1812 Letter from Betty Crompton to her brother, Samuel Jr. (England)

The Earl of Pembroke, Richard “Strongbow” de Clare (also FitzGilbert) led the invasion of Ireland as part of the larger Norman Conquest. Three of Robert De Valle’s sons, Gilbert De Valle, Stephen De Valle, and Hay De Valle, crossed the Irish Sea with Baron Raymond “Le Gros” FitzGerald from Pembrokeshire, Wales, in advance of Strongbow’s army.

Anne Loughlin’s letter to her sister Ellen is based on the premise that Ellen’s name was scratched from the registry and changed her mind at the last minute, withdrawing her name from the passage/ship’s registry

Very little is known about Crompton’s wife (there is even some argument about whether her maiden name was Pimlott or Pimbley). She was a spinstress, and the daughter of a West Indies trader, so she may have been middle class, and therefore, educated (could read and write).