| Administrative History | Mary (Mally Beattie) (1744 - 1807), Beattie's wife. Beattie met her when he boarded with her father on first coming to Aberdeen in 1758. They married in 1767. |
| Description | Letter from Mary Beattie, Aberdeen, to Lady Mayne, mentioning Miss Graham's recovery. Also talks about Mr Beattie's poor health and how he is too busy with the business of [Marischal] College and his finishing of his new Essays for the press to correspond with his friends who are in England. Mrs Beattie writes about her letter from Mrs Reynolds, sister to Sir Joshua, and transcribes a paragraph from the letter, which relates to Mrs Reynolds spotting Lady Mayne at Mrs Vesey's [Elizabeth Vesey (c. 1715 - 1791), a literary hostess and closely connected to Mrs Montagu's literary meetings] Conversazione. Mrs Beattie writes that Mr Beattie received a letter from the Dutchess of Portland [Margaret Cavendish Bentinck [née Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley] (1715 - 1785), duchess of Portland, a collector of art and natural history specimens and patron of arts and sciences] and a letter from Mrs Montagu, which mentioned the poor health of the Dutchess. Mrs Beattie's letter talks about Mr Beattie's poor health and how Mrs Beattie suspects that his studies are making things worse. Letter also mentions that Lord Erroll's brother, Mr Charles Boyd and his Lady, dined with the Beatties and mentions a gentleman from Slains Castle who had called upon the Beatties. Letter talks about a print of Mr Beattie, which Lord Erroll had hang in the drawing room of Slains Castle. Mrs Beattie writes about how deep the snow was; Mr Beattie's dining with the Duke & Dutchess of Gordon and mentions Lord & Lady Buchan [David Steuart Erskine, eleventh earl of Buchan (1742 – 1829), antiquary and political reformer. He married his cousin Margaret (d. 1819), daughter of William Fraser of Fraserfield, in Aberdeen on 15 October 1771]. |