by Graham Seal
time to go you must not delay
riteing if you can it will ease
my mind if you can
if it ever lays in your power
to send for us when you get
abroad i would freely sell
all up to come to you if i
possibly could for health
Dear farther do pleas
to writ to is i Sends one 100
kiss for you thirza Sykes
a kiss will xxxxx
Ann Sykes sends Dear xxxxx
father i send you a 100 kiss for you
Alfredd sens kiss kinds
Love to you Masbro
Midland Road 33
WE ARE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT YOU
Masbro’ 19 March 1867
My dear Husband –
I have this afternoon received
your letter and i am glad
to hear from you – I heard yesterday
that there was a letter from
you at Park-gate and wrote off
immediately to the Governor of
the Portsmouth prison asking
him to kindly send me word
if he could what was the
latest day I could see you, as
I do not see how I could pos
sibly undertake the journey
this week, being without mo
ney, If I had received your
letter on Saturday, it was
the reconing and I would have
done my best to contrive it –
But if you do not leave before
the next reconing I will come if
I came alone for none of them
say anuthing about coming themselves,
or assisting me to do so either
so far. I feel it as much as you do
to be very hard for you to be
where you are and Woodhouse
at liberty, but rest assured
whether I git to see you or not I
hope that when you arrive at
your journeys end you will not
forget us, for we are always
thinking about you. I hope the
governor will either send me a
reply or allow you to do so, for I
will leave no means untried to
get to see you if there is time
but if I was at the expense only
to be too late when I got there
it will be a serious loss to me
situated as I am. I feel greatly
hurt that you should send your
letters to you Brothers & Sisters
before me – for although we are
separated there is no one I value
and regard equal to you – and
I should like you to still have
the same feeling towards me,
and if there is ever a chance
of our being permitted to join
you again even though it be
in a far off land, both the
children and myself will most
gladly do so – Mr Bone has
written to his wife to get the
childrens likenesses taken for him
to take away with him I should
like you to have ours if you
are allowed the same privilige
Will you let me know? I cannot
give you up. I live in the hope of
our being together again somewhere
before we end our days – My best
love to you, the children also send
their love to you, and love and
remembrance from all friends
your affectionate wife – Myra Sykes
JOY AND HAPPYNESS OF THAT BRIGHT WORLD ABOVE
This is intended for William Sykes number 283 Portsmouth Prison
Sir
Governor of this prison Sir it is not my wish or will to go against the rules or Regulations of this Prison and I hope and trust through your instrumentality that William Sykes Convict number 283 will receive this into his hands and i hope it will not miss his heart and i wish to inform him that his wife and children Brothers and Sisters are all well at present for ought i know we send our dearst and kindest respects to you hopeing it will find you in good health, William my advice to you is that you obey all that are in authority over you and Let your conduct be good and try to gain that which you have lost i mean your character let me beg of you to pray to our heavenly father and his son Jesus Christ to give you a clean heart and right sprit within and then all your troubles and anxieties of this world will be small when compared with the Joy and happyness of that bright world above William I hope you are aware that our Blessed Lord has caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning and God Grant that we may hear and read them and not to read them only but to do what they teach us and then when the swelling of Jordan overtakes us may we be ready to meet our saviour and him be ready to convey us through the valley of the shadow of death to our heavenly father arms there everlasting to dwell with him dear brother i ask you to seek for Christian salvation which means deliverance from something that is feared or suffered and it is therefore a term of very general application, but in reference to our spiritual condition it means deliverance from those evils with which we are afflicted in consequence of our departure from God it implies deliverance from ignorance from ignorance of God, the first and the last the greatest and the wisest, the holiest and the best of beings, the maker of all things, the centre of all perfection, the fountain of all happiness, ignorant of God we cannot give him acceptable worship we cannot rightly obey his will we cannot hold communion with him here we cannot be prepared for the enjoyment of his presence hereafter But from this ignorance we are rescued by the salvation of the Gospel, which reveals God to us which makes us acquainted with his nature, his attributes his character, his government and which especially unfolds to us that scheme of mercy in which he has most clearly manifested his glory it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wate for the salvation of the Lord. William a few more words when they was leading Jesus to the cross and there followed a great company of people which also bewailed and lamented him but Jesus turning unto them said Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for yourselves
Well William in conclusion i will say a little about the contents of your letter. i believe you said your children was the strings of your heart i believe you went on to say that wentworth was your place of birth and i say let Christ be your salvation William your brother John sends his best hopeing the advice Given will have a good effect your sister Rebecca sends her love to you and trusts she will see you again before death do you part and your sister Elizabeth sends her kindest love to you wish you to behave yourself under your present situation and as for me C Charles Hargreaves my desire is to point you to the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world and trust in Christ as your Physician for it is through Him that we live and move and have our being Dear William your brother John would give your little boy a good school education but your Dear Wife cannot find time to send him to school i conclude with the blesssing of God almighty the father the son and the holy Ghost may remain with you both now and forever amen i trust the governor of this prison is a kindhearted Man Charles Hargreaves Park Gate near Rotherham Yorkshire.
