1/6 HISTORY OF HARTING. 



to him and to you, is the sincere wish and earnest 

 prayer of, Madam, your Ladyship's most dutiful and 

 faithful servant, 



"JOHN NEWLIN." 



The happy day on which the young Squire came of 

 age was January 12, 1737-8. And here is the proud 

 mother's account of the festivities at Lady Holt. " I 

 may say I believe you are the best belov'd by all sorts 

 of people, from the highest to the lowest of any man 

 in the county. Farmers and wives dined 3 and 20 

 yesterday, and danced and drunk till two in the morn- 

 ing. . . . To-morrow I have the workmen of all sorts 

 and my brother's servants with ours, who are to have 

 a ball alsoe ; they dine in their hall, and afterwards 

 are to dance and play in the drying-room and new 

 infirmiry (a sick ward, needed in case of smallpox). 

 On Monday I am to have the tradespeople, with their 

 wives, and all the secondrate gentry in the neighbour-* 

 hood, which is to be turner (?) ball : and then, I think, 

 we may rest till you come home ; for I'me sure ther 

 never was such true merryment in this country before, 

 the people are all charm'd with it, and I am as tyred 

 (tired) as a dog, but I don't repine at that." Then 

 follows a suggestion that the Dukes of Norfolk, 

 Richmond, or Lord Petre, should be asked to be 

 trustees of the settlement. But, as a set off for this 

 general good will, there is one person that poor Lady 

 Mary cannot abide at Lady Holt. This is a Mrs. 

 Jones, wife of Caryll's agent, who gave herself airs. 

 " Mr. Joans and his fine Madame came down two days 

 before your birthday and expected to lye in the house, 

 but as I apprehended the consequence of letting them 

 begin so, I made an excuse for want of roome by ex- 

 pecting company, and sent them to Guold's (Arthur 

 Gould married Kate Caryll, and lived at Harting 

 Place), where they stayed two nights. I invited them 

 the next day to dinner and they came, but the day 



