LOWTH | Series of 32 autograph letters signed, to Rev. William Longstaffe, 1763-80

LOWTH, ROBERT

Series of 32 autograph letters signed, to Rev. William Longstaffe

on his estate and ecclesiastical business in County Durham, his career including his appointment as Bishop of London ("...I had fully determined to make another effort this year to visit Sedgefield: but alas! how vain are all our determinations! A new obstacle is now thorwn in the way, which will oblige me to bid a final adieu to Sedgefield & Durham: for his Majesty has been pleased to nominate me to the Bishoprick of London..."), planned visits to Durham ("...I propose to spend some Monthys in the North this year..."), his personal and family life (such as the health of his children), also Longstaffe's work and personal life ("...Dr Dickens has given an acct of an assault that was made upon you be one of the Town...") including his marriage and the birth of children, and Lowth's assistance in the preferment of Longstaffe and his family ("...I think your kinsman may as well sit quiet, & not be too sedulous in his solicitations..."), 60 pages, 4to, integral address leaves, postal markings, docketed by recipient, various locations, 15 February 1763 to 12 July 1780; [with:] partial transcripts of a selection of letters, including some no longer present, with four clipped signatures pasted down, 7 pages

Robert Lowth (1710-1787) was the author of A Short Introduction to English Grammar (1762), which extolled the simplicity of form and construction in English; its popularity and importance was such that it is often considered alongside Johnson's Dictionary for its influence in the development of the language in the 18th century. More widely, he was a prominent and well-connected man of letters from the time of his appointment at Oxford Professor of Poetry in 1742 onwards. He moved to Durham in 1755 as a Prebendary to the Cathedral and rector of nearby Sedgefield, although his family remained in his native Hampshire. He became Bishop of Oxford in 1766 and Bishop of London in 1777 and remained a prolific writer and controversialist. 

Lowth retained his residences in Durham and Sedgefield until he became Bishop of London. His affairs in County Durham were managed by William Longstaffe, curate of Sedgefield from 1758 and vicar of Kelloe (just outside the City of Durham) from 1771, and he maintained a friendly connection with Longstaffe thereafter.