Queen Anne's letter to Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, dated October 1709

Source:

Private correspondence of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough: illustrative of the court and times of Queen Anne, volume 1, H. Colburn, London, 1838

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89073382673&view=1up&seq=299

Above: Queen Anne, painted for her coronation by Michael Dahl.

Above: Sarah Churchill, painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller.

The letter:

Windsor, Thursday Noon, Oct. 1709.

I had written so long a letter to you yesterday, which I desired Lord Treasurer to send when I received yours, that I could not then write more, or else I should not have been so long without answering it. You need not have been in such haste, for Rainsford is pretty well again, and I hope will live a great while. If she should die, I will then turn my thoughts to consider who I know that I could like in that place, that being a post that next to my bed-chamber women is the nearest to my person of any of my servants; and I believe nobody, nay, even you yourself, if you would judge impartially, could think it unreasonable that I should take one in a place so near my person that were agreeable to me. I know this place is reckoned under your office; but there is no office whatsoever that has the entire disposal of any thing under them; but I may put in any one I please, when I have a mind to it. And now you mention the Duke of Somerset again, I cannot help upon this occasion saying, whenever he recommends anybody to me, he never says it is his right, but submits to my determination, and has done so upon occasions in which you have recommended people to me in posts under him. But I do not say this that you should think I hearken to everybody's recommendation; for indeed I do not, and will not, and for the person you are so mightily afraid should put any one into Rainsford's place, I dare answer she will not go about recommending anybody. And if this poor creature should die, which, as I said before, I hope she will not, I shall then hearken to nobody's recommendation but my own, which I am sure you ought not to think any wrong or injustice to you.

I have not yet so perfect an account of Somerset House, as I would have, which is the reason, I have not yet said any thing concerning poor Mrs. Howe; but I shall be able in a few days to let you know what lodgings she can have.

I am ashamed to send you such blottish scrawl; but it is so late I cannot stay to write it over again.