GAJS.COM Web Catalogue William Wordsworth

WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM. (1770-1850). English romantic poet. Manuscript Letter Signed, “Wm. Wordsworth.” Two pages, quarto. “Trinity Lodge, Cambridge,” April 23, 1828. Good condition. Addressed on integral address leaf to “Dr. Hamilton, St. Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh.” Wordsworth writes:

“My dear Sir, I much regret I should have left home before the arrival of your obliging letter as you must have been disappointed in not receiving an earlier answer. May I beg that any future letter to which this business may give rise may be addressed to me Stamp Office Rydal in which case it will be instantly attended to by my clerk (during my absence) who is complete master of everything that concerns this office. If the securities be very doubtful it would be better not to pay upon them till the sums are actually received, but if there be a likelihood of their recovery it would be best to pay upon them at once — in either case they should appear in the account. The return if made either to me or to my … — Mr. Garnett of Penrith, is in fact made to the Commissioners of the head office: London, the letter to which you allude is a form of the office. The duties may be paid either to Mr. Garrett or myself as most convenient. Be so kind as to say to Mrs. Hamilton with my best regards that at this distance from home I am unable to reply to her query, but if she is anxious about it, Mr. Peile will be able at once to refer to the deed and give a satisfactory answer. I remain my dear sir your much obliged Wm. Wordsworth.”

Soon after moving to Rydal Mount in 1813, William Wordsworth accepted a post as Distributor of Stamps for the Westmorland and Perith area of Cumberland. While some writers, including Shelley and Robert Browning, mocked him and labeled the formerly radical Wordsworth a ‘turncoat’ for taking the lucrative government position, his fame continued to increase among the general public for the remainder of his life. Ultimately, he ignored the attacks of his fellow artists and retained his position as Distributor of Stamps until he was named Poet Laureate in 1842. Over the many years Wordsworth lived and worked at Rydal Mount, he published numerous works, including his Guide through the District of the Lakes (1820) and “Mutability” (1822). During this same period, he was also expanding and revising what is today considered his masterwork, the posthumously published autobiographical poem The Prelude (1850).


WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM. (1770-1850). English romantic poet. Manuscript Letter Signed, “Wm. Wordsworth.” Two pages, quarto. “Trinity Lodge, Cambridge,” April 23, 1828. Good condition. Addressed on integral address leaf to “Dr. Hamilton, St. Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh.” Wordsworth writes: “My dear Sir, I much regret I should have left home before the arrival of your obliging letter as you must have been disappointed in not receiving an earlier answer. May I beg that any future letter to which this business may give rise may be addressed to me Stamp Office Rydal in which case it will be instantly attended to by my clerk (during my absence) who is complete master of everything that concerns this office. If the securities be very doubtful it would be better not to pay upon them till the sums are actually received, but if there be a likelihood of their recovery it would be best to pay upon them at once — in either case they should appear in the account. The return if made either to me or to my … — Mr. Garnett of Penrith, is in fact made to the Commissioners of the head office: London, the letter to which you allude is a form of the office. The duties may be paid either to Mr. Garrett or myself as most convenient. Be so kind as to say to Mrs. Hamilton with my best regards that at this distance from home I am unable to reply to her query, but if she is anxious about it, Mr. Peile will be able at once to refer to the deed and give a satisfactory answer. I remain my dear sir your much obliged Wm. Wordsworth.” Soon after moving to Rydal Mount in 1813, William Wordsworth accepted a post as Distributor of Stamps for the Westmorland and Perith area of Cumberland. While some writers, including Shelley and Robert Browning, mocked him and labeled the formerly radical Wordsworth a ‘turncoat’ for taking the lucrative government position, his fame continued to increase among the general public for the remainder of his life. Ultimately, he ignored the attacks of his fellow artists and retained his position as Distributor of Stamps until he was named Poet Laureate in 1842. Over the many years Wordsworth lived and worked at Rydal Mount, he published numerous works, including his Guide through the District of the Lakes (1820) and “Mutability” (1822). During this same period, he was also expanding and revising what is today considered his masterwork, the posthumously published autobiographical poem The Prelude (1850). For more details or to buy this item, please contact us. $2,500
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