177 



l3orot1^g "l^ernon. 



By a. E. Cockayne. 



N the course of transmission of books and papers from 

 old to new offices by a firm of solicitors in Bakewell, 

 a quantity of old papers were discovered of con- 

 siderable value and importance. A cursory look 

 through them revealed one document which is apparently unique ; 

 no writing of the celebrated Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall 

 being hitherto known to exist ; not even the searches of the 

 Historical MSS. Commission at Belvoir having unearthed any 

 such document. 



The paper to which I now allude is a quarto single sheet, 

 written on both sides, and is a letter written by Dorothy Manners 

 (Dorothy Vernon having married John Manners) to the then 

 agent of the Haddon estate, Mr. Swan. 



There is a good deal of character in the style of writing in 

 the signature, though that of the letter itself rather points to 

 a later date than that of Dorothy Manners. Yet the style of 

 its diction, and particularly its subscription, "Your trew frind 

 to my power," leads to the belief in the identity of the writer. 

 There was another Dorothy Manners later ; namely, Dorothy, 

 a younger daughter of Sir George Manners (who became the 

 wife of Sir Thomas Lake), and a Mr. Swan, I believe, was then 

 agent ; but she would scarcely be likely to conclude a letter to 

 the Estate Agent in form as this, nor to be in a position to 

 borrow money from the agent. I believe, therefore, we have 

 here a genuine letter of the celebrated heiress of Haddon. It 

 13 



