| Description | Ann Mynd was born in 1763, the daughter of Matthew Boulton’s sister Catherine, and Thomas Mynd. From 1787 to 1794 she acted as housekeeper at Soho House, until she married Thomas Holbrook, a copper merchant from near Swansea. Holbrook died young, and by 1804, Ann had married one Rev. Mr. Davis.
An addition by Matthew Robinson Boulton in the Catalogue of Papers in M. B.’s Counting Room records the following bundle:
Mynd, A., Holbrook, Davis
Under Matthew Robinson Boulton’s arrangement this bundle was placed in tin box AIV. The Rough Catalogue of circa 1820 records the following correspondence in box AIV:
A. Mynd
….
Holbrook
Davis
The Assay Office created a "Holbrook Family" box which contained letters from Ann Holbrook, her husband Thomas, and other members of the Holbrook family. It has been assumed that the letters from James Holbrook (Thomas’ father) and Edward Holbrook came from the General Correspondence, and they have been returned there.
Many of the letters from Thomas concern personal matters, including his approaches to Boulton about marrying Ann Mynd, as well as copper business. His letters have been left with Ann Holbrook’s letters, as the two contemporary catalogue entries noted above are ambiguous, and might mean that Ann Mynd, Mr. Holbrook and Mr. Davis’ letters were originally kept together. The file is now divided as follows:
1-16. Ann Holbrook, later Davis
17-104. Thomas Holbrook
Copy letters are all press copies unless otherwise noted. |