Correspondence of the Jaques Family

Dennett Jaques, 1758-1837, was a bookseller and printer who worked in Chichester from 1783 to 1788; he then moved to London where he continued his printing business in Lower Sloane Street, Chelsea, residing there until his death

Much of this correspondence, exchanged between Dennett and his more immediate family, belongs to the period spent in Lower Sloane Street. The chief letter-writers of the family were Dennett and his second son William, also Dennett's nephew, Charles Austen Jaques, who worked as a printer in Chichester

Dennett was a staunch methodist and his firm religious principles influenced many of the Jaques family. His letters reveal an overriding concern for the spiritual welfare of his dependents - much of the correspondence addressed to William is a mixture of preaching and paternal advice. The letters between Dennett and William also provide references to the printing business, to proofreading, and to other booksellers. Several of Charles Austen Jaques' letters to Dennett contain information on local politics, including a reference to Huskisson, while William provides an account of the riots at the Ryde election, 1837

Deposited by Mrs. D.M. Lampard, Hedgerow, Kenley Road, Headley Down, Bordon, Hants, and D.F.W. Jaques Esq., Brynterion, Grove Road, Tring, Herts., 20 August 1976.