Sara Anne Catherine Whinyates Robertson Letters and Estate Documents LSC.2379

Finding aid prepared by Jasmine Larkin, 2019.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Online finding aid last updated 2020 January 24.
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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.

Conditions Governing Access

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

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 9990846353606533 

Preferred Citation

[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.

Processing Information

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 a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
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Biographical History

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.

Scope and Content

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.

Custodial History

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

box 1, folder 1

Letter to Harriet Frankland 1806 January

box 1, folder 2

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 January 15

box 1, folder 3

Letter to Harriet Frankland 1806 February 12

box 1, folder 4

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 February 13

box 1, folder 5

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 March

box 1, folder 6

Letter to William Frankland 1806 April 12

box 1, folder 7

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 May 7

box 1, folder 8

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 May 16

box 1, folder 9

Letter to Edward Charles Whinyates 1806 May 18

box 1, folder 10

Letter to Amy 1806 May 31

box 1, folder 11-12

Documents regarding estate 1806 June 7

box 1, folder 13

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 July 14

box 1, folder 14

Letter to Harriet Frankland 1806 August 24

box 1, folder 15

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 September 11

box 1, folder 16

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 September 12

box 1, folder 17

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 September 15

box 1, folder 18

Letter to Rachel Whinyates 1806 September 15

box 1, folder 19

Letter to Edward Charles Whinyates 1806 September 18

box 1, folder 20

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 October 19

box 1, folder 21

Letter to Lady Frankland 1806 November 3

box 1, folder 22

Letter to Harriet Frankland 1806 November 16

box 1, folder 23

Letter to Edward Charles Whinyates 1806 December 20

box 1, folder 24

List of clothes 1806 August

box 1, folder 25

Letter to Edward Charles Whinyates 1807 January 9

box 1, folder 26

Letter to Harriet Frankland 1807 February

box 1, folder 27

Letter to Lady Frankland 1807 February 13

box 1, folder 28

Letter to Lady Frankland 1807 February 20

box 1, folder 29

Letter to Lady Frankland 1807 April 28

box 1, folder 30

Letter to Harriet Frankland 1807 May 19

box 1, folder 31

Letter to Edward Charles Whinyates 1807 July 6

box 1, folder 32

Letter to Harriet Frankland 1807 July 13

box 1, folder 33

Letter to Edward Charles Whinyates 1807 July 23

box 1, folder 34

Letter to Lady Frankland 1807 August 3

box 1, folder 35

Letter to Lady Frankland 1807 September 30

box 1, folder 36

Letter to Lady Frankland 1808 January 12

box 1, folder 37

Letter to Lady Frankland 1808 January 24

box 1, folder 38

Letter to Lady Frankland 1808 March 14

box 1, folder 39

Letter to Edward Charles Whinyates 1808 March 28

box 1, folder 40

Letter to Lady Frankland 1808 March 29

box 1, folder 41

Letter to Harriet Frankland 1808 April 7

box 1, folder 42

Letter to Lady Frankland 1808 April 23

box 1, folder 43

Letter to Harriet Frankland 1808 July 27

box 1, folder 44

Letter to Lady Frankland 1808 September 2

box 1, folder 45

Letter to Edward Charles Whinyates 1808 September 20

box 1, folder 46

Letter to William Frankland 1808 September 24

box 1, folder 47

Letter to Lady Frankland 1808 September 25

box 1, folder 48

Letter to Lady Frankland 1808