Lincoln’s Inn <1>
9th Feby 1858
My dear Sir
I send You Copy of a letter I have received from the Solicitors of one of the Claimants to the Earldom of Shrewsbury <2> –
I know nothing whatever of the claimant or of the circes refd to in the letter, all that I can vouch for is, that the writers are of the first character in the profession and well known to me.
It is in the course of their duty to their employer to seek every source of information – but it is hardly necessary for me to observe that this affords no claim whatever to Your entertaining it – I noticed the name of Talbot of Lacock in some printed proceedings some time ago but as You did not advert to the circ<ums>tance it went out of my mind to enquire – It may be worth while nevertheless for You to have the matter looked into at Your leisure –
Believe me to remain
Ever your’s faithfully
J. H Bolton
<Copy on reverse of original sheet, in another hand, of Currie, Woodgate & Williams to J H Bolton>
(Copy)
Lincoln’s Inn Fields
February 8. 1858
Dear Sir,
Understanding that you act as Solr for Mr Talbot of Lacock Abbey, we have to beg the favor of asking through you for permission to examine his Family papers, in order to enable us on the part of Lord Edmund Bernard Howard to clear up some points in the Pedigrees of the several claimants of the Earldom of Shrewsbury. Mr Talbot is, as you are probably aware, the representative through a female, of Sir John Talbot of Lacock who died in 1713–4 – in whose favor limitations were created by the Duke of Shrewsbury Settlement & Will. He was also one of the Duke’s Guardians during his minority & it is highly probably that among his papers might be found some which would throw light upon matters now involved in considerable obscurity.
The limitations in the Duke’s settlement & Will were in favor of Sir John Talbot & his male issue – so that Mr Talbot has no t personal interest in the question, but we should hope that he may not be unwilling in the interest of justice, to permit us to examine, under the inspection of yourself or any other Gentleman he may select, the Family papers which, we can hardly doubt he retains in his possession –
We are Dear Sir
Yours very truly
(signed) Currie Woodgate & Willliams
P.T.O. <3>
J. H. Bolton EsqreNotes:
1. One of the four Inns of Court, the ‘colleges’ of barristers at the English Bar. Bolton had his chambers [lawyer’s offices and, at the time, living-quarters also] there.
2. The disputed claim to the Earldom of Shrewsbury was eventually settled in the House of Lords in favour of Lord Talbot [see Doc. No: 07644; see also Doc. No: 07312].
3. In a different hand [Bolton’s?], to indicate that Bolton’s letter was on the other side of the sheet.