{"id":244,"date":"2025-02-04T13:28:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T13:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/?p=244"},"modified":"2025-02-04T13:43:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T13:43:12","slug":"kinship-and-calligraphy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/2025\/02\/04\/kinship-and-calligraphy\/","title":{"rendered":"Kinship and Calligraphy: Esther Inglis as a Daughter, Wife, and Mother"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post explores the family dynamics of Esther Inglis and their impact on her work. It <\/span>is written by Jaycee Streeter, Outreach and Communications Intern for the Esther Inglis Project. <\/span>Jaycee is an MSc History student at the University of Edinburgh<\/span> with an interest in public history<\/span> and engagement,<\/span> as well as Early Modern religious history. This post is written <\/span><\/i>with reference to original research by Jamie Reid-Baxter and Anna-Nadine Pike.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Esther Inglis (c. 1570-1624) <\/span>is best known for her calligraphy skills and her role as a scribe. <\/span>She was<\/span> a pi<\/span>ous <\/span>Protestant woman, and<\/span> many of her manuscripts are devotional texts, such as bible verses, <\/span>psalms<\/span>, or other religious verse, which were made to be gifts for others<\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>While her religious devotion is <\/span>a <\/span>central theme of her works, her family relationships\u2014shaped by her roles as a daughter, a wife, and a mother\u2014deeply influenced her artistry. Her works hold clues to the kinds of relationships she had with her closest family members.<\/span> This post will look at some of the references to her family in her <\/span>manuscripts, an<\/span>d<\/span> discuss the im<\/span>pact her family had on her work.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A Dutiful Daughter\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Esther Inglis was the daughter of two French Huguenot refugees, Nicolas <\/span>Langlois<\/span> and Marie Presot. To escape religious<\/span> persecution in France, the family fled to <\/span>neighbouring<\/span> England before moving up to Edinburgh. <\/span>There, <\/span>Nicolas <\/span>became the master of a French school and Esther began to learn the art of c<\/span>alligraphy.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first manuscript we know that Esther wrote dates to 1586, when she was sixteen years old. <\/span>It is <\/span>evident<\/span> that her parents were an essential factor in <\/span>guiding and instructing <\/span>their daughter to <\/span>develop <\/span>her skill.<\/span> In a manuscript titled, <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Livret<\/span> traittant<\/span> de la grandeur de Dieu<\/span><\/span>…\u201d <\/span>(<\/span><\/span>\u2018Booklet dealing with the greatest of God…\u2019) <\/span><\/span>in<\/span> which Esther was experimenting with <\/span><\/span>forms of calligraphy and print imitation, there is a reference to her parents, reading: <\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Filia me scripsit mandante utroque parente, desidiae calamo taedia discutiens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“The daughter wrote me, at the command of both parents, dispelling the tedium of idleness with the pen.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Folio
LA.iii.440, University of Edinburgh Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Esther\u2019s <\/span>obedience to her parents is evidence that she had early encouragement from them <\/span>to hone this extraordinary skill. Though she did learn forms of writing from <\/span>\u2018writing manuals<\/span>\u2019,<\/span> instruction books which gave direction on different type-forms of calligraphy, <\/span>Esther\u2019s primary teacher was undoubtedly her mother. <\/span>Marie Presot was a calligrapher <\/span>herself,<\/span> with beautiful penmanship<\/span>, and was known to give manuscripts as gifts<\/span>. Only one piece of her writing survives, <\/span>a letter of thanks from Nicolas Langlois to <\/span>David Lindsay<\/span>, <\/span>who helped the family settle in Edinburgh, <\/span>which <\/span>Nicolas<\/span> credited his wife for writing. In<\/span> his voice but through her pen, they wrote: <\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Tale tibi munus quaeris cur scripserit uxor?<\/span>
\nVirtutis fulsit splendida fama tuae.<\/span>
\nExiguum esto, tamen rarum est, quia foemina scripsit.<\/span>
\nQuem nisi rarum hominem munera rara decent?”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“You ask why my wife wrote you such a gift? <\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span>Report of your goodness has shone bright.<\/span><\/i>
\nSmall though the gift be, it is nonetheless a rare one, because a woman wrote it.<\/span><\/i>
\nWhom but a rare man do rare gifts befit?”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Another thing Esther may have learned from her mother was to sign her name on work produced by her. In the letter to David Lindsay, Marie\u00a0made sure to <\/span>finish her letter with the words: Marie <\/span>P<\/span>resot<\/span> Fran\u00e7oise <\/span>e<\/span>scri<\/span><\/span>v<\/span><\/span>oit<\/span> \u00e0 EDIMBVRGH le 24. <\/span>d<\/span>\u2019Aoust<\/span>.<\/span> 1574. <\/span>E<\/span>sther would go on to include her signature in<\/span> nearly<\/span> all<\/span> of<\/span> her manuscripts, and eventually even added min<\/span>i<\/span>ature portraits of herself <\/span>to them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Picture
VAULT Wing MS folio ZW 543 .P922, Newberry Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is worth acknowledging, or at least wondering about<\/span>, <\/span>the extent to which Esther might have been an overachiever in her practice<\/span>.<\/span> At the time, a woman of her age and status <\/span>would not have been expected to be able to write to this standard– or anything approaching this standard.<\/span> Though clearly prompted by her parents, <\/span>the amount of advanced calligraphy techniques and styles Esther practiced, such as <\/span>zigzagging letters, or letters with a rope running through them<\/span>, is <\/span>extraordinary<\/span>. These techniques are beyond the scope of what her mother was capable <\/span>of, as far as we know<\/span>. <\/span>It is fun to imagine Esther simply showing off by executing as many curious fonts as possible, just to show that she <\/span>is capable<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

