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Robertson (Sara Anne Catherine Whinyates) letters and estate documents
LSC.2379
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Sara Anne Catherine Whinyates Robertson letters and estate documents
Creator:
Robertson, Sara Anne Catherine Whinyates
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.2379
Physical Description:
0.4 linear feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1806-1808
Abstract: The collection consists of 46 letters, written in India by Sara Anne Catherine Whinyates Robertson. The letters are primarily
to her grandmother Lady Frankland, her aunt Harriet Frankland, and her brother Sir Edward Charles Whinyates. The letters describe
social life and conditions in British Colonial India. In addition, there are two documents concerning her father's estate
in India. The materials date from 1806 to 1808.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Physical Description: The letters are generally in very good, clean, and legible condition, with some minor tears, and loss along folds.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9990846353606533
[Identification of item], Sara Anne Catherine Whinyates Robertson letters and estate documents (Collection 2379). UCLA Library
Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Michael Brown Rare Books, LLC from the Manuscript Funds, 2019.
Processed by Jasmine Larkin, 2019. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the seller.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user
interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
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Against her family's wishes, Sara Anne Catherine Whinyates married Lieutenant James Robertson of the Bengal Engineers in 1803.
Her grandmother, Lady Frankland, her Aunt Harriet, and her brother Edward Charles were the only family that supported her
and wrote to her. Sara and her husband initially resided at Fort William. Situated on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly,
the major distributary of the River Ganges, Fort William was an important stronghold and the major trading hub for the East
India Company. From the time of their marriage until 1805, British and Indian soldiers clashed in the Second Anglo-Maratha
War – Britain's sixth conflict with India since 1766. British forces managed to maintain control of Fort William, but, by
1806, the region still experienced some violence.
Source:
Michael Brown Rare Books, LLC. Invoice correspondence, November 15, 2019.
The collection consists of 46 letters, written in India by Sara Anne Catherine Whinyates Robertson. The letters are written
to Robertson's grandmother Lady Frankland; her Aunt Harriet; her brother Sir Edward Charles Whinyates, British Army general,
veteran of Waterloo; her uncle William Frankland; and her sisters Amy, Rachel, and Bella. In addition, there are two documents
regarding her father's estate in India.
The letters describe social life and conditions in British Colonial India. The letters chronicle when Sara's parents die in
Allahabad, India and leave behind two younger orphaned sisters and many debts. Sara sends her two younger sisters home to
England so that they may be educated. The Robertsons are transferred from Calcutta to Allahabad after Mr. Robertson is promoted
to Chief Engineer at that post. Mr. Robertson is sent into the field several times during various uprisings and insurgencies.
Sara desired bringing her older sisters to India so they could "marry well" and be "settled."
Source:
Michael Brown Rare Books, LLC. Invoice correspondence, November 15, 2019.
Collection acquired by dealer at an auction in 2017.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
British -- India -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Letters (Correspondence).
Robertson, Sara Anne Catherine Whinyates -- Correspondence