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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 [613v] (1248/1291)
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.
2 .
that our "holidays” must have been far the most laborious
part of Mother’s well-filled year
{Zv£)
le you will be glad to know that we have great hopes of
getting a little change ourselves after all before the weariness
and fatigue of our own packing set In. We cannot go far and
we shrink from the tciyuble and fag of taking out tents etc. so
we have modified our ambitions and are Just going to take a
small picnic outfit and go for a week or so to an neighbouring
village Sar 1 “Aslyab (the"head of the mill race”) a few miles off.
There Is a fine house there in a good garden belonging to the
Salar Nusrat son of the
sirdar
Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division.
Nusrat which Is standing empty,
and wh. the
Sirdar
Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division.
Nusrat has put at our disposal. "e shall
of course take our own beds etc., but we shall be spared the
trouble of tents and also all fears about uncertain weather,
wind or rain storms (we have had thunder and tropical showers the
last few days). Sar 1 Asiyab stands slightly uphill at the
base of the road to our retreat of last year In nice fcpen
country, and we shall have a complete change of scene and be free
from the eternal Interruptions of farrashes and the like.
We shall go out ourselves on our bicycles, and can run In
again for anything that we have forgotten, but all we want are s
some old clothes and a few books, and lots of note paper, for we
owe letters all round and have been too pressed for time to write
at all lately.
A s soon as we get back we must tackle the packing problems
seriously with the discouraging possibility that as soon as
the house Is thoroughly dismantled we shall find ourselves
detained for another six months. It Is going to be a very
bad time for selling off out stuff; we had counted on clearing
off all our slough-able kit, linen, silver, etc. and now no
one has any money to buy and I fear we shall be left with
benches and tools and sliver lamps and all sorts of things on our
hands and it Is a question how to dispose of them. Carpets
and the like I think we shall pack and leave here; It will be
troublesome and risky getting them down from this when we want
them again, but if we take them to B.A. or Bombay they will very
likely be spoiled by the climate and we shall have to pay storage
while taking them all the way home and out again would be both
troublesome andextravagant. Meantime we are going to have our
little holiday first and face all these problems after.
D ik . westlake and Miss Petley are off home on leave next week
they had not expected to start for another month or so, we even
thought they might perhaps be down the road with us, but Dr.
Stewart (Mis# Boyland’s sister) is coming out earlier than was
expected and they are to meet her at B.A. and hand over their
mules and camp kit to her. She Is coming to her sister on
a 6 months’ visit and then returning to her C.M.S. work In
Ispahan. I cannot thlnWlt win be a wholly restful f way
of spending her leave, as the youngsters take a lot of looking
a.ter and Mrs. B. is none too strong, but It win be nice for
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 [613v] (1248/1291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur D922/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100179946971.0x000060> [accessed 18 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