A Collaborative Wife<\/h3>\n

Esther <\/span>would have lived with her parents until she was married around 1596. Her husband, a Scotsman named <\/span>Bartilmo<\/span> Kello (c. 1564-1631),<\/span> was part of the spy network <\/span>adjacent to<\/span> A<\/span>nthony Bacon and later worked for the Church.<\/span> The couple, though not noble, was involved <\/span>with <\/span>the royal court of King James VI and an extensive network of scholars<\/span>, authors<\/span>, Reformers, <\/span>and other scribes around Edinburgh, which is the focus of the Rewriting the Script Exhibition<\/a>. Many of Esther\u2019s manuscripts were given as gifts to those in <\/span>their<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>circle, including the royal fa<\/span>mily<\/span>, <\/span>probably <\/span>as<\/span> a means of gaining political <\/span>favour<\/span> from them that would<\/span> then<\/span> hel<\/span>p <\/span>Bartilmo<\/span>\u2019s<\/span> career<\/span>.<\/span> Esther also hoped that she would receive patronage from her recipients, which would come with a monetary reward.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One <\/span>example of their collaboration is a manuscript dedicated to Sir David Murray, dated 1608<\/a>. <\/span>When James VI<\/span> ascended<\/span> to the English throne, the family followed him and his court to London<\/span>, where they lived for about a decade<\/span>. <\/span>There, <\/span>Bartilmo<\/span> secured the position as a rector of the parish of <\/span>Willingale<\/span> Spain<\/span> in Essex<\/span>, <\/span>likely <\/span>thanks to<\/span> the help of <\/span>this manuscript\u2019s dedicatee. The manuscript, <\/span>\u201c<\/span>A Treatise of Preparation to the Holy Supper and of our only Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> i<\/span>s <\/span>a French text<\/span> translated into English by <\/span>Bartilmo<\/span>, a<\/span>s <\/span>indicated<\/span> in the title page and preface<\/span>, and<\/span> then scribed by Esther<\/span> to look like printed text<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image
La.III.75, University of Edinburgh Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Several of Esther\u2019s manuscripts were created explicitly at her husband\u2019s request to present to figures in their lives. The stunning \u201cOctonaries upon the vanitie and inconstancie of the world<\/a>\u201d (1607) was a gift to their landlord, indicating he must have been a good one. In the preface she indicates her husband’s influence, writing:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have at the desyre of my husband prepaired this most singular work <\/span>
\nof my pen and pensell for recreation of your mynd.\u201d<\/span> \"Title<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dedicatory
V.a.92, Folger Shakespeare Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bartilmo<\/span> even <\/span>acted as a courier for his wife on many occasions, delivering her work to their intended recipients.<\/span> An example of this early in their marriage is the journey that <\/span>Bartilmo<\/span> took to London to deliver one of Esther\u2019s manuscripts to Queen Elizabeth I. <\/span>There, he anxiously awaited a reward from t<\/a><\/span>he queen in exchange for his wife\u2019s work.<\/a><\/p>\n

