Markeaton <1>
St Valentines Day
My dear Henry
I did not in the least expect to hear from you before as I knew your plans would take some time in arranging – I cannot tell you how sorry we both are that we cannot make our arrangements suit with yours, as Mr Mundy <2> was most exceedingly anxious to pay you a visit & had been looking forward to it with the greatest pleasure & since the arrival of your last letter we have been trying every possible way of contriving to go to Lacock whilst you are there but Mr Mundy finds he has so very much to do here & so much business of every kind to accomplish before he quits the County that it will be quite impossible to leave home as soon as the 1st of March – I fear therefore we must give it up for this year which I regret extremely but not more than Mr Mundy does – He desires I will tell you & Aunt Lily <3> how very very sorry he is & how he shd have flown to accept your invitation if it had been possible. – I cannot bear to think of Magna Carta, <4> the Nuns Cells & all the waggon loads of old papers I was promised to see whenever you were at home – I shd have seen them too, to the greatest advantage by coming in my mothers wake when all her comments wd have been fresh in your minds. –
With most affectate love to all including Anne Ivory <5>
Believe me yr aff Cousin
Harriot G Mundy.
Henry Fox Talbot Esqre
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham
Wilts
Notes:
1. Markeaton Hall, Derbyshire, NW of Derby: home of the Mundy family.
2. William Mundy (1801-1877), politician, WHFT’s brother-in-law.
3. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773–1846), WHFT’s mother.
4. During WWII, WHFT's granddaughter, Miss Matilda Talbot (1871-1958), buried the Lacock copy of Magna Carta below the flagstones in Sherrington's tower in anticipation of a German invasion; after the war she donated it to the British Library.
5. Lady Anne Ivory, née Talbot (1665-1720) - see Doc. No: 08897.