| Description | Gives an account of the death of Alexander Stevenson, Mr. Steel’s cousin. The widow wishes him to communicate the news to Stevenson’s brother. (Directed to Quarry House, near Halifax.)
Soho, near Birmingham, November 4th 1810.
Sir,
I am sorry to inform you that your cousin Mr. Alexander Stevenson, who had recently engaged in the service of Mr. Boulton in the capacity of a gardener, and had just removed his family to this place, met with an accident as he was travelling by the mail coach from Preston to Liverpool, having been at the former place and some other in that neighbourhood to look out fruit trees for a new garden which is forming here; after languishing for ten days at the Crown Inn, Red Cross Street, Liverpool, he died, and has left a widow with five children (and near her down-lying) to bemoan his loss. On the first news of the accident, which was communicated by the landlord of the inn, Mr. Boulton wrote to his friends Messrs. Whitehouse & Galan, merchants at Liverpool, to request their good offices on the occasion, by seeing that every care and attention was paid to the unhappy man and the best possible advice obtained, which was done by those gentlemen with an assiduity that does them great credit. Mr. Jardine and Mr. Ellison were employ’d, and visited him three or four times every day, bestowing a degree of attention to the case far beyond the common duties of their profession. Great praise is also due to Mr. and Mrs. Acton of the Crown Inn for the very tender care they took to promote Mr. Stevenson’s ease and comfort during his illness, and in the arranging for his interment, all which could not be done without great sacrifices on their part, it being a travellers’ inn. I was appointed by Mr. Boulton, on the expectation of your cousin’s decease when a mortification had commenced, to go down to Liverpool and see him decently interr’d which was done in the churchyard of St. Peter’s, and after discharging the bills I return’d home a few days ago.
The sad news was broke by degrees, and with great delicacy, to Mrs. Stevenson, so that the violence of the shock was in some measure diminished; but still she is, as you may suppose, very unhappy.
If Mr. Stevenson’s brother resides in your part of the country, the widow requests you will communicate to him the contents of this letter, or drop me a line to inform me of his address. At any rate the favor of a line will be some satisfaction to her.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Wm. Cheshire
Mr. Steel,
Quarry House,
near Halifax,
Mrs. Stevenson will thank you to find her what information you can respecting Mr. Stevenson’s parish; Mr. Drake can probably inform you if he gained a settlement in the parish of Rochdale. If not, query whether he obtained a settlement at Hollingwood while liv[ing there]. |