His efforts <\/span>are<\/span> noted by Esther in <\/span>\u201cArgumenta in <\/span>librum<\/span> Psalmorum<\/span>\u201d (1606)<\/span>,<\/span> when she writes<\/span> (originally in French, but translated her<\/span>e<\/span>)<\/span>:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“<\/span>Whatever<\/span> it<\/span> may<\/span> be<\/span>, <\/span>it<\/span> is<\/span> devoted<\/span> to <\/span>your<\/span> Lordship<\/span>, <\/span>humbly<\/span> beseeching<\/span> you<\/span> <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>to <\/span>graciously<\/span> accept<\/span> what<\/span> I have <\/span>formed<\/span> and <\/span>dedicated<\/span> expressly<\/span>, <\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>and I <\/span>send<\/span> it<\/span> to <\/span>you<\/span> with<\/span> all <\/span>reverence<\/span> by the hand of <\/span>my<\/span> husband<\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>hoping<\/span> that<\/span> it<\/span> will<\/span> bring<\/span> you<\/span> some<\/span> enjoyment<\/span>.”<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>\"Title<\/p>\n

\"Dedicatory
MS Typ 212, Houghton Library, Harvard University.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their partnership<\/span> is<\/span> in ma<\/span>ny ways <\/span>reflective of her parents\u2019 collaboration in the Lindsay letter. Esther <\/span>turn<\/span>ed<\/span> Bartilmo\u2019s<\/span> words into beautiful calligraphy<\/span> to serve as gifts<\/span>,<\/span> in the process<\/span> leaving behind traces of herself in both words and signature. <\/span>In the manuscript \u201cLes <\/span>Proverbes<\/span> du Roy Salomon<\/span>\u201d (1601),<\/span> given as a gift to Henri du Rohan, the godfather of Prince Charles,<\/span> the verses <\/span>are <\/span>followed<\/span> by the phrase, \u201cHec scripsit <\/span>coniunx<\/span> dulci <\/span>dictante<\/span> marito<\/span>\u201d (<\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/em><\/span>The wife wrote this, with her sweet husband dictating\u2019<\/em>).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
MS Fran\u00e7ais 14849, Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The endearment used gives <\/span>an intimate glimpse into her relationship with <\/span>Bartilmo<\/span>, and the partnership they built. The support they lent one another should not be understated, and without each <\/span>other, neither would have risen to the level of social and political prominence that they did. <\/span>It is also important to emphasise that although Esther\u2014<\/span>perhaps strategically<\/span>\u2014included her husband\u2019s voice in her manuscripts, she <\/span>retained<\/span> agency over every creative aspect of the gifts she made.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A Loving Mother<\/h3>\n

Bartilmo<\/span> Kello<\/span> and Esther <\/span>Inglis <\/span>created a large family, having eight children<\/span>.<\/span> Half of them were born in Edinburgh, the other half in London after the family moved there in 1604.<\/span> Their family tree can be found here.<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Perhaps now <\/span>it is important to note that <\/span>all of<\/span> her children <\/span>bear the last name of their father,<\/span> Kello. Although it was traditional for Scottish women to keep their last name after marriage in this period, hence why Esther is never referred to as \u201cEsther Kello<\/span>\u201d,<\/span>\u00a0all<\/span> children assumed their father\u2019s family name<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, not all of <\/span>Esther’s children <\/span>survived to adulthood<\/span>. <\/span>While the family was living in Essex<\/span> in 1614<\/span>, two of her sons, <\/span>Joseph<\/span> and Isaac, aged thirteen and nine, passed away from an illness<\/span>. St. Andrew\u2019s, the parish church that <\/span>Bartilmo<\/span> Kello preached as a minister, still bears two memo<\/span>rials for the boys that <\/span>contain<\/span> short epitaphs. The poems are <\/span>similar to<\/span> other of Esther\u2019s short poetry, and it is possible that Esther herself wrote her sons\u2019 <\/span>tributes<\/span>, showing her love and devotion to her children<\/span>. They read:<\/span><\/p>\n

