![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 [‎408r] (835/1291)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000323.0x0002bc/Mss Eur D922_1_0835.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 [‎408r] (835/1291)")
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 [408r] (835/1291)
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.
h'< tiS s so mo lov r »ly bwo tbric,rs, som' j fl^mo ^xici somo <ic,f'l od.il—
yullow. His gardon tliough oonts.ining far moro fLowore than
ours lacks tho spaces and th» lovoly st rotchos of groon barl ey
and clover which almost give ours tho illusion of a homo garden*
gut, alas, though ba.rley satisfies the ey< lik > a. grass lawn,
it doesn't do as a. substitute ior walking ov <r or lying on I
jyM are going down to the Tanners this afternoon, to an
largo at homo. j like Mrs. Tanner very much, but I fear she
really is on the verge o 1 an illness. She certainly takes
Martha's role and overdoes; there is no ua> shortening one's life
by trying to bring Persian servants ysp to homo ideals. She
is never at rest, but always mixing cakes for the cook or houso-
cloaning or something. However, she may bo one of those p ople
who contrives to look more worried than they really are.
Lock had another field day at the cooks of the bankrupt.
They have got hold not only of his account cooks but also of ids
correspondence files, and have brought all tortd of interesting
things to U ; L wait till next week to tell you all
about them, as matters are only half-way now, and telegrams are
flying a.bout. You can imagine what difficult and anxious
work it is trying to check accounts kept in Persian-wise in
crabbed script. Td'-y don't use numerals except for de.tes,
cut write their numbers cursively In a. special sort of shorthamd,
a.s if you were to write twy. xor 20 and hndrd for 100, tut these
hieroglyphics have got further shortened ana contracted by tra
dition a.nd are no longer recognisable as the word they stand for.
They «.re not written in columns, and the reading is ip.i-i.te an art.
Lock has been working hard at the horrid things, so as to be able
to read them for himself. unhappily the dear old
Nawab
An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India.
, is ffe r
too lazy and lacking in grasp to be much real use, and while
Lock hammers a,t the documents to get out the facts that are
necessary as evidence of fraud the Nswab, who of course as th
Persian ought to be able to madder the matter twice as quick as
Lock sits fatly on a chair smiling and content —"like a jelly fish"
(I quote Lock's impatient comment on his return). His helpless
ness is not merely inertia, out also largely a lack of intellect
to see what is evidence ana what is not, what is relevant^ what is
conclusive * tc *
We a,re both very well and enjoying the tennis ana the
flowers and hoping for better days 'when bankrupts cease from
troubling" and the Consul can have a little leisure.
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 [408r] (835/1291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur D922/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100179946972.0x00000e> [accessed 2 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