Queen Mary II's letter to Lady Scarborough, dated July 29, 1692

Source:

Handwriting of the Kings and Queens of England, W. J. Hardy, 1893

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.21209/page/n161/mode/2up

Above: Queen Mary II, painted for her coronation by Sir Godfrey Kneller.

Mary II (born April 30, 1662, died December 28, 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland, co-ruling with her husband, King William III and II, from 1689 until her death. Popular histories usually refer to their joint reign as that of William and Mary.

Although their father, James, Duke of York, was Roman Catholic, Mary and her younger sister Anne were raised as Anglicans, according to the wishes of their uncle, King Charles II. Charles had no legitimate children, making Mary second in the line of succession. She married her Protestant first cousin, William of Orange, in 1677. Charles died in 1685 and James took the throne, making Mary heir presumptive. James's attempts at rule by decree and the birth of his son, James Francis Edward, led to his deposition in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the adoption of the English Bill of Rights.

William and Mary became king and queen regnant. Mary mostly deferred to William, a renowned military leader and principal opponent of King Louis XIV of France, when he was in England. She did, however, act alone when William was engaged in military campaigns abroad, proving herself to be a powerful, firm and effective ruler. Mary's death in 1694 left William as a sole ruler until his own death in 1702, when he was succeeded by Mary's sister Anne.

Mary wrote this letter to her friend Lady Scarborough on July 29, 1692 on the defeat of the English at the Battle of Steinkirk (or Enghein).

The letter:

Kensington Jully ye 29th 92. Twelve at Night.

I always promised Lady Scarburgh to write when there had hapen'd any thing. The first I asked after when ye news of ye batle came was yr Ld and finding him not mentioned in any of ye leters, take it for ye best signe, for there is an exact acount come so much as of ye Lieutenants of ye Gards who are eithere wounded or kild by weh tho you shoud hapen to have no leter yet you may be sure he is well. I thank God ye King is so, and tho we have got no victory yet ye french have had an equal losse so yt thay need not brag. We have great reason to thank God for thus much, and I hope you will sone be well enough to come hithere yt we may rejoyce togethere where you will be very welcom to one who will ever be yr afectionate kind friend
MARIE R.

The batle was fought Sunday last, from 9 till 6.