Reading between the lines: marginalised sisters at Nostell Priory, 1765-1800

The status of single women in the eighteenth century was precarious; homelessness and economic dependence plagued the lives of those who chose not to marry. This was the case, at least, for Mary and Charlotte Winn, the unmarried sisters of the 5th Baronet of Nostell Priory. Like many single women, the Winn sisters' archive is sparse. But such a sparseness can be utilised and, in this instance, provides the opportunity for creative methods of recovering women's voices. By exploring the materiality of Mary's and Charlotte's letters, this article demonstrates how these sisters negotiated their distance from the family home through the space they occupied on the page. Paradoxically, moreover, it is this distance that has ensured the survival of their papers. As such, the article concludes by considering the epistolary afterlives of the Winn sisters' letters and addresses how their manuscript legacy has posthumously afforded them a place in the family's history. In effect, paper ties to landed estates, though fragile, remain exactly that – ties.