Letters from John Somers and Charles Townsend [to William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire]

Scope and Content

This small group of letters is probably written to the 2nd Duke of Devonshire.

John Somers writes firstly concerning his own and the Bishop of Oxford and other Worstershire men's concern that a man called Palmer who was sentenced to death for the murder of his mother will seek and be granted a reprieve, delaying his execution.

In his second letter he writes concering an affair in which he has been asked to be involved, but which he feels he cannot be part of as he does not have any connection to the county or people it concerns. He suggests the Duke of Bolton may be better suited to help.

The third letter from Charles Townsend is somewhat cryptic [possibly relating to the Peace of Utrecht]. In it he writes of the sentiments of "our friends" in the Duke coming to town and the French ministers' answers coming from Utrecht regarding a matter undisclosed. He also mentions the intelligence for "this case" being uncertain and friends at Newmarket having the affair of the peace too much at heart to be absent at this critical juncture.