![An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [‎560v] (1142/1291)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000323.0x0002bc/Mss Eur D922_1_1142.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [‎560v] (1142/1291)")
An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [560v] (1142/1291)
The record is made up of 2 files (630 folios). It was created in 1898-1914. It was written in English and Persian. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
KERMAN,
f"
(S 5 f
« - 4 - 14 .
LIV.
No time foi* a Diary this week; happily the rigmarole about
the photos has been done some days and must therefore do duty
for more Interesting fare.
The post of Feb. 10-13 (or thereabouts]has apparently gone
astray though no news is to hand of a robbery. After a tedious
fortnight of waiting and hoping yesterday brought us letters of
Feb. 18 th. and 20 th. but not the missing batch. It does seem
cruel that Just that week’s lot should have gone astray. It is
impossible to tell, Just as it is impossible for you to repeat
all that you said. And in a way almost worse than the loss of
both sets of home letters (for after all we know from our own
heerfefe much of what you must have written, and we know of course
that you all did write), is the loss of the unknown letters
from unexpected people, who will now never got our thanks and
acknowledgements. Some letters from most unexpected sources
have come, and there is a strange and real comfort in realising
how people whom life has separateed very far from you and with whm
it has not been possible to keep up communication still remember
and think of you as kindly as you still of them. If you hear
of anyone who has written please warn them of the very strong
probability that their letter went astray and ask them not to
misunderstand the lack of response.
Lock has had a letter from A Captain MacGaskell now in the
Soudan whom he has not seen for 12 or 13 years in-tfce since the
Guides days; now if that had got lost, how could he have
guessed ? And how much he would have missed. It is very
very hard to bear. And the thought of real friends being
hurt by the silence is cruel.
? 'e are trying to hope that the letters have only got
detained, but I fear there is not much chance of their ever
turning up.
From the home letters we were greatly distressed to gather
that Father had been til; the letter telling all about it was
of course gone,' and already he seemed to be a little on the mend.
It is a great comfort to rem^ber that your.telegram "We are all
wefel, please say how you arewas dated the evening of March 22
so we know that things must have been going on welliji but still
we shall look for next weeks’s post with eagerness. Wasn’t
it a blessing that Miss Bethell had been installed so th t Moth er
was free from housekeeping worries. We do hope she got in a
nurse to help with the night duty. We heartily sympathise
with her self-gratulations that they "were not careering off
to Rome". It is a great thing to be in one’s own surroundings
and with familiar doctors if one must be ill.
Meantime we shall not allow ourselves to fret or worry
but rest on the re-assurance of your telegram which I feel sure
darling Mother sent on purpose end timed to reach us almost
with the flrfet news of Father’s illness. What a comfort it
V
About this item
- Content
This file consists of two separate physical files as follows:
1) An account of a journey in Kashmir in 1898-99 written by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer of the Indian Army. His account is entitled 'Three Months of Privilege Leave'. It contains his observations on the languages, peoples, transport, flora and fauna, trade and climate of the region. There are occasional edits and corrections to the original text marked in red pen. The Persian language material in the file is a proverb written on folio 194.
In addition to this travel diary, the following is enclosed: an essay by Lorimer entitled 'Modern Education' dated 9 February 1895 (folios 1-24); two copies of a pamphlet that was published 'for private circulation' in memory of David's brother, John Gordon Lorimer, following his death on 8 February 1914 (folios 255-262); and another essay by Lorimer entitled 'Our Indian N.W. Frontier - a study in a bye-gone Civilisation. A forgotten Chapter of Frontier History' (folios 221-253).
2) Copies of letters that were sent from Emily Overend Lorimer to her parents, Thomas George Overend and Hannah Kingsbury. The letters describe the lives of Emily and her husband, David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer (referred to as 'Lock' in the letters), while living in Bahrain from October 1911 until November 1912 (folios 263-310) and in Kerman from January 1913 until November 1914 (folios 313-634). David served as Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Bahrain 1911-12 and as HM Consul, Kerman and Persian Baluchistan, 1913-14.
The letters discuss a range of topics including Lorimer's observations of local customs, food, climate, scenery and festivals; the couple's domestic life and arrangements (especially their servants, who are often discussed in racialised, insulting language); and her interactions with other non-local residents. Also discussed are Lorimer's reading habits, her and her husband's health, family news and, occasionally, world events and political developments.
On folios 322-324, the file contains a description of a walk around Kerman in March 1914 that is accompanied by a sequence of six small black and white photographs of various points in the journey (folios 315-321).
In addition to these letters, the file also contains a number obituaries and letters of condolence written upon the death of David's brother, John Gordon Lorimer, on 8 February 1914 (folios 299-302, 415-416 and 543-544).
On folio 417, the file contains an obituary of David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer published in an unknown newspaper following his death on 26 February 1962.
- Extent and format
- 2 files (630 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the front cover of volume one (ff 1-262) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 263-634); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English and Persian in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [560v] (1142/1291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur D922/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100179946972.0x000017> [accessed 5 July 2026]
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- Reference
- Mss Eur D922/1
- Title
- An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman
- Pages
- 263r:298v, 303r:306v, 309r:391v, 393r:411v, 418r:542v, 545r:634v
- Author
- Lorimer, Emily Martha
- Copyright
- ©Munro Family
- Usage terms
- Creative Commons Attribution Licence