I SHALL NOT BE EASY IN MY MIND
Masbro’ April 8th 1867
My dear Husband –
I have this day sent off a
box for you which I hope you
will receive safely – I have
sent you all that I possibly
could and am only sorry
that it is not in my power
to send you more – as soon
as I received your letter I took
it to Elizabeth – She has
sent you two of the smallest
spice loaves and gave me 1s
towards the expenses – Then I
went to Rebecca and she
&nbs
p; could not do anything towards
it. Emma has sent the other
spice loaf and mince pie – &
Elizabeth the testament and
tract, and John the other two
books, and the remainder I
I have sent myself – I hope
you will write back the very
first opportunity to let me
know if you have received
it. I have paid 4/6 carriage
to Bristol they will send us
word what it costs from there
to the ship and John will
pay that, I should like you
to write as often as ever you
can, and when you write next
send word whether a few post
age stamps will be of any
use to you – I walked to Shef
field yesterday morning in the
hope of getting a good shut
knife for you, but could
not meet with any of them
Sailor Bill is very well but
I did not see him, and Chas
Salt has gone into the North
and Edw. Uttley sends his best
respects to you. If Saturday
had been pay day I might
perhaps have been able to get
a trifle more for you I called
at John Cliffs they send their
love to you & Mrs [?] sent an ounce
of Tobacco – We also send our best
love to you and the children all
wish they were going in the
same ship with their Father. I
have enclosed you a list of the
articles in the box and Father [?]
encloses a packet of needles
with his respects – If you have
the chance to earn any money in
Australia you must save it all up
and I will do the same, that
if there is a chance of our rejoin
ing you we may be able to do so.
Be sure to write and let me know if
you have recd the box for I shall not
be easy in my mind until I hear from
you again – Remaining with best
love and wishes for your welfare.
Your affectionate wife – Myra Sykes.
MYRA’S LIST OF ARTICLES
flanel Shirt 1
Belts 2
flanel compforter
1 anchifes pocket
2 caps
2 purs
1 comb
2 Cotton shirts and Looking glass 1
4 needles and thread
6 anks
OLD FAVOURITE TOBACCO POUCH
Three Spice loaves – 2 lbs Cheese
One Pork pie – one mince pie
2lbs sugar – 2 tea 2 do.
