Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo. From 12 Rutland Street, he begins the letter "I don't know if you have heard before this that Bob Ruttledge has purchased Maidenhill for £3000, I considered it so great a bargain that I thought it a pity ro let him get it, at least without paying the value for it. I therefore have opened the sale and intend bidding as far as £3600 for it. To raise the money he has asked his brother Tom to take a new lease, "his answer was that he thought it would be foolish in him to give up his present lease ... you will therefore oblige me very much if you will send me a line to my uncle to give me as many of your debentures as I may call for ... I have Tom Elwood's [father of his first wife] bond for £1000 amd Owen Lloyd's [brother of his wife Anne] for £2000 and my uncle owes me some money so that I have security sufficient as far as I will go ..."
Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo. Concerning the Maidenhill property "... most probable Bob Ruttledge will not let it go for that sum ... I am therefore thinking I will bid £4000 for it ... I will be obliged if you will lend me £1000 for which I will give you my bond payable in twelve months ... my purchase from Trench makes me very good security ... it is a pity to let what has been in our family for above forty years go under the value and what ought to be Toms if my grandfather [Thomas Ruttledge] had been a man of his word ..."
Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo. Regarding his purchase of Maidenhead "I am very much obliged to you for allowing me to get any money of yours in my uncle's hands ... I was this day declared the purchaser of Maidenhill for £4100, Courtney Kenny and Livesay for Bob Ruttledge were the bidders against me ... There is of course eight days more to open the sale ... I wrote to my aunt Bermingham last week telling her of my intention ... I feel she is in Italy with the Charlemonts, in all events I must pay the money into Court in the first instance ... The Phibbs are all well and got into a new house on the south side of Merrion Square. They are going to Killarney in a few days ..."
Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo, from 12 Rutland Street. "Mr. Fowler the attorney has opened the sale of Maidenhead by bidding £150 more than I bid in the name of Mr. Charles Jones of Wicklow but it is all a sham to gain time til November so that Davy Ruttledge will get the last year's rent due 1st November next. Fowler is doing all that he can to get into Davy's business as Anthony Blake is giving it up. He don't wish to have anything to do with it, as he can get neither credit not profit from it, Davy not having a shilling. The business must now be over till Nov. next as nothing more can be done in the long vacation. Tom ought now to consider and make up his mind whether he will take a new lease for 31 years and rise his rent, s on that will entirely depend my bidding any higher for it. If I got it at what I bid I would be a loser of £92 per annum during Tom's lease and I do not wish to lessen my income more than that, so that unless Tom wishes to rise the rent on getting a new lease for 31 years, I will not bid any more for it. The sale of Cornfield is also opened, so that it must also stand over til Nov. Purchasing under a decree of Court is a most tiresome and uncertain thing as there is no knowing when it will be concluded. Will you get Peter Phibbs to write and let me know particularly how you and my mother are. I hope the boxes for the wheels fitted. Anne and Tom join me in love and duty to you, my mother and believe me dear Father your dutiful and loving son Anthony Ormsby".
Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo. The letter begins - "I have just heard from Adam [his brother] that my aunt wrote to you about my uncle not accepting the bill for the interest of your debentures. I think you ought not to answer the letter and if you get any more letters from her or from him I think you ought not to answer them until we see what can be done with him and I very much fear there will be no money or debentures got from him tho' it is very evident to every person that he has them in his house or in government stock in the Bank". The letter concludes in the usual way.
Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo. In which he writes - "I am happy to tell you that Anne and her son Anthony are going on as well as possible ... Adam left town last night for Limerick. I had a letter yesterday from Peter, they are all well. I think it likely that Davy Ruttledge's business will be soon settled. I expect to get the money from my uncle which he owes as soon as Davy Ruttledge's money is paid, but if I should be disappointed I would wish to borrow £1000 of that money from you as I will want to pay off Christopher Ormsby the £1000 he lent Charles Phibbs as the 5 years will be up in June ... I beg you will tell Sally or Peter to write and let us know how you and my mother are ..."
Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo, from Bray, County Wicklow. "I put off writing to you this some time, expecting every day that my uncle would pay me the £170 you wrote to him to give me and which Adam told me he wrote you word he would pay me, but my waiting was perfectly useless, as there is no such thing as getting money from him of late. He is the most altered man I ever knew in money matters. The bills you sent me I will keep safe until they become due the 29th of Oct. and 10 Nov. I could not get one of them discounted as the acceptor is not much known as having a house, nor being a man [of] business and the Banks are very particular of late what bills they take on account of the number of failures. If you sell any cattle at Ball [Balla] I will be obliged to you if you will send me any bills you may get, as perhaps I might be able to get them discounted and in consequence of not getting money from my uncle I am in want of money at present. You ought to be cautious what bills you take now, if you don't get a good price for your cattle I will wait till Donnamona. I really think you ought to lose no time in writing to my uncle for your account, as he is now perfectly idle and when term begins in Nov. there will be no speaking to him, he will be so busy and I think it would be a great satisfaction to you to have your account settled, particularly since it is so long since you got it from him. It is perfectly useless for you to wait until Davy Ruttledge's law suit is over, as your account can just as easily be settled now as then and from every thing I can hear from both lawyers and attorneys it is very uncertain when it will be over. They may just as easily put it off next term, as they have done every term this past six years, particularly as the purchaser wishes it to be off, he will make every objection he can to the title. I hope please God to see you and my mother before the middle of October. Anne and Tom join me in Love and Duty, believe me your dutiful and loving son Anthony Ormsby".
Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo, from 12 Rutland Street - "I received the letter which Peter Phibbs wrote to me and as you have desired it, I will send your will and Lord Clanmorris's bonds down by one of the boys. At the same time I must by leave to tell you that we are all here of opinion that it would be better to have your will and those two bonds lodged with Owen Phibbs. I must also take the liberty of telling you that I do advise you not to make any alteration or additions to your will, it is now made five years and I think it most advisable to leave it just as it is - indeed I am very much afraid that there is more willed in it than will be paid, as I am sorry to say my uncle is growing worse every day, however the business will soon be decided one way or the other. With love to all at Ballinamore, believe me your dutiful and loving sone Anthony Ormsby".
Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo. From Cork. "... I am very much obliged to you for the settlement you intend to make on me ... it is no easy matter to meet with a girl to please one in every particular and as to marry merely for money, it be much better for a man to remain single all his life ... poor Semple is almost recovered ... I am sorry to say there are a great number of disaffected people in this country and that they are increasing ... Colonel Fitzgerald who had the affair with Miss King was shot two days ago at Kilworth by a man in a mask ... we have a good house for our mess in which Capt. Bourke, Tom Bourke, Col. Cuffe, James Blake and I sleep ... report says general Abercrombie will make every officer without exception attend ... wool I hear is 18 sh. a tone here ..."
Letter from Colonel Anthony Ormsby, eldest son to Thomas Ormsby of Ballinamore, Co. Mayo, from Carrick-on-Suir. "I had a letter from Peter a few days ago from Plymouth Dock, he is very well and was to return to Exeter in a few days. I am very happy to hear that John is so well settled ... I will be obliged to you if you will pay Jack Elwood ... £8.14.4 which I received from the paymaster for him ... I send you a letter I received some time from Col. Jackson ...tell Anne [his sister] I am very angry at not hearing from her ..."