Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Content
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Anne Hunter's life
- Parents
- 2 Childhood
- 3 The young woman
- 4 Angelica
- 5 Mrs John Hunter
- 6 The anonymous song-writer
- 7 Leicester Fields
- 8 Dr Haydn
- 9 Disaster
- 10 Isabella
- 11 Rescue
- 12 Publication
- 13 The Creation
- 14 George Thomson
- 15 ‘I am but a shabbi person’
- Anne Hunter's poetry
- Bibliography
- Index of titles
- Index of first lines
- General index
9 - Disaster
from Anne Hunter's life
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Content
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Anne Hunter's life
- Parents
- 2 Childhood
- 3 The young woman
- 4 Angelica
- 5 Mrs John Hunter
- 6 The anonymous song-writer
- 7 Leicester Fields
- 8 Dr Haydn
- 9 Disaster
- 10 Isabella
- 11 Rescue
- 12 Publication
- 13 The Creation
- 14 George Thomson
- 15 ‘I am but a shabbi person’
- Anne Hunter's poetry
- Bibliography
- Index of titles
- Index of first lines
- General index
Summary
Anne's life continued on as normal after Haydn's departure. She may have visited Nancy Gilbert in Cornwall in September, but she was in Brighton with Agnes and Jock on 16 October 1793 when disaster struck. Matthew Baillie arrived to tell them that, during an altercation that morning with his colleagues in St George's Hospital, John had suddenly collapsed and died. Distraught with grief, they hurried back to London and on 22 October John was buried in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Clift's graphic account illustrates what the family was up against:
It was a very private burying for there was only a Hearse and two Coaches, besides Mr Hunters Chariot, but nobody rode in that, my cloaths was not made soon enough, to go to the Burying and none of the servants went to the burying but I was acquainted with the Undertaker and so I went to the Church and he put me into the vault with him—None of our people saw me there I believe and I did not want them to. Mr Hunters Coachman and footman and the Butler are discharg'd, and Mrs Hunters Coachman, for the Both Carriages and Horses are sold, and the Horses at the Country house are sold and since Mr Hunters footman has been gone I have had to go out any where for Mrs Hunter—two days last week I had to go to all Mrs Hunters Acquaintances with Cards—& yesterday I was out at Earls Court with Miss Hunter and the Ladys Maid to pack up some books and things to bring to town—I think it must seem very strange to Miss Hunter to ride in a Hackney coach, being used to ride in one that was reckoned the handsomest Coach that was at court when Mr Hunter had it new to go to Court in.
John left his father's house in Long Calderwood to ‘my dear and only son’. He directed that the Earl's Court house be sold, and that his Anatomical Collection should be sold to the Government. After payment of debts the proceeds were to be added to his personal estate and shared equally by Anne and the two children.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Life and Poems of Anne HunterHaydn’s Tuneful Voice, pp. 51 - 55Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2009