Packet of Spice – quire of paper
4 books – 1/2 doz pipes
Bottle of Tobacco – parcel of Tobacco
Old favourite Tobacco pouch
Thread needles Buttons &c
Three bottles of ink & pens
2 Fig cakes – Apples oranges and lemons
Bottle of pickels 11/4 lbs Bacon
Alfred sends his little pocket knife
STRONG SEA ROWLING
On Board the 2d of April
Sailed from Portland the 18
head wind ruff night
the Sattedy night before
Easter and Easter Settedy
night Caut a Shark on the
21st of May a Death the same
day a funeral the 22nd
A ship came up and took
Letters the 23 a good Breas of
wind 24 A Birth on the 26th
Crossed the line the same day 26
which was Sunday
the outlandic Ocan the tropic
the medary Island the cannary
Island the peak of tinereff
along the coast of affreca
and other peak mountains
8 days brees. Steady wind 2 June
good wind 3 making preparation
for ruff wether 4 oppisit Eugener
Brassil out of the tropic 6 fair
wind not much of it
7 niggers Friday night
8 strong wind boult in the flihg
jib broke out 9 – 10 good sailing
11 Strong not in faver 14 fare wind
squaly albertrosses ollegok cape pigen
and other Birds 19 wind in faver
but very could dail and rain
very strong sea rowling dreams
very ruff night 20 dull with strong
swell on 21 Birth died 22 wet
miseruble day with fair wind
23 fare wind going well but squalls
24 and 25 changuble 26 ackedent
with the Boiler and too men
scolded July 1 sailing very fast
with squall until the 9 and
then calm and dull
HE IS A LITTLE RIP
Masbrough 20 September 1868
Dear Husband I take this oportunety
of writing you these few lines
to you to let you know that
I receved your letter dated the
July the fifth 1868 Deir
Husband I was glad to heir
that you were well and in good
[page torn]
whither I had got one from you
or not and that put me about for
I thought that something had
happened to you because their
was no letters for me and I was
much further put about when I
receved your letter when it was a
week amongst them before I got it
Dear husband when you write again
send me word what sort of a pashege
you had when you were going out
and send word whither you got that
box that I sent you when you
were leving this country for you
never said in your letter whither you
got it or not I am very sorry to be
[lost page]
Old house still and they all
send their kind love to you and
Edward Huttley and his wife
sends their kind love also and your
daughter Ann is in place and doing
well Alfread is working in the
– al mill and he gets 10 pence per day
Ann Thurza Alf William sends their
kind love to you but William has
got long white curly hair and he
was not called William for nothing
for he is a little right rip right and your
Brothers and sisters sends their kind
love to you and their was another
[torn page]
This took place on Lord
Warncliffs Eastart the Keepper
was Shot.
Berdshaws Father
took it so much to heart that he went
and through himself on the rails
and the trains past over him and
Killed him
Dear Husband
when you write again Derect
your letter to Mrs Sykes No 39
Midland Road Masbrough
I HAVE DONE MY UTTERMOST
Greasbrough 4 Nov 1869
Dear Husband I take this
opertunety of writing you
these few lines to let you
know that me and all the
Children are all well hoping
that when you receve this
letter you will be in good
helgth as this leves us all at present
thank God for his kindness to
us all Dear husband it has
been three weeks since I hard
that their was a letter came to
your Sister and I did went to
the post office to see whether it
<
br /> was right or not and I found out
thatv their had been one but I
have never seen it yet and Ann
had seen whether hir Ant bacer
would not let hir see the letter but
She said that she would not
let me nor hir see the letter so
the children has taken it greatly
to heart and they are never done
speaking about it and they never
gave me any pease since but I
have been waiting with the greates
of pacientes till they ahd all
seen your letter that I might
know how to write to you but
they will not give it up
so the children would have
Me write to you without
Seeing your letter but Ann
is the worst of them all about
it and She is bothered greatly
About it every day in hir life
about it wheir she is serving
for all your old friends in
Gresbrough they are wanting to
know how you are getting
on their is some of your old
friends in the house where she
is every night in the week that
is in Harriss But Dear Husband
I cannot tell what they have
all got against me for I have
never yet bothered them for
nothing since you left us all
Bt Dear Husband I have work
ed hur for my Children and
myself Since you went
I have done my uttermost
to bring them up as well sa
any other persons Children
about the place and I have
done so yet thank God
We are living in Gresbrough
and Alf is in the pit working
and Ann is place and Thurza
and William is going to the
School and by the time I
get a letter from you I hope
Thiza will be able to write
to you Dear Husband my
brother Alfred is always bad
the same as my Brother manuel
was before he died and he
sends his kind love to you and
all our familey does the same
Ho and I had my Brother
Ellis and his son Lodging with