Oakfield
Tuesday eveng
September 25th
My dear Papa,
I meant to have written to you this morning, but the unusually fine weather tempted us to remain out drawing so long, that we only came in at port time. Yesterday Ibbley <1> passed a good part of the day here and went out sketching with us at High stock bridge, which we made a fruitless attempt one day with you to reach in the mud –
The other bridge near Bassenthwaite lake is called Low-Stock, and there is a pretty path connecting the two, all along the river’s edge, which we only discovered today. But it is one of those walks which will only do for dry weather. The wind is keen and from the north, which gives good promise for the harvest, which is being gathered in with great activity, but unfortunately hitherto it has received a wetting at least once every third day. It is really remarkable how the usual order of climates has been quite reversed this year, and what a difference has been experienced between the north and south. In a letter I had from one of the Cockburns this morning, who says: “We have a cousin staying with us from the Isle of Wight, & she says the crops there are not above a foot high & perfectly green; he says they have had 194 wet days in the Isle of Wight this year.” – Whereas, where the Cockburns are, Burnhouse, Midlothian, it is cold, but very beautiful, with sometimes a shower but not often, and the harvest is very good. Charles <2> has been very silent since he returned to Whorlton, having only written one line to announce his arrival. I do not know whether this is a good or bad sign, but I am rather afraid it looks like the latter. [illegible deletion] I daresay he finds it rather hard to set to work again, after having been so long completely inactive, but he had begun well by plunging at once into Homer & Virgil on the first day of his return.
Wednesday morng.
Mama <3> has just received your letter, and wishes me to tell you that before he left Charles quite gave up the idea of returning here, as he was to go to Lacock. Therefore he need not leave Whorlton quite so soon as you propose. Tilly <4> writes very cheerfully, but is still obliged to take a great deal of care and precautions. But the weather being so fine she was to go to Dabton <5> today, to remain there whilst Mr Clark <6> goes to Edinburgh next week, and I dare say the change will be good for her if she does not get tired. She has taken several drives and enjoyed them.
It has been very fine today, but now looks stormy. There was a Cattle and poultry show in Keswick, <7> