Rottingdean <1>
June 6th 1811.
My dear Mamma,
I did not write to you because I had nothing to say as I very seldom have when I am at school, however now I have a great deal to tell you, about what I saw last night at the Brighton Theatre –. The Officers of the local militia of this place and of Brighton took it<2> into their heads to act a play for the benefit of the English prisoners in France; <3> it was to be the poor Gentleman, <4> Major Ingram was boxkeeper, and Captain Sharp treasurer and acting manager. Dr Hooker <5> for a treat to the boys let them go and see it acted: so they went in three carriages and were at the theatre a very long time before anything was done, at last Mr Prologue began to speak about the Battle of Talavera, <6> and then the curtain drew up, and the play began –. the plot of it was this – Lieutenant Worthington has lost his left arm in the defence of Gibraltar by General Elliot, <7> & his wife was killed in the siege, his little daughter Emily was left in England, Sir Robert Bramble a worthy magistrate but very much inclined to argument, had a nephew called Frederick who hearing of his distress (he being only on halfpay & having two people, himself & his daughter to support) went to him & offered him some money which the lieutenant refused as contrary to his real honour, the young man apologized for his mistake & soon after his uncle arrived & made the same proposals, which were again refused, he then asked how he could serve him, to which the Lieutenant replied, by lodging his family in his house, to which he consented, & Frederick Bramble married Emily Worthington – Besides which the play was enlivened by several other personages as Stephen a carter, Ollipod an Apothecary, Humphrey an odd [sic] steward, an old corporal &c &c. There were four entertainments, the first was Silvester Daggerwood an actor who mimicked the faults of Several London actors, the second was a dungeon in which a song about a “cruel damsel” was sung who made a young farmer die of love, & so the above said young farmer not choosing to walk about dead alone, obtains her as his companion in these expressive lines.
For you, For you, For you, For you,
Shall walk along with me.”
The third entertainment was the Weathercock only much curtailed, and the fourth & last was God save the King sung by all the actors –
I have received the M.S book you sent me, after some time, & the oranges which you gave me, which are all long ago eat up by the ora vorantia puerorum. <8> Miss Grant called on me the other day and brought me two cakes & several buns, She & her shy sister got out and saw Mrs Hookers pebbles, Mrs Hooker calls her the difformed lady, the sick one was in the carriage, Mrs Hooker makes such confusion about Miss Grant’s name, I supposed her name was Grant, Dr Hooker said it was De Roll & Mrs Hooker said it was Vernon: Goodbye
Yr affte Son
W.H.F.Talbot
Lady E Feilding
Tunbridge Wells
Notes:
1. Rottingdean, East Sussex, 4 mi SE of Brighton: WHFT attended school there from 1808–1811.
2. English soldiers under the Duke of Wellington’s army were captured by Bonaparte and were kept prisoners of war in various parts of France.
3. Text obscured by seal.
4. George Colman, the Younger (1762–1836), The Poor Gentleman, first played at Covent Garden in 1801.
5. Rev. Thomas Redman Hooker (1762-1838), WHFT's tutor at Rottingdean and a most interesting character. His career prospects were seemingly cut short when his father lost his fortune to an industrial accident. Hooker became the private secretary to the Duke of Dorset, learned French, took Holy Orders and through the Duke's influence established an influential school. His pupils included the nephews of the Duke of Wellington and of Napoleon Bonaparte. He was also active in the local smuggling ring. See Arthur R. Ankers, revised by Michael Smith, Sussex Cavalcade (Sevenoaks: Hawthorns Publications, Ltd., 1992), pp. 97-100.
6. 27–28 July 1809.
7. George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield of Gibraltar (1717–1790). He defended Gibraltar against a Spanish and French siege (1779–1783).
8. By the greedy mouths of boys.