These letters graciously have been shared with the Victorian Web by Eunice and Ron Shanahan; they have been taken from their website. The letters give an insight into the daily lives and concerns of 'ordinary' people without whom history would not exist. The letters are a wonderful example of how much history may be gleaned from such sources.
The
letter has a seal at the top which appears to be an armorial type of a shield
bisected with a white wavy line and the words around the outside of the circle
are FORTE SCUTUM SALUS DUCUM + . This is listed in Debrett's mottos 1814 as
" A strong shield is the safety of commanders. -v. Clermont; and -e. Fortescue."
A further note shows that ‘the viscountcy was an Irish one, sharing an ancestor, motto, and surname with the English Earls Fortescue.’ However, as far as I can see the writer of this letter is not part of that family. He was Sir Henry Gough who was born in 1649, the eldest son and heir of John Gough. He was knighted in 1678 by Charles II, the honour being conferred on him in gratitude for the services of his grandfather to Charles I in 1642.
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Last modified 24 January 2006