Sixty-five Letters from a man, who swapped the north of England life for London in 1719, have been put on display in Cumbria.
The letters were written by Ben Browne to his father in Troutbeck, in the historically significant Westmorland county.
They are jam-packed with detailed accounts of Browne's financial struggles and his new life in London, where he was trained as a lawyer's clerk.
Over time, he would often write letters asking for money to help with rent, to buy wigs, stockings, breeches, and other necessities for his new life.
Though he expressed hope that his parents wouldn't find him showy, he said, "… my Cloaths which [I] have now are but mean in Comparison [with] what they wear here".
"I have lost the prime of my youth," he claims in a separate letter after discovering his father had apprenticed him to his employer for five years. He also mentioned his hours are long, working from 8am to 8pm copying legal documents.
Browne had good points to highlight, too, in these letters as he continued to lead a thriving social life, visiting friends and drinking in the vicinity of the Inns of Court on Fleet Street.
Additionally, he discovered the money to fulfil his interest for book purchases.
Browne hand-annotated several remaining volumes in the Townend library, whose purchase dates match the years he spent in London. Shakespeare plays, romances, and fiction were among them.
In addition, he had to respond to demands for other products that were only accessible in the city from relatives and neighbours back in Troutbeck. In one letter, Browne detailed the things he had complied with, which included a wig trunk, sealing wax, and a silver thimble; other requests included a "Cap for Parson Sawrey & two necklaces for him", "Linnen for a gown and cape for Mrs. Birkett Merrers", and "Chocolate & Coffee for my mother".
Browne also sent his parents several snuff boxes.
In a different letter, Browne declared that he had secretly pursued Mary Branch, his employer's maid from St Albans, and had married her. He asked his father for forgiveness and blessing, and he got it.
Browne said he “shall ever acknowledge the many and endearing kindnesses and affectionate advices by me rec’d from so indulgent and affectionate father and mother”.
Emma Wright, the collections and house manager at Townend, told the Guardian: “These letters are so relatable, and they show nothing has really changed. Like the emails or text messages they may receive today, many parents with a child going off into the world will appreciate how [Browne’s father] must have felt getting news of [him] and requests for help, while any young person who has arrived in a big city to study or work will recognise the situations in which young Ben finds himself.”
Browne returned to the family farmhouse in the Lake District after 16 years of living in London. Few of the letters that his father wrote to his son have survived, despite the fact that he retained dozens of the letters that young Ben wrote home.
In 1719, George I was the monarch and Daniel Defoe published Robinson Crusoe.
