Letters of the Booth family of Twemlow
Scope and Contents
The letters of the Booth family of Twemlow consist of two series of letters from different generations of the family: the first contains letters from William Booth (b. 1602) to his brother, John Booth (1584-1659), and the second comprises letters of Thomas Booth (b. 1646) to his brother, another John Booth (1641-1698). In both sets of correspondence, the letters are from younger brothers living away from the family estate in Cheshire (from London, the Netherlands, and France) to elder brothers living at Twemlow and include a mixture of family news, financial business, and accounts of contemporary events.
Series 1 (F.c.6-16): All but one of the letters from William Booth are dated 1628-1629, consisting first of letters from London, where he unsuccessfully seeks service and frequently asks for financial assistance (F.c.6-12), and then from the Netherlands, where he is a soldier (F.c.13-15). The letters from the Netherlands offer contemporary accounts of English military actions against Spanish forces. In one much later letter (F.c.16), written from Calais in 1647, William refers to his continued military activity and ongoing request of financial assistance. John Booth's draft replies appear on several of the letters (F.c.7, F.c.9, and F.c.16), as well as a copy of a letter from William Morton to Thomas Morton, then bishop of Lichfield (F.c.6).
Series 2 (F.c.17-34): The letters from Thomas Booth, all sent from London "by the Brereton Bagg" (the post bag bound for Brereton in Cheshire), include a mixture of family and business matters with news of the political situation. Thomas writes to his brother concerning his nephew John's development, commenting on prices of goods, and relating the latest political turmoil of the 1680s.
Dates
- 1628-1689
Creator
- Booth, William, 1602- (Person)
- Booth, Thomas, 1646- (Person)
Language of Materials
In English.
Availability
Collection is open for research.
Biographical/Historical note
The Booths (alternately Bouth) of Twemlow were descended from Edward Booth, a younger son of Sir William Booth of Dunham-Massey, who settled at Twemlow in Cheshire following Edward Booth's marriage to Mary Knutsford in 1520. The male line of this branch of the Booth family became extinct in 1775, although descendants in the female line took the name of Booth upon inheriting the Twemlow estates.
John Booth (1584-1659) and William Booth (b. 1602) were Edward Booth's great-grandsons. John Booth succeeded his father (also John (d. 1620)) as lord of the manor at Twemlow and became a distinguished genealogist who amassed a sizeable collection of Cheshire pedigrees.
John Booth died unmarried, and his estates passed to his brother Lawrence (1599-1662). Lawrence's sons included John (1641-1698), his heir and successor, and his youngest son, Thomas (b. 1646).
Extent
28.0 items
Abstract
The letters of the Booth family of Twemlow consist of two series of letters from different generations of the family: the first contains letters from William Booth (b. 1602) to his brother, John Booth (1584-1659), and the second comprises letters of Thomas Booth (b. 1646) to his brother, another John Booth (1641-1698). The letters intersperse discussion of family and business matters with contemporary accounts of military and political events.
Arrangement
Arranged in two series: 1) letters from William Booth (b. 1602) to John Booth (1584-1659) and 2) letters from Thomas Booth (b. 1646) to John Booth (1641-1698). Each series is further arranged chronologically.
Acquisition Information
Acquired from P.M. Hill in 1956.
- Booth, John, 1584?-1659
- Booth, John, 1641-1698
- Charles II, King of England, 1630-1685
- Eighty Years' War (Netherlands : 1568-1648)
- Great Britain
- James II, King of England, 1633-1701
- Letters (correspondence)
- Manuscripts (documents)
- Mary II, Queen of England, 1662-1694
- Morton, Thomas, 1564-1659
- Netherlands
- Seventeenth century
- Soldiers
- William III, King of England, 1650-1702
- Title
- Guide to Letters of the Booth family of Twemlow Folger MS F.c.6-34
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Nadia Seiler
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Folger Shakespeare Library Repository
201 E. Capitol St. SE
Washington DC 20003 USA