Letter to Rev. Thomas Grinfield, Bristol, "England" [posted from Ireland]

Postmark 27 March 1806

Dear Sir

Your present & the polite & obliging manner you have complied with my request, claims, and I beg you will accept, my most grateful acknowledgements.

The flattering prospect for the welfare & happiness of your growing Family I sincerely rejoice at & congratulate you upon it. May it ever increase and add, as I convince it must, to your own, who so well deserve it in the great care that you take of their education. Happy had I been to have had so indulgent a parent.

The little account I can give you of my own Family, tho' on memory, will I believe be pretty correct.

[Formatting of Edward Goddard's children inserted.]

My Grandfather, of Ogburn (St George, I think) left five Sons & one Daught - she was your Grand Mother.

1. The Eldest son spent great part of the Estate, & dyed a Batchelor,
2. the 2nd spent another [illegible] & left one Daughter,
3. the 3rd had four sons and one Daughter your Mother. Your Father & Mother stood on the same degree of Kindred to me as to each other, as you will see, first Cousins,
4. the 4th was a Lt Col in the Army & dyed a batchelor.

5. My Father was the 5th.
   1. He left a Daughter was marryed to Capt Netterville, half brother to the late Earl Carhampton. Four of her Daughters are alive. The eldest & two youngest are living at Tullamore in the King Co, the 2nd with her Aunt Netterville at Pershore, Worcestershire. There was a Son but lost in the [maybe the Cape] going to India & the Eldest Daughter dyed returning from Jamaica in her Husband's arms in sight of Land.
   2. Myself & Brother the only Males of all my Grandfather's descendants. I have no issue. My Wife alive & well for her time of life.
   3. My Brother Thos has one Daughter a very elegant young Widow. She was marryed to Capt Chute. She has also a Daughter a darling child of about ten years old. He is in this House with me on the Establishment.

[Formatting of Rev. Thomas Goddard's children inserted.]

1. I need not I believe tell you that your Uncle Edward Goddard marry'd the Heiress of the Family, sold the remaining part of the Estate, had two Daughters. The youngest Lady James, who carryed the Riches of the family to Lord Rancliffs. I do not know whether her Sister is alive or not.

2. Your Uncle John was Rector of Tidworth, near Andover.
3. Thos was a Captn of infantry marryed in the County of Kerry, left a Son who dyed a young man, and a Daughter who was marryed to the Revd John Blennerhassett from whom there are a numerous issue.
4. Henry your 4th Uncle had two Sons, the Eldest dyed in India, the youngest came home to dye & his wealth has chiefly gone to Ld Rancliff. My Father took him when a boy from his Brother whose family was large, reared him and provided for him, and saved him afterwards from ruin as I have often heard him say & express great gratitude for. He was of all my Cousins the only one I was acquainted, tho' I remember Tom, at my Father's house in Youghale. Your Uncle Edwd I was scarce to be called acquainted with, having seen him only once at his own house & once at Richmond where he dined with Genl Lascelles, my Colonel with whom I then was.

Your Uncle Willm Grinfield I had the happiness to be known to, & have experienced his goodness. Your Brother Steddy I once saw in London. I was not so happy to be personally known to your Brother the General but shall ever remember his great goodness to me (when I was obliged to make application to him) with a grateful heart.

My worthy & good friend the late Genl Shirreff got me into this House & thank God I am not repining or accusing Providence that I am not in a better situation. A handsome room about 18 feet square and height with a sliding partition & a kind of second ceiling divides it so as to make four rooms, two above and two below, the upper you will conceive not over lofty. 3 pound of Meat, a pound of bread, a quart of beer, with some butter & salt, with £42 constitutes the whole comforts of the House. Our Meat dress'd for us at the public Kitchen which is a great convenience. Coals, candles & some furniture allowed us, & little or no other duty to do than to eat, drink & say our prayers, the extravagant prices of every thing making us feel the allowance but small, but Soldiers must be content.

My Father throwing himself out of the World as I may say in a great measure curtailed his sons of many of those advantages which I could see but not able to profit by, has kept me under, & not knowing how. I am in the situation I have before mentioned. But I ask pardon for saying so much of self. I beg leave to repeat my thanks to [you] for your kindness, & that you and your whole Family will accept the good wishes of an old Couple with the most affectionate compliments of

My Dear Sir

Your much obliged Kinsman
& Humble Servant

H. Goddard

R: H: K: 27th March 1806

I don't know whether to give you joy of some slight gouty attack, if regular. My Father was a martyr to it, but he earned it. Your Grand Mother who did not, was also a sufferer by it, so early in life as under twenty, lived to a good old age notwithstanding. [This would be Mary Goddard.]

If I thought it worth the postage I could send you a curious petition of my Father's to Ld Carteret when Ld Lt of Ireland with his case, the answer to it was that it was a saucy one. Should your curiosity make you wish to see it, it shall be at your service.

Rev. Thos Grinfield