Here follow, merely as curiosities, two letters from her own handwriting, directed “For Doctor Clarke, att his haus near St. James’ Church,” without alteration of either grammar or orthography; that is verbatim et liberatim, as Mrs. Bellamy upon a like occasion expresses.
An Inventory of the Jewels belonging to the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough.—Copied from the Coxe Manuscripts, vol. xlviii.
| Weight. | Value. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car. | Gr. | £ | s. | d. | |
| In the Duke of Marlborough’s George, eleven jewels | 0 | 95 | |||
| A brilliant of the first water, and very lively weight, in a ring; the gift of the Emperor | 10 | 1½ | 900 | 0 | 0 |
| A brilliant drawing to the crown, and a fowle on one side; the gift of the king of Prussia, in a coulant to a cross | 13 | 0¼ | 1,500 | 0 | 0 |
| In her grace the Duchess of Marlborough’s earrings, the two brilliants under | 900 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A fine spread brilliant, the bottom very deep, drawing upon the blue | 6 | 2¾ | 450 | 0 | 0 |
| A high-crowned brilliant, good water, and perfect cleane | 7 | 0½ | 450 | 0 | 0 |
| A clear lively stone, well spread, but a little drawing, (in the cross) | 5 | 2½ | 300 | 0 | 0 |
| A fine stone of good water, perfectly cleane, but thin, (the middle stone of a button for a loope) | 2 | 3½ | 150 | 0 | 0 |
| A spread stone, but drawing to the crown, (in a collet for a little cross) | 3 | 1¾ | 150 | 0 | 0 |
| A good water, and a fine lively cleane brilliant, (in the cross) | 4 | 1¾ | 130 | 0 | 0 |
| A fine lively cleane stone, but drawing in the water, (in the cross) | 4 | 2½ | 130 | 0 | 0 |
| The middle stone of a button for a loope, very white, extremely spread, and cleane and lively | 2 | 0¾ | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| A very fine stone, in all perfection of colour and cleaness, (in the cross) | 2 | 1¾ | 60 | 0 | 0 |
| A cleane stone, a little drawing, (in the cross) | 2 | 2¼ | 60 | 0 | 0 |
| A brilliant of the first water, and almost perfectly cleane, (in a ring) | 5 | 0 | 210 | 0 | 0 |
| One fassett diamond drawing | 2 | 3¼ | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| The other fassett drawing yellowish. The two middle stones of the button | 2 | 0½ | 80 | 0 | 0 |
| Forty-four fassetts in the loopes | 7 | 2 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| Sixteen fassetts in the buttons above | 9 | 0 | 72 | 0 | 0 |
| Two high fassett diamonds through the four points in buttons, each set round with eleven brilliants, all valued at | 220 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Forty-four fassett diamonds in the two loopes | 35 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Twenty-two fassett diamonds in a buckle | 60 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Two loopes with forty brilliants in them | |||||
| Twenty-four brilliants round the two brilliant buttons | |||||
| Twelve buttons of the same sort | 355 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Twelve loopes that go with them | 135 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Two buttons of another fashion, with seven diamonds, each of them about the bigness of the middle stone | 130 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Two loopes, with thirteen diamonds in each, and one large diamond at the bottom of each loope | 210 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Four buttons, with nine diamonds in each, of another fashion and smaller | 50 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Four loopes, with ten diamonds in each loope | 25 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A fine large rose diamond, perfect cleane, set for a coulant | 360 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Five fossett diamonds in a cross | 220 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A pair of ruby earrings set with brilliants about them, and a cross and coulant set with diamonds, and a pearle necklace to it, with rubies mixt with them, all at | 90 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A blue enamelled cross set with diamonds | 20 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A pair of shoe-buckles set with fossett diamonds | 20 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A large brilliant in a ring, in which is his grace the Duke of Marlborough’s picture | 800 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Two rose diamonds cut through the pints, very high, cleane and lively | 170 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Two middle drops to earrings | 160 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Four side drops to ditto | 70 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A yellow rose diamond, set in a ring which his grace wears | 150 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A large brilliant ring; the gift of the Emperor | 1,500 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A large rose diamond set in a ring; the gift of the King of Poland | 1,500 | 0 | 0 | ||
Endorsed in the Duchess’s handwriting with these words:
“All the brilliants and other small diamonds, except those described in this book, were bought with the Duchess’s own money, as likewise all the pearles of every sort. The two best pendant drops cost of Mr. Dolbin 500l., and were once valued at 2,200l.”
Dated December the 30th, 1718, from a book of Sarah Duchess of Marlborough’s.—Additional Catalogue.
A large pearl necklace, containing thirty-nine pearls; the two end pearls are what are called pendant pearls.
Two very large pendant pearls that cost five hundred pounds, but are valued at more than double the price, set in earrings with two brilliant diamonds.
Two hundred and eighty-four pearls in a string, for a bracelet.
Three strings in a necklace, with a brilliant hook. Near four hundred pearls in three; and the hook contains sixteen diamonds.