Correspondence

The Tuke family’s correspondence covers a wide range of subjects. Unsurprisingly, family matters are frequently mentioned. The Tuke tea and coffee business is also a frequent topic, particularly between members of the family who worked in the business. But the correspondence also mentions events in the wider world, including the progress of the Napoleonic Wars, Chartist Riots, the Corn Law debates, cholera epidemics, and the establishment of the railways. The death of Lord Nelson, and the erection of Nelson’s Column are both mentioned in letters by the family. There are also letters concerned with local events, including local celebrations or ‘Illuminations’ relating to the Royal Family and the Napoleonic Wars, and murder trials in York. Letters also document the involvement of the Quaker community in York in campaigning for William Wilberforce at the 1807 election, and the conflict this created with the Quakers’ established apolitical stance.
The Tuke family’s prominent role within the Quaker religion on both a local and national scale mean their letters and personal papers are an excellent source for Quaker doctrine and practices, its eighteenth and nineteenth century history, the work of its ministers and missionaries, and the networks existing within the Quaker community. A number of letters in the collection are written by the Tukes during journeys as itinerant ministers, and provide information about this work and the reception such ministers received. The letters also reveal something about discipline within the Quaker meetings: several disownments are mentioned in the letters within the collection, and two members of the Tuke family seem to have been disciplined themselves, with William Tuke II involved in a dispute within the Thirsk Monthly Meeting in 1819-1822, and Sarah (Sally) Riccalton (née Tuke) (daughter of William Tuke II)’s clandestine marriage to George Riccalton in January 1821 in Bramham Church. In the early letters there are frequent mentions of the Lothersdale prisoners, imprisoned in York Castle between 1795 and 1797 for non-payment of tithes.
The Tukes philanthropic work is also frequently mentioned: their work in the building and management of the Retreat is recorded, and one letter records Samuel Tuke’s opinions of Parisian asylums on his visit in 1824. The family’s interest in education is clear from the content of letters, with comments on Joseph Lancaster, the Lancastrian school teaching system and other methods of teaching particularly notable. Correspondence from Tuke children at school provides a valuable perspective of eighteenth and nineteenth century education. Their involvement in the anti-slavery campaign, the Bible Society and other charitable endeavours
is also documented in the letters.
The letters are generally dated according to the Quaker dating system: Quakers refused to use the names for days of the month and months because they originated from pagan words, and instead date numerically, with 1mo 3d being the 3rd of January. These have been converted into DD Month YYYY format in the catalogue. A summary of the content of each letter is provided in the scope and content of each item. This provides information on the two key topics discussed in the letter: where the content warrants it, more topics have been listed.
If the author was writing from outside the United Kingdom, this is noted in the Scope and Content of individual letters.

The correspondence has been grouped by family member. Each family members' correspondence is split into series of letters sent and letters received. These series are arranged by recepient or writer: letters to or from other members of the family are grouped together and listed in date order, and letters from individuals who are not members of the Tuke family are grouped together as 'other letters', unless the volume of letters warranted a separate subseries. The 'other letters' subseries are arranged by recipient or writer, and then in date order.
Dates for undated letters have been estimated and are provided in square brackets [ ] : when a letter is dated from a postmark, the day section of the date has been placed in square brackets. If the name of a recipient or writer is in square brackets, this indicates that the individual is not named in the letter, but has been identified by other means: if this identification is less certain, a question mark follows the name.
Many of the letters have multiple writers and recipients. Where the letter has multiple writers and/or recipients, the letter has been grouped according to the first Tuke family writer or recipient (i.e. individuals with their own sub-sub fonds) and a note made in the relevant subseries of additional writers: for example if Henry Tuke and Maria Tuke wrote to Samuel Tuke, the letter would be places in the Letters of Henry Tuke to Samuel Tuke subseries, but a note made in the Letters of Maria Tuke to Samuel Tuke subseries.
Several family members are referred to by their nicknames in letters: Sarah Grubb (née Tuke) is called Sally, Ann Alexander (née Tuke) is sometimes called Nancy, Priscilla Tuke (née Hack) is occasionally called Celia by Samuel Tuke, and James Hack Tuke is referred to as Jemmy in some letters. Favilla Holmes (nee Copsie) was named Barbara Ann Favilla Copsie, and she is occasionally referred to by these initials in the letters.

The description notes when stamps or signatures have been cut out of letters, and if the letter is incomplete.

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