![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 [‎405r] (829/1291)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000323.0x0002bc/Mss Eur D922_1_0829.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 [‎405r] (829/1291)")
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 [405r] (829/1291)
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.
4.
m'*dio£.l p^oplo toll torriblo tales of the poor little
children permanently o. * 1 orrfl' q, £nd the worn')n £,nd girls
seriously Injured uy continuous work in cramped, positions
fcna ill-ventilat id afcjnp work-rooms. Of course the rooms
we saw belonged to the East rn Rug Co. f-nd w .’re under the very
ey i of the EurofXJan employers so they were all right and in
good order.
Buu the most amazing thing of fll was the way in which
the weavers vorked out the design. Hanging behind them
within i >ach oi in. ’m as they sat are little elongated rods of
the different coloured wools required for the pattern in hand.
One head man is in charge of each carpet. He squats in front Of
th'.’ frame, on the opposite sid i to the workers, and holds in
his hand the paper-design with its cross lines etc.. He
moves along lorm one worker to another chanting out somothigg
like:''black, make three skip one, make five akp^ three, make
• lh' wmv»r chants it all out In reply g,nd proceeds
to do as direct >d murmuring all the time:“make three skip one
etc. Meantime th > headman has parsed on to the second and
the tnird. By tin) time he returns to the first, th first
is just ready and tak -s his new instructions,“one blue three
t d nine green to. How they all keep their heads cl ar
and dont muddle the pattern, and aont leave holes here and there
or gaps between one man’s work and the a at, j can’t tell you,
ouo I expect it is r ;ally a, matter of pra.ctice amd becomes per—
i c l. ly m ohanica.l oven on the pai^t the man In charge of the
pattern. Any how the finished articles are there to testify to
°* i ' : kucceas oi tne pa^n. Of course mistakes are som times
msae and may d-tract a little from th value of the carpet.
Sometimes tin) supply ol wool runs out and In the effort to
dye more to the same shade they ao not quite hit it off; so that,
specially in the old >r type of carpet, you often see the shade
suddenly change. Nowadays I fancy the Europeans are always
careful to see that a sufficient supply of ach colour is in
hand before the work begins. But in a good old carpet there
is a c e-tain unarm about a trifling variation; it brings you
at once into touch with the hand-made work, and refreshes your
r-ppreci&uion oi it. Just as one returns to the crooked
itregular dog-toothings of Iffley door-way with a. joy that their
crookedness enhances, especially if you are flying from the
machine-out architecture of t
latest church In North Oxford.
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 [405r] (829/1291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur D922/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100179946967.0x000035> [accessed 22 June 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