Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Moderators: John, Sharon, Fossil, Lucky Poet, crusty_bint, Jazza, dazza

Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby robertpool » Mon Oct 11, 2010 1:13 am

Fellow Hidden Glasgow members l need your help in working out exactly what is being said in about 50 old letters relating to shipping between 1847 and 1871. A sample of one page from one of the letters is shown below. Everyone willing to take on this task will be sent an email with an enlarged copy of a letter for them to work on. Do we have any takers? the more the merrier. Let me know by emailing me direct to [email protected]. Everyone that replies will be sent a different letter (unless there is more than 50 of you).

Bobby

Image
robertpool
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1057
Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:46 am
Location: Glasgow

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby Josef » Mon Oct 11, 2010 5:36 am

Jesus, I can barely even read the letterhead.

But go on then, I'll give it a go.
User avatar
Josef
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 8144
Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:43 pm

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby BrigitDoon » Mon Oct 11, 2010 7:21 am

Looks like you need all the help you can get. I'll pm you my email address.
UXB
BrigitDoon
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 4232
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:03 pm

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby Sunflower » Mon Oct 11, 2010 10:00 am

I've emailed... (Is there a time limit??)
Sunflower
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 442
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:55 am
Location: almost in sight of mended bridge

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby robertpool » Mon Oct 11, 2010 10:39 am

time limit...this century :)
robertpool
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1057
Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:46 am
Location: Glasgow

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby banjo » Mon Oct 11, 2010 1:54 pm

looks like it was written by a doctor.
banjo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 3516
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 7:26 pm

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby zoidberg » Mon Oct 11, 2010 2:39 pm

I'll give it a go. I've pm'd you.
"He can't stay down with three barrels on him, not with three barrels he can't."
User avatar
zoidberg
Second Stripe
Second Stripe
 
Posts: 180
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:56 am
Location: Bexley

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby robertpool » Thu Oct 14, 2010 1:22 pm

if you asked me for a letter to decipher and have not received the email yet, please let me know

thanks to all of those that are helping

Bobby
robertpool
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1057
Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:46 am
Location: Glasgow

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby cell » Fri Oct 15, 2010 9:12 am

Robert
Send me one and I'll have a try
cell
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 470
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:54 pm

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby robertpool » Fri Oct 15, 2010 4:26 pm

cell wrote:Robert
Send me one and I'll have a try


email your email address
robertpool
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1057
Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:46 am
Location: Glasgow

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby HollowHorn » Fri Oct 15, 2010 5:20 pm

PM Sent.
User avatar
HollowHorn
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 8921
Joined: Mon May 23, 2005 9:59 pm
Location: Paisley

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby BrigitDoon » Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:37 am

Image
My wife who is lounging on the sofa sends her kindest regards to James and to yourself and I remain My Dear...

That's one of the easier passages. The rest is still a mystery. The writer abbreviates "would" to "wd." with the "d" placed over the "."
UXB
BrigitDoon
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 4232
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:03 pm

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby robertpool » Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:58 am

I never said it was going to be easy :)

the word that is missing is 'George'
robertpool
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1057
Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:46 am
Location: Glasgow

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby BrigitDoon » Tue Oct 19, 2010 11:23 am

...Cruickshank?

There's some talk of friends in Liverpool and stumping up £10,000 for the first boat (presumably of a batch), though for what purpose these are intended, I haven't yet discovered.
UXB
BrigitDoon
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 4232
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:03 pm

Re: Help with Reading Old Shipping Letters

Postby Nobby » Wed Oct 20, 2010 7:50 am

Image

Very useful BD! I reckon our letters were written by the same hand. You've given me some clues, re the way he joins words and has very distinctive letters eg his "d". If we all follow your example and post annotated pictures, we might be able to piece it all together like a jigsaw.

Bob, might be useful if you could tell us who has letters written by the same person, and we can swap ideas?
Nobby
First Stripe
First Stripe
 
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2010 11:51 am

Next

Return to Hidden Glasgow Projects

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 54 guests