Letter from Margaret Holford to Messrs Arch

This letter was written and sent by Margaret Holford herself, presented in the third person, as an effort to insure that a publisher sells all three volumes of literature previously discussed between them (the books are not exactly specified, so it seems that the recipient already knew to which she was referring). The mention of a Mr. Schimmelpennick, however, sheds some light on the volumes; as listed in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Mary Ann Schimmelpennick (1778-1856) was another author at the time who just recently (as of 1816) published Narrative of the Demolition of the Monastery of Port Royal des Champs, which appeared in three volumes. This work is very likely the volumes to which the letter refers.

The letter was sent to Mess^rs Arch at Cornhill, the publishers responsible for selling the volumes. A stamp on the letter confirms postage was paid, and another stamp confirms the date as 7:00 on the 12^th of February, 1816. This letter is professional and business-related, resulting in a certain formality that does not leave much room for personality in the writing; this also implies that Holford likely had a mostly (or purely) formal relationship with the recipient.