Burke came to Bristol in 1774, staying at 19 Queen Square, the house built by Captain Rogers, commander of the ships Duke and Duchess, to give a series of meetings at the Guildhall, in which he addressed audiences for several days, losing his voice in the process. On hearing of Burke’s affliction, Hannah More sent a bunch of flowers, with the following couplet attached:

Great Edmund’s hoarse, they say, the reason’s clear,

Could Attic lungs respire Bristolian air?

Burke celebrated his victory in the Bush Inn. To mark the occasion, Hannah More and her sisters sent him a cockade, ornamented with laurel, bay and myrtle, and silver trimming.