt, Robert |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | postmaster |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Ballymena, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland |
| Destination | London, England |
| Recipient | Earl Hillsborough |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | Mr. Hewitt runs the post office located |
| Source | D 607/b/28b: Deposited by The Marquess of Downshire. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, N. Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9802535 |
| Date | 06/12/1790 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LET |
| Log | Document added by LT, 09:02:98. |
| Word Count | 290 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | The Right Honble [Honourable?] The Earl of Hillsborough London Ballymena DE 8 Hewitt Postmaster Ballymena Post Office at Ballymena The 6th Decemr 1790 To the Most Illustrious the Earl of Hillsborough My Lord Finding the Post Office at Ballymena not to be sufficient for Bread for my Family, from what your Lordship were pleased to say to me at Dromore, I make bold to make my necessity Known to your Lordship, I have no more my Lord than 20 yearly to support my Little family, now My Lord as I have served under Government for over 10 years and would be willing with many Blessing to your Lordship to take a place Either in Ireland or England or if your Lordship could not procure a place in Either of those Kingdoms, under your Lordships protection I would go to Nova Scotia in America as I have a Brother that is a Loyalist and now living there in the province of New Brunswick nigh to the new city of St. John, so if your Lordship would be so good as to take this in Hand and send me with my little Family there in the Spring, your Lordship would have this place that I now Hold to serve a friend at Home, therefore My good Lord Hillsborough when your Lordship thinks of the Hardships I Labour under to keep a House with so small a Salary, I hope your Lordship will think pardon what I have said and take it to good Consideration, and I make Bold to look your Lordships answer which I trust in God shall be a favourable one if so I shall be in Duty bound to pray for your Lordships good success in all things and also for your Lordships good family I am my good Lord your Lordships Most Attentive and very Humle. St [Humble Servant?] Robert Hewitt [Footnote to the above added by A. W. Graham, 14 Park Drive, Holywood, Co. Down, BT18 9LW. I transcribed the above letter and noted from my own records the following which confirms that the Ballymena postmaster Robert Hewitt left his post in 1791.] [Post Office Archives Reference POST 59/25 (1801) notes Thomas Leared [Laird?] postmaster of Ballymena in 1801 at annual salary 30.10.0 and was appointed in 1791.] ['Old Ballymena' [a history of the town?] published by the Ballymena Observer Paper [Newspaper?] Office in 1857 noted a John Laird as postmaster & his involvement in the 1798 Rebellion.] |
