Penrice <1>
August 23
My dear Henry
I think we have not used you well of late in point of sending you word of our proceedings, however I intend to behave better for the time to come so I hope you will not punish me as I deserve. We spent nearly two months at Malvern <2> during which time we were terribly idle I must confess except working & a little drawing and painting we never did any thing indoors, most of our time was spent in walking backwards and forwards to Aunt Charlotte's house. <3> We have some very pleasant parties out on the hill when the weather was fine. My Uncle Charles Strangways <4> and Tom <5> came over from Cheltenham one day and Mr Wm Digby <6> from Offenham just before we set out to drive under the famous large oak at little Malvern, do you recollect it? Mrs Campbell <7> has been at Malvern for the last fortnight and is all the better for it I think, and, as to Charlotte <8> it is quite astonishing to see the difference it has made in her she is so brisk and busy, every thing interests her and the day is not long enough for her to execute half her projects. I am only afraid she will over fatigue herself now she is come home, because she is so happy to get her garden to work in again and all her old employments ready for her. Emma <9> too is much better she can come up our long staircases without being much out of breath and does not want to be helped walk up hill even. As to Isabella <10> she has had a cough for some time but returning home seems to have cured every ache & pain and she is now as full of life and spirits as ever. Mamma <11> herself is tolerably well better than she was at Malvern in my opinion. We have not seen Kit <12> for some time but we hear from him now and then, he has been very fortunate in racing, his Yacht <13> has won two cups this Summer which has delighted him very much, and all of us too of course. I forwarded a letter from you to him today which we found here; we did not return strait home so it has been waiting some time I daresay. - We went to Ludlow from Malvern, where we had so much to see that we stayed a couple of days, one of which we spent in going to Downton Castle where Mr Knight <14> (of the Horticulture Society) lives, he was so good as to shew us his garden & tell us of many curious experiments he tried with plants and trees, he gave us some delicious seeding cherries to eat, they were large trees now so we are encouraged to try the same experiment & saved some of the stones on purpose. I was delighted with the walks by the river side, the roads are beautiful and the trees so nicely taken care of the dead wood cleared away and plenty of room for them to grow in, the wood is rocky in some places and you have here and there a distant view of the Clee Hills, we found several plants of the wild raspberry and some pretty ferns one is the A. Conchitis, I think a Cyathea and something Dryopteris, the nettle leaved Campanula was a great ornament to the woods. from Ludlow we went to Hay <15> by Leominster & from thence to Brecon,
We expect Jane <18> here tomorrow, Johnny <19> is grown extremely active he walks about with a large stool on castors and travels along the floor on his hands and knees at a great rate. Sir John & Lady Nicholl <20> &cc are coming too for a few days. -
I shall tell Jane to send you some account of the plants soon for I have not left myself room enough to say much. I have saved some seed of the Vicia gracilis. - The Cistus guttatus is lovely in full blossom now. only four or five sorts of plants are come up from the mixed seed as yet There is a double Pyrethrum in blow in your box. - All send their love.
I am your affate coz.
Mary
We are going into Dorsetshire about Octr for some time to Moreton <21> & Melbury. <22> - Mr Lemon <23> [missing text]<24> seem decided upon going [missing text] abroad in Sepr.à Monsieur
Monsieur Talbot
Poste Restante
Munich
Germany
Notes:
1. Penrice Castle and Penrice House, Gower, Glamorgan, 10 mi SW of Swansea: home of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.
2. Malvern, or Great Malvern, 9 mi SW of Worcestershire.
3. Lady Charlotte Anne Lemon, née Strangways (d. 1826), WHFT's aunt. From Doc. No: 01197, it appears that Mary was accommodated with the Lemons as there was so little space in the house in which the rest of her family was staying.
4. The Rev the Hon Charles Redlynch Fox Strangways (1761-1836), a brother of the 2nd Earl of Ilchester; Rector of Maiden Newton, Dorset.
5. Thomas Fox Strangways (1790-1854), son of the Rev the Hon Charles Strangways; later Brigadier-General, Royal Artillery. He was killed at the battle of Inkerman during the Crimean War.
6. Brother of Juliana Maria Strangways, née Digby (d. 1842) [see Doc. No: 01539.
7. Alicia Campbell, née Kelly, 'Tam' (1768-1829).
8. Charlotte Louisa 'Charry' Traherne, née Talbot (1800-1880), WHFT's cousin.
9. Emma Thomasina Llewelyn, née Talbot (1806-1881), photographer; WHFT's Welsh cousin.
10. Isabella Catherine Franklen, née Talbot (1804-1874).
11. Lady Mary Lucy Cole, née Strangways, first m. Talbot (1776-1855), WHFT's aunt.
12. Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803-1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT's Welsh cousin.
13. The 'Giulia'.
14. Thomas Andrew Knight (1759-1838), horticulturalist, of Downton Castle, Herefordshire, of the Horticulture Society, London.
15. Hay-on-Wye lies between Leominster and Brecon.
16. Text obscured under seal. Trecastle is between Brecon and Llandovery.
17. Coal from Mount Carmel, Philadelphia, USA. It is particularly glossy and contains high numbers of plant spores.
18. Jane Harriot Nicholl, née Talbot (1796-1874).
19. John Cole Nicholl (b. 1823), son of Janes Harriet Nicholl.
20. Parents of Dr John Nicholl (1797-1853), MP.
21. Moreton, Dorset: home of the Frampton family.
22. Melbury, Dorset: one of the Fox Strangways family homes; WHFT was born there.
23. Sir Charles Lemon (1784-1868), politician & scientist; WHFT's uncle.
24. Text torn away under seal.