William Hone to Samuel Parr, 31 March, 1819 An Electronic Edition William Hone Kyle Grimes

For publication in the Hone Correspondence section of the William Hone BioText, http://honearchive.org. The letter is published under a Creative Commons license, details of which are accessible from the BioText homepage.

Hackwood, p. 215.

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William Hone to Samuel Parr, 31 March, 1819.Hackwood, p. 215. I have not located the original copy of this letter; the version reproduced here comes from Hackwood's biography. There may, of course, be inaccuracies, but the date and location of the letter certainly accord with Hone's activities in March of 1819. [return] — -TEI-
Black Swan Inn, Warwick
31st. March 1819. Sir,

Believing it to be my duty to assist to the utmost in defending Russell, the Birmingham printer,For more on the trial of Russell, see note #5 to Hone's Don John. [return] I arrived here on Monday to be present at his trial, and put into Mr. Denman's hands the most efficient of the materials I used in defending myself on each of my Trials in London.

Russell's affair having terminated by the Prosecutors withdrawing the Record this morning, my business here is ended, but I cannot be in the neighbourhood of Hatton without recollecting your public kindness to me, nor can I leave it without soliciting the honour of paying my respects to you personally, after my return to-day.This letter likely marks the beginning of a relationship between Hone and Samuel Parr, the so-called "Whig Johnson." Hone was so impressed by Parr that he eventually named his last son (b. 1820) "Samuel Parr Hone." A rather detailed account of Hone and Parr's first meeting is available in a later letter from Hone to Dr. Samuel Butler, 4 April, 1825. [return]

I have the honour to be, Sir Most respectfully and obediently your faithful servant, W Hone