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
Description:
James Dunn (died 1773) was a solicitor in Tolgus, a village in the parish of Redruth, in west Cornwall, England., Samuel Percivall (died 1760) of Bristol, England, was associated in the copper business with his brother Joseph Percivall (died 1764). In 1734 Joseph Percivall entered a partnership with Thomas Coster (1684-1739) and Robert Coster (1697-1735) in several of the Coster family mines surrounding Bristol and in southern Wales; after the death of Thomas Coster, the concern was known as Joseph Percivall and Copper Company. Samuel Percivall married Grace Pendarves Coster (1696-1763) in Camborne, Cornwall, on October 28, 1736., Grace Pendarves Coster Percivall (1696-1763) was the daughter of Thomas Pendarves (1645-1703) and Grace Hoblyn Pendarves (1662-1735) of Pendarves House, Camborne, Cornwall, England. Her first husband was Robert Coster (1697-1735), the youngest son in the copper-smelting Coster family of Bristol, England; her brother Sir William Pendarves (1690-1728) was a partner with Robert Coster in the Hayle smelting works. Upon her brother's death, Grace Coster inherited Pendarves House and estate; in 1736 she married Samuel Percivall., In English., and For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain., England, Camborne., and Camborne (England)
