GASKELL RECOMMENDS A YOUNG MAN FOR A CURACY GASKELL (Elizabeth Cleghorn, 1810-1865, Novelist, Author of 'Cranford')

Autograph Letter Signed to "Canon Bideson", recalling that he "was in want of a curate some little time ago, and I have a curate who is very much wanting a situation, in the shape of ... a young man of about 24, Eton, Cambridge, six months in Egypt and the Holy Land, and now very anxious to set to real hard work. His father writes to me 'If you know of a town-curacy to dispose of, I wish you would think of Frederick (Holland). He goes into the Church ... at Christmas and requires a title. A country-curacy he could easily get, but he wishes to begin work in some dense population, so as to become well-versed in hard work and learn something about human nature ... the kind of curacy to which a man is in the first instance appointed very often defines his after-clerico character, so I think him wise in endeavouring to get hard work as a deacon'. His father is a country Squire in Gloucestershire, M.P. for Evesham, and there is a small family living. Fred Holland himself is a very pleasant intelligent, thoughtful young man of excellent character, great in country-sports, & knowledge of all breeds of birds, beasts, stones and flowers. He took a good degree and I should think, belonged to what would be called the 'Broad-High Church'. I should extremely like to think of his working under you, and so I am sure would his father, did he know as much of you as most residents in Manchester do ...", 6 sides 8vo., Craystones Farm, Silversdale, Near Lancaster, 29th July no year but circa

Frederick's father was Edward HOLLAND (1806-1875), Liberal was MP for Evesham from 1855 until 1868.
In 1832 Elizabeth married a Unitarian minister, William Gaskell, in Knutsford. They settled in Manchester, where William was the minister at Cross Street Unitarian Chapel. Manchester's industrial surroundings influenced Elizabeth's writing in the industrial genre.

Item Date:  1860

Stock No:  39383