48 letters to W. H. Thompson dated 1831-1866, and 1 letter addressed to [John] Allen dated 24 Aug. 1840. Names mentioned in the accompanying calendar of the letters include Henry Alford; John Allen; Robert Leslie Ellis; Edward FitzGerald; Arthur Hallam; Walter Savage Landor; Samuel Laurence; Richard Monckton Milnes, Lord Houghton; Stephen Spring Rice; Sir Henry Taylor; Robert John Tennant; Alfred, Lord Tennyson; Charles Tennyson [later Turner]; and William Wordsworth. Spedding also refers to his work on Francis Bacon.
With a further 35 letters to William Aldis Wright and William George Clark, dated 1862-1881. Letters to William George Clark date from 1862 to 1864 and relate to collations of Shakespeare's plays. Letters from 1881 to William Aldis Wright relate to Frederick James Furnivall, with copies of Spedding's letters to Furnivall, and one letter from Furnivall to Spedding dated 26 Feb. 1881. Accompanied by a mechanical copy of the Northumberland Manuscript.
Monk Soham Rectory, Wickham Market, Suffolk - Hardly ever keeps letters, so has none of Edward FitzGerald's; indeed, generally only had notes or cards from him since they lived near to each other and 'kept our topics for such times as we met and talked them out'. Suggests John Allen, Dean Blakesley, Dean Merivale, the Master of Trinity and Mrs Thompson as people who could supply letters, but has 'misgivings whether such letters should be published, good and pleasant as they may be', questioning whether FitzGerald 'would have sanctioned it? He, who carefully tore up letters almost as soon as he received them'.
Encloses a letter from John Allen [ADD.MS.a/6/23?]. Thanks Crabbe for congratulations on the engagement of his son William to [Emma] Colvin.
Will not go to the auction, but would like to have catalogues. Mrs Ritchie (Miss Thackeray) should have some, as two of her father's drawings are on sale. 'Also Mowbray Donne, Allen and Crowfoot cum multis aliis'.
Merton. - His daughter will be at Ely at 10.36 on Tuesday, if all goes well; hopes to go with her so far on his way to London. Sends Robert Groome [Add.MS.a/6/41?] and Archdeacon Allen's [Add.MS.a/6/23?] letters, and asks Wright to burn them. Does not think that FitzGerald would have objected to his letters being published, 'so far as they relate to public subjects'.
54 Cambridge Road, Brighton. - Has been to Tenby, as he promised, and brought back some letters of Edward Fitzgerald to his mother [Mary Allen, wife of Charles Allen] and his uncle the archdeacon of Salop. Has sent these to the archdeacon's son so that he can pass them on to Wright if he has no objection. Gives the dates of the letters to his mother, which he now forwards; can find no poem by FitzGerald or any other MS, but will sent anything on if found.
5 Durham Place [on headed notepaper for 14 Brompton Crescent, London, S.W., which is crossed through]. - Could not find the 'first part of FitzGerald's letter about Tennyson'; his father {John Allen, Archdeacon of Salop] had a 'most ruthless habit of mutilating either books or letters which he thought merited such treatment'; thinks 'his religion was (in some aspects) of a very austere school.
Gives some extracts from his father's diary from 1830, relating to FitzGerald [these break off mid-word, and the letter is obviously incomplete].
Prees, Shropshire. - Is 'very grateful' to Allen for his letter about the death of 'our dear friend [Edward FitzGerald]'.
Letters dated 26 May 1840 - 20 Mar. 1846 from King's College, London; 46 Great Coram Street; and Privy Council Office, London.