The Miles Brewton House, Charleston, South Carolina, former home of Peter Manigault.
Peter Manigault’s letters to his parents during some of his travels are important pieces of history for several reasons. For one, they display the financial differences of the time – the rich in England were far more extravagant than those in America, even after colonization had begun. Second, we are offered a look into cultural life of the time, and we see Peter as a young man, before he began his career in politics of the time.
Peter Manigault, at his death in 1773, was listed as one of the wealthiest men in Carolina, with his net worth being about the equivalent $1,653,924 in 1977 dollars. This, however, doesn’t rank with today’s elite that hold majority of our country’s economy in their bank accounts. What Peter’s letter provides us in terms of Carolina economic standards is a comparison with that of the English. Peter’s complaints to his mother on how much he has had to spend during his visit and how they dress up for church give us a look into the simplicity of early Carolinian life.
The relationship between Peter and his parents is notable, as well. His letters to each are vastly different – to his father, Peter writes a simple, one-page note of his arrival up North en route to England; to his mother, we have a many-paged document entailing all of his latest encounters and trials across the pond. This behavior may stem from the fact that while in England as a young man, Peter himself explored more artistic ventures, which would have been of greater interest to his mother. It’s clear that Peter here relates to his mother on a more aristocratic level, hence the longer letter; he relates to his father in the political sphere in which he participated in Carolina.
Peter spends more time in conversation with his mother, telling her of all of the odd things he sees his English companions spend money on and hold to import. He spends more time “gossiping” with his mother, or assuring her of his health, thus revealing to us a more personal account than what he writes to his father. It’s an interesting family contrast in dynamics that we can see through this ancient document.
These letters, especially the correspondence between Peter and his mother, are particularly important as they are a glimpse into the new American ideology that was created post-immigration. Peter Manigault is an Carolina-born Huguenot visiting England, thus his views and mindset are part of the first generation of our nation’s ideology today. These letters are his attempts to make sense of the rest of the world in terms of Carolina, versus the previous notion of the world attempting to make sense of Carolina from the outside.
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Peter’s Letter to His Mother
To: Mrs. Gabriel Manigault
In
South Carolina
Jan. 28th, 1751
Hon’d Madam, London, February 20th, 1750
Without any apology, I sit down to trouble you with a long letter. I received about two months ago a letter from you dated the 30th of Sep, wherin you very kindly inform me, you had not then heard from me, you would have heard by the Man of War, if I had had the good luck to have got to London a few days sooner than I did, for she was not sailed till after I arrived at Brilfot; however, I hope you are satisfied, both of my good Demeanour, and good Health, the latter I have frequently done myself the Pleasure to inform you of & the former, I am sure Mr. Corbett has done me the suffice to let you know. Your Advice to take care not to catch a cold came too late, for the very Week before I received it, I caught a very bad Cough, which however I soon got rid of by applying my old Remedy, a Draught of hot Tody when I went to bed. I am sorry you should make yourself the …
always, though, that of all my failings, Want of Complaisance was the least… I recc’d your Favour of December 5th by
Peter and his friends gather to dine, drink, and enjoy each other’s company in the convivial society of Charleston in 1760.
