How to Read a Document: Examine the Letter

Examine the Letter

We are going to begin by examining a document from the Public Record Office archive.


The Eden Letter	Transcript of The Eden Letter

It is clearly a letter, but we need to ask important questions of it, such as:

who wrote it?
to whom was it written?
was it meant to be read by anyone else?
why was it written?

Before we explore some of the more complex issues, let's see what you can work out for yourself. Skim read the letter in transcript form and then try to answer some quite simple questions to help you gain a feel for what it all means. At this stage, do not worry about every point of detail, just work for an initial impression.

Question 1

Who wrote this letter and what office did he hold? Signatures are often hard to read so look for the typed version below it.

Enter your answer in Notepad 1 and then have it analysed.

If you need help, remember that there are files that give details about people, places and dates

Then go on to answering question 2 in notepad 2.

Question 2

To whom was the letter written, and what office did he hold?

Enter your answer in Notepad 2 and then have it analysed.

We now need to know the date the document was written and to think if there is anything significant about it.

Question 3

When was the document written?

Enter your answer in Notepad 3 and then have it analysed.