This happy child adorned with gifts of grace\u202f<\/span>
\nHis choice was dissolution.\u202f<\/span>
\nTo sing with Simeon, to depart in peace,\u202f\u202f<\/span>
\nUnto Christs heavenly mansion.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

This godly child knew his originall,\u202f\u202f<\/span>
\nAnd though right young did scorne base cells of earth.\u202f\u202f<\/span>
\nHis soule doth flourish in Heavens glistering hall\u202f<\/span>
\nBecause it is a divine plant by birth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shortly following the death of her sons, the family returned to Edinburgh in the summer of 1615. That fall, her oldest son, Samuel, <\/span>left home to attend university. With him Esther sent her smallest known manuscript, measuring five by three centimetres<\/span>, dedicated \u201cto my <\/span>well-loved<\/span> sonne<\/span>\u201d.<\/span> She even wrote him an affectionate verse, which reads: <\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My l[<\/span>oving<\/span>] sone [<\/span>your ]<\/span> resoluti<\/span>[<\/span>oun<\/span>]<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>Your godly [<\/span>pur<\/span>]pose and you[r] full intent<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>When[…]I did reed [the <\/span>te<\/span>]<\/span>ares<\/span> my [face] ran <\/span>doun<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>[Such] was my <\/span>ioy<\/span> [<\/span>su<\/span>]<\/span>ch<\/span> was my <\/span>hearts<\/span> content.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>Deare blessed child, who is so <\/span>stayd<\/span> and bent<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>To <\/span>feare<\/span> the Lord in this your <\/span>pilgrims<\/span> race<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>Gods sacred LAW to you I <\/span>haue<\/span> heere<\/span> sent<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>The full<\/span> sowm<\/span>e<\/span>: read oft; Lord<\/span> incre<\/span>s<\/span> yr grace.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
MS Typ 49, folio 2r\u202f, Houghton Library, Harvard University.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More is known about Samuel than any of Esther\u2019s other children, as we have this record of him, and the only surviving personal letter of Esther\u2019s that is known is <\/span>regarding<\/span> Samuel.<\/span> The letter is addressed to none other than Ki<\/span>ng James VI\/I<\/span>, who she had a personal connection to, and asked the <\/span>favour<\/span> of recommending her oldest son to <\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/span>sum fellowship either in Cambridge or <\/span>Oxefoord<\/span> as occasion shall fall out<\/span>\u2019.<\/span> Just as Esther once <\/span>leveraged<\/span> her political connections to garner <\/span>favour<\/span> for her husband, she then ext<\/span>ended the same care and consideration for her son. Here we get a glimpse of a mother willing to do anything to secure her child\u2019s lot in life.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
MS 33.1.6, Vol. 20, no. 21\u202f, National Library of Scotland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Because Esther learned the art of calligraphy from her own mother, Marie, it is natural to wonder if she extended the same lessons to any of her own children. The short answer: it is unknown. The only handwriting sample we have of one of her children is from Samuel, who although not illegible, shows no great aptitude for artistry.<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because the calligraphical skill was passed down through the female line in Esther’s experience, <\/span>it is <\/span>not impossible<\/span> to think that one of Esther\u2019s daughters took up the skill, but there is no evidence of that as of now. Regardless, Esther clearly had great love for her children and <\/span>was invested in their success. <\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Although Esther is often put her religious and political context, this look at her familial life shows that her intimate family relations were a driving force in her work and life. The deep connections she had with each generation of her family, from her parents to husband to children, give us the picture of a woman who loved and valued those closest to her, and that they inspired and encouraged her in return. Her manuscripts are more than just extraordinary examples of calligraphy\u2014they are intimate artifacts of a life deeply intwined with family, faith, and creativity. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post explores the family dynamics of Esther Inglis and their impact on her work. It is written by Jaycee Streeter, Outreach and Communications Intern for the Esther Inglis Project. Jaycee is an MSc History student at the University of Edinburgh with an interest in public history and engagement, as well as Early Modern religious…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":209,"featured_media":277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/files\/2025\/02\/Signed-Final-Linocut-Esther-Family-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/209"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":290,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244\/revisions\/290"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/estheringlis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}