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Hannah Underdown


(b. Unknown, Kent, England – d. Dec. 2, 1783, Shepherdswell, Dover, Kent )

Gender: F

Hannah Underdown (née Smith) was a friend of Elizabeth Carter’s mother and became one of Carter’s closest friends. She lived in Shepherdswell in Kent, about ten miles from Deal, and Carter often visited her. She married John Underdown on 6 December 1731 in Sibbertsworld, Kent. On his death, her husband left as his sole heiress their daughter Frances, who on 12 June 1755 married Carter’s eldest brother John, but died at the age of 23 in July 1758. Hannah Underdown died in November or December 1783. Fifty-eight letters from Carter to Mrs Underdown, dated from March 1738 to April 1742, still exist in a private collection, and a selection of these has been published (Gwen Hampshire, ed., Elizabeth Carter, 1717-1806, An Edition of Some Unpublished Letters, Newark, University of Delaware Press, 2005).

Also known as:

  • Hannah Underdown (née  Smith)


Mentioned in 46 letters

Title EMCO ID
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 1244
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 1251
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 1256
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 1592
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 1942
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 1966
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2021
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2023
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2030
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2034
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2051
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2498
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2501
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2502
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2548
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2549
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2589
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2702
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 2764
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3087
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3090
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3104
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3105
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3108
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3113
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3262
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3265
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3291
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3295
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3322
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3326
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3327
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3328
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3329
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3330
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3358
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3359
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3401
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3404
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3409
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3539
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3551
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3556
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3557
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3568
Letter from Elizabeth Montagu to Elizabeth Carter 3572


Please note that all dates and location information are provisional, initially taken from the library and archive catalogues. As our section editors continue to work through the material we will update our database and the changes will be reflected across the edition.

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