JAMES HARMER (1777–1853) – AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED – 10 DECEMBER 1845

An excellent original 1845 autograph letter signed (“Jaˢ Harmer”) by James Harmer, the remarkable London solicitor, criminal-law reformer, radical, alderman, newspaper proprietor and leading figure in the establishment of the Royal Free Hospital. 

Harmer was deeply involved in some of the most celebrated legal and political causes of the early 19th century. He acted as defending solicitor for John Bellingham following the assassination of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval, represented Samuel Bamford following the Peterloo Massacre, became involved in the investigation surrounding the death of Peterloo victim John Lees, and subsequently took on the defence of the Cato Street conspirators. He was also a notable campaigner against abuses and miscarriages of justice. 

Harmer later became Alderman for Farringdon Without and Sheriff of London and Middlesex. He was also proprietor of the radical Weekly Dispatch, his association with the newspaper contributing to the opposition encountered during his attempted elevation to the mayoralty. 

Importantly, this is not merely a signed letter. Its contents provide an attractive insight into Harmer's private charitable dealings and concern with honesty.

The letter is headed:

“Ingress 10 Decʳ 1845”

This refers to Ingress Abbey, Greenhithe, Kent, Harmer's remarkable country residence. Harmer had the mansion built largely from stone obtained from Old London Bridge following its demolition. 

Harmer writes to Messrs Robertson & Co concerning confusion surrounding a person named Hayes to whom he was providing a substantial regular allowance:

“I thought the person Hayes to whom I allow £20 a year resided in White Horse Street Stepney but in this I am probably mistaken…”

Harmer indicates that he has now sent the cheque to somebody who will deliver it to the intended female recipient.

The incident appears also to have involved another Hayes and an employee of Robertson & Co whose honesty particularly impressed Harmer. He therefore instructs the firm:

“The poor man in your employ deserves a small remuneration for his honesty…”

Harmer encloses an order entitling the employee, or somebody sent on behalf of the employee, to receive 10 shillings at 139 Fleet Street.

This address is especially interesting in connection with Harmer. Harmer is independently recorded as proprietor of the Weekly Dispatch. Later Weekly Dispatch publications explicitly identify 139 Fleet Street as the Weekly Dispatch Office, providing a strong association between the payment address in this letter and Harmer's newspaper interests. The evidence located for the address is from 1863 rather than 1845, so the exact status of the premises at the date of this letter should be treated with appropriate caution. 

The £20 annual allowance to the unidentified Hayes is intriguing. Harmer clearly expected the payment to reach a female recipient, referring to the person who would receive it as“her”. His wording suggests an established allowance rather than a single charitable payment.

Harmer's recollection that the recipient lived in White Horse Street, Stepney proves mistaken. This leaves an interesting avenue for further research into the identity of Hayes and Harmer's reason for supporting the recipient.

There is an old pencil collector's annotation at the head: “Founder of the Royal Free Hospital”

For strict historical accuracy, Harmer is better described as having taken “a leading part in establishing” the Royal Free Hospital, which is the wording given by the Dictionary of National Biography. 

Harmer's biography has numerous other significant associations. His criminal practice led him to become a strong advocate for reform of criminal procedure; he investigated cases in which prisoners had, in his view, been wrongly committed, campaigned against the notorious “blood-money” system of criminal rewards, and gave influential evidence concerning criminal-law reform. 

He is also recorded as having served as a model for Jaggers, the formidable lawyer in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. 

A particularly appealing and content-rich letter from an important and colourful figure in early 19th-century British legal, political, press and social history, with associations encompassing the Bellingham trial, Peterloo, Cato Street, criminal-law reform, the Weekly Dispatch, the Royal Free Hospital and Ingress Abbey.

Transcription

Ingress 10 Decʳ 1845

Gentlemen

I am sorry to have occasioned you and the poor man Hayes so much trouble. I thought the person Hayes to whom I allow £20 a year resided in White Horse Street Stepney but in this I am probably mistaken I have sent the check to a person who I know will hand it to her.

The poor man in your employ deserves a small remuneration for his honesty and I shall feel obliged if you will hand him the enclosed order, on presenting which at 139 Fleet Street he or the person he sends with it will receive 10/-

I am
Gentlemen
Your Obed Servᵗ
Jaˢ Harmer

Messʳˢ Robertson & Co

A very worthwhile James Harmer letter because the contents themselves complement his reputation as a reformer and philanthropically minded public figure, rather than being simply a routine signature.

Condition as photos. Guaranteed Original. All items can be returned for a full refund if found to be not as described.

James Harmer (1777 – 1853) was an English solicitor, involved in the investigation of miscarriages of justice, radical politics, and local government in London, where he served as an alderman. He served as a model for Jaggers, the Charles Dickens character from Great Expectations. James Harmer appears in a series of historical financial crime novels written by Susan Grossey: Fatal Forgery, The Man in the Canary Waistcoat, and Worm in the Blossom.

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