James Dunn letters to Samuel and Grace Pendarves Percivall, 1754-1757

A group of thirty-nine autograph letters, signed, sent from James Dunn, a solicitor in Tolgus, Cornwall, to Samuel Percivall in Bath and Bristol, England, keeping him updated on the affairs concerning the Pendarves estate in Camborne, Cornwall. The letters contain many references to copper and tin mining at the Pendarves mines and elsewhere, as well as local news and gossip, reports on Pendarves House and its gardens, and on the activities of family and friends. Dunn acted as Percivall's agent and accountant, managing tenancies and looking after the library and wine cellar. There are also references to members of the Hoblyn family, including the politician and book collector Robert Hoblyn (1710-1756), who was the stepson of Grace Percivall's brother William Pendarves. While the letters were externally addressed to Samuel Percivall, internally their contents address both Samuel and Grace Percivall; some make references to the fossillary, or grotto, that Grace Percivall had created at Pendarves