Capt. White on the 18th of January, but have not yet got the Letter which you mention is on board, one Capt. Chambers, he being not yet arrived. As to what you mention about Mr. Garden’s thinking I fake no Notice of his Son, if he says any more if it, be pleased to inform him, that I have taken all Opportunities to see him, that Mr. Corbett as well as myself has often asked him to come home with him, but could never prevail upon him, besides as he is bound of an Attorney, I don’t imagine he has any spare time to pay visits in ____. I received on the 30th of January your letter which came to Lisbon in Capri Way, and from thence was sent hither in a Packet Boat, that Letter was enclosed in another, directed only for Thomas Corbett Esq. in London, without mentioning where it should be left, when it was brought to the Post Office, they, knowing no other Thomas Corbett Esq., but the Secretary to the Admiralty, sent in to him, when he opened the letter he could make nothing of it, but Mrs. Utting, being at his House, and seeing the Letter enclosed for me, was so kind as to bring them both to our lodgings ___. I should have written to Mrs. Stead long ago, but that, I thought, it was not proper, however as you think it is, I shall write by the revel that brings this __. If I might do what I pleased, I would return for Carolina the following Fall, so great is my Desire of seeing my native Country & Friends, Billy Drayton, longs if possible more than I to return home. ___ During the Eight Months that I have been in England, I have, thank God! had my Health very well; Though I was not at all Seasick upon my Passage, yet I can’t say I was as well as a whole day together, from the time I left Carolina to the Time I reached England. You desire to know how I dress, I suppose you mean by that, how many laced coats I have had, I can easily satisfy you in this Particular by telling you I have had one, which I was in a manner forced to get, for I never went into public without Lace, and was taken any notice of; they won’t even give one a Seat in Church, without a good Suit of Clothes on, as I can without; For one Sunday Evening, I went with Billy Drayton to hear the celebrated Mr. Foster, I was drest quite plain, my Friend had a Laced Waistcoat and hat, he, or rather his Laced Waistcoat, was introduced into a pew, while I, that is, my plain Clothes, were forced to stand up, during the whole time of divine Service in the Isle.___ This Coat is a very decent, and in my Opinion a very proper one, when I devised Mr Corbett to let me have such a Coat, he answered me, that he thought it was not at all improper, but that he was afraid my Father might not altogether approve of it, but that, however, I might please myself; By pleasing myself I hope I have not displeased you, For as to my Dress in general (If I do not neglect matters of greater Moment,) I am willing to believe you would have me please myself, provided I am neither foppish not extravagant. ___ According to your Desire, I have inquired for Doctor Charon, several People have told me, they have seen him within this Twelve month, but don’t know where he is at present. If I can get any Intelligence of him, I shall certainly let you know. ___ My Acquaintance tell me I am grown fat, I think I have grown something taller, by a Waistcoat I had made in the Summer. Mrs. Utting has been in the Country ever since I came to England, till about Christmas, as soon as I heard she was come to Town, I waited upon her with your Letter, she expressed great Pleasure to see me, & detained me a full Hour asking one Question or other, I suppose she writes to you by this Opportunity .___ I was about a Month or three Weeks ago in…
purchased in Elved, called Suxborough, it cost him Nineteen Thousand five hundred pounds at first, and tis said, he has laid out Ten thousand pounds more upon it in Repairs & Furniture; I think he has Grandour enough for his Money. There was a great deal of Company there & every thing was managed in the nicest Manner, we dined one day Five and Twenty at Table; Mrs. Crokatt seems very much pleased with her find House; Tis said that Charles Crokatt is to marry the only Daughter of one Mr. Muilman a rich Hamburgh Merchant, and that Mr. Muilman’s Son is to have Miss Crokatt, Charles Crokatt is a very pretty young Fellow. But young Muilman by what I have seen and heard of him, is not quite so agreeable as could be wished. I am every day more and more surprised at the Extravagance that reigns every where; it has cost me above thirty shillings for Christmas Boxes, & when I was down at Mr. Crokatt’s, it cost me Nine and Twenty Shillings, among the Servants, This I would never have given had I been alone, but there were some other young Gentlemen there, who all declared it was as little as we could put in apiece, to make a decent present. __ Though they all declared they could live at any Tavern in London, Three days, (which was the time we stayed at Mr. Crokatts,) for much less Money, than we gave among his Servants. I have not words to express my Gratitude, for your many and kind Letters, which I acknowledge I in no ways deserve, and think myself more & more, every time I hear from you bound by the Ties of Nature & Good Sense to continue.
Your dutiful Son,
Peter Manigault
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Peter’s Letter to His Father
Charleston County Courthouse: Another painted copy of Peter Manigault’s portrait by Alan Ramsay.
In
South CarolinaHon’d Sir Bristol 5th June 1750We arrived here last Sunday after a pleasant though dangerous Passage, for off of the Banks of Newfoundland we met with several monstrous Islands of Ice, which with the Help of a Gale of Wind, had like to have shortened our Passage some hundred leagues, and indeed consider the Darkness of the Night twas great good Fortune, we had not all perished.Mr. Corbett & myself intend to set out for London tomorrow Morning from whence I shall take care to write by the first Opportunity for you & Mamma, to whom pray give my Duty; I would write to her now but as this will let her know I’m well, and there is no Ship to sail from hence soon I hope she’ll excuse.
Your dutiful Son,
Peter Manigault
– Both documents have been retrieved and transcribed from the Manigault Papers at the South Carolina Historical Society. Unfortunately, this transcription comes from a photocopy of the original document and some words or sentences are missing; the document has, however, been transcribed in as near-entirety as possible in order to retain authenticity and voice.