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Real Life Stories in the Sutherland Papers

Many people who wrote to the Leveson-Gowers sent a series of letters to members of the family that tell a developing story. Samuel Terricke wrote to Sir Richard Leveson (1598-1661) on numerous occasions concerning preparations for Christmas celebrations at Trentham Hall in 1660. Almost three hundred years later, RCAF Squadron Leader Nathan Crawford wrote many letters to Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1867-1944), the fourth Duchess of Sutherland, describing his experiences fighting on the allied front during World War Two. Other letters tell us the stories of people involved with the Leveson-Gower family between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.

Click on the links below to discover some of these stories

Browse Real Life Stories in the Sutherland Papers

Richard Glover, 1593: This story takes us back to 1593 and the aftermath of the Armada. Read about Richard Glover, imprisoned in Maidstone Gaol for refusing to contribute towards military defences.

Samuel Terricke, 1660: The year is 1660 and Samuel Terricke is having trouble finding Red Canary Wine and a Cook for Trentham in time for Christmas. Read about his troubles – including his swollen knee – in his letters home.

Katherine Bulkeley, 1830s: A widow with a secretive past, read about Katherine’s poverty and her struggle to survive in 1830s Essex.

Sophia Blayney Hickey, 1830s: The collapse of the Bank of Calcutta left Sophia penniless and desperate. Read about her efforts to put her life back together throughout the 1830s.

Nathan Crawford, 1940s: During the Second World War Nathan Crawford, a Squadron Leader in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) wrote to Duchess Millicent. Read these letters from the front from 1944.