Vansittart Letters

Next week Melanie and Christopher will accompany a group of Wykeham Patrons to India in the footsteps of 400 years of Wykehamists who proceed us.

Preparations for the trip have unearthed some fascinating individuals and their stories.  The Vansittart family, for instance, sent sons to Winchester across six generations from the mid-18th century and we are lucky to hold in the archive letters from two brothers, Edward and Frederick Vansittart, who wrote to their family friend, Warden George Huntingford (example above).

They were two of six siblings and their father had made his fortune in the East India Company, which might explain why Frederick’s letters were written from Bengal.

The original letters are held in the College archives and, while all are interesting, two letters from Frederick are particularly relevant to our visit to Bengal.  The first is reproduced in the abridged transcript below. Several matters at Win Coll stand out and are highlighted within the letter:

Patna Nov 19th 1794

My Dear Friend

In a second letter I take the liberty of addressing you, tho’ with the utmost respect, in the manner you have taught me to approach you by that kindness which was ever ready to check unnecessary formality. [...]

Events at Winchester. Frederick refers to the cloud that had recently passed over Winchester in the form of the 1793 Rebellion.

I was very much concern’d at hearing from my brother Edward of the unfortunate rebellion at Winchester, but am satisfied it must soon have been in your power to have repair’d any temporary inconveniences occasion’d by that very singular and unexampled disturbance.

Huntingford might have been embarrassed by Frederick’s praise, for much of the blame for the rebellion, and little of its resolution, were down to him.

I beg you will be pleas’d to congratulate Mr Goddard on my part upon his accession to the Head-Mastership, and I hope to hear of the speedy increase of the numbers of Commoners.

The congratulations to Mr Goddard refer to his elevation from Hostiarius (Second Master) to Informator (Headmaster) in lieu of Joseph Warton who took the fall for the rebellion and was removed, as were 37 scholars, hence Frederick’s reference to the increase of Commoners […]

I have the honor to be with pleasure and respect

Your oblig’d Friend and Obedt servt

Fr Van Sittart

The second letter from Frederick is longer and therefore attached here.  It is fascinating because of the insights Frederick gives into the operation of East India Company-controlled trade in 18th century Bengal.