This letter demonstrates that nothing is simple in the “affairs” of the heart.

The letter reads as follows and the spelling and punctuation is as per the letter.

To:                 Miss Reid, at Mrs. Sampson’s, No 421 Rose Street, Edinburgh.

From:             Thomas Brown, Colinsburgh

Dated:            Sunaday 20^th October 1839.

Dear Ann,

I received a letter from you this last week quarriling me for spending a whole night and day with some women in Colinsburgh which i deney most strongly but to satisfy you i will tell you all about it which you will surly believe when i tell you the truth.  although you say you can not belive me now nevertheless i will tell you the truth which i can stand till.  I came up to Leith in the Largo boat to get some goods to send home with the Largo packet and called upon the skipper of her first of all.  but in coming up in the boat i meet in with Mrs Anderson wife of William Anderson, son of Robert Anderson that was in Lundinmill.  she and i went as far as the harbour together where i left her when i went to the Packet but in coming through Newhaven i saw Miss Ledgerwood standing at the window looking out and saw me pass she must have known me and told you all that stuff for i  stoped in Leith all night after that being too late to come to Edinburgh to see you so i stopped with the Skipper and came in the morning so i could have no time to come in any other than like a school Boy sent a message.  but saying all that nonsense anone sille i shall have occasion to be in Edinburgh this week about Thursday and shall call and settle all these differences as i think you will not have left your lodgings by that time i will call there and then you and i will have an oppertunity of arranging matters.  I have sent you one £ sterling by this which you will receive enclosed.

                   Yours truly

                                      Thos Brown

         I have included this item as I find both the topic and the use of language fascinating.  The topic appears to be the age old question of honesty and faithfulness between a man and a woman.  I this case Thomas Brown appears to have been seen by a Miss Ledgerwood of Leith to have been in the company of a woman, namely Mrs Anderson, and this appears to have been reported to Ann Reid.  Clearly Thomas Brown is suggesting that the meeting was innocent in (a) advising that he left Mrs Anderson at the harbour, (b) reminding Miss Reid that Mrs Anderson was married a person known to him and (c) advising that he stayed overnight with the Skipper.  What I cannot really understand is why he stayed overnight in Leith as the only explanation offered by him is that it was “too late to come to Edinburgh” although there is no suggestion that the apparently planned trip to Leith and Edinburgh met with any delay in passage.  It also appears that Thomas Brown went on to Edinburgh the following day and met with Miss Reid although she only becomes aware of his “stop over” after she receives a letter from Miss Ledgerwood.  This suggests to me that Miss Reid was never advised by Thomas Brown that he had stayed overnight in Leith.  Guilt?

       As to the language I find it strange that Thomas Brown can correctly spell relatively difficult words such as “through”, “too” and “received” yet cannot manage simple words like “Sunday” (Sunaday), “deny” (deney) and “silly” (sille).   I regret that I cannot adequately identify any of the named persons and cannot therefore comment on their background or social standing.  I can however offer some possibilities in respect of the contents, although this is pure speculation.