MS John Rylands Library, Manchester, FA1/7/838
My dear Dr Freeman,
How very kind in you, and as you say what a pity I did not know of it in time The history of the thing is this one of the sons of my very old friend, Sir William Heathcote is in Allens firm – He asked me to write one of their eminent women series and as I know Roberts’s history as one knows the Sunday books of one’s youth, I took H More, helped out by her works and the Mendip annals of Patty’s journals – and got what help I could from Tyntesfield, the ‘Bleeding Rock’ is in the grounds there, and Nailsea in sight from the windows.1 I found Roberts had arranged the letters wrongly, by comparison with Patty’s journal- Wilberforce’s life and public events -Now the book has been in the printers’ hands about six months. I have only had one sheet in proof for they only print these books when they have nothing else to do – And there is a sharp Editor, who evidently did not like the touches of improvement I put in.1 So I am afraid that besides ‘mon liège est ecrit [‘] I could not even alter or add much.
But I promised to write for the National society which is dealing in a superior kind of tales for reward books, a story taking Hannah’s work from the scholar’s point of view, making a hero of some youth interfering with the fighting & throwing constables down coal pits-2
I should be very glad to pick up some information and scenery useful in that line, but I can’t begin till next year, and if I can avail myself of your help in that way, I shall be very grateful. I was at Oxford in April, but I do not think you were there then- Was Somerleaze one of Hannah’s villages? Or did they pelt her out
Yours very sincerely
C M Yonge
My kind regards to all your party