Page. LXVII. From ditto to ditto, LXVIII. From ditto to ditto, LXIX. From ditto to ditto, - LXX. From Mrs Thimelby to her niece, Ger- · LXXIII. From ditto to ditto, LXXIV. From Mrs Thimelby to Herbert Aston, 88 · LXXV. From ditto to ditto, 96 LXXX. To her nieces on the death of their sister Catherine, LXXXI. To Herbert Aston on the death 98 LXXXVI. From Lord Aston to his Lady, du- LXXXIX. Sir Thomas Tilderley's and Sir Har- vey Bagot's answer to Sir Wil- TIXALL LETTERS. PART THE FOURTH. LETTERS FROM MRS WINEFRID THIMELBY, ABBESS OF THE ENGLISH CONVENT OF AUGUSTINE NUNS, AT LOUVAIN, IN FLANDERS, TO THE HONBLE. HERBERT ASTON. 1650-1690. THE LETTERS in this Part, with the exception of five or six, were all written by Mrs Winefrid Thimelby, Abbess of the Convent of English Nuns, at Louvain, in Flanders; and were chiefly addressed to the Hon. Herbert Aston, at Bellamore, near Lichfield. Dodd, in the second volume of his Church History, has given an account of the foundation of several English religious houses in the Low Countries, about the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and during that of James the First. He says, " Among these, was the monastery of Augustine Nuns, in Louvain, first established by Mrs Mary Wiseman, in the 3 year 1619. She, with several other English Ladies, had been professed in St Ursula's monastery, a house of Flemish Nuns, in Louvain. But being desirous to lay the foun. dation of a community for those of their own country, they applied to the bishop of the diocese, and having his leave, they purchased a building, with other conveniencies, which they called by the name of St Monica's monastery. The bishop, at first, seemed very unwilling to admit of this new establishment, apprehending they might be burdensome to the town, on account of their slender revenues. But Dr Clement, an English clergyman, dean of St Gudules, in Bruges, became a generous benefactor; and Mr Worthington, of Blainscoe, in Lancashire (who resided at that time in Louvain, with his whole family), engaging to make good all deficiencies, that difficulty was removed.”. -DODD's Church History, vol. ii, p. 341. In the third volume, p. 479, he has given the following short notice of Mrs Winefrid Thimelby: "Winefrid Thimelby, daughter of Richard Thimelby, of Irnham, in Lincolnshire. She became a nun in the English monastery of St Augustine's order, in Louvain, where she was chosen the third superior. She died August 31, 1690, in the 72d year of her age, and 55 after her profession, having been superior 22 years." From these dates, it appears, that Mrs Winefrid Thimelby was born in the year 1619, that she was professed a nun in 1635, at the early age of sixteen; and that she became superior of her convent in 1668, in the forty-ninth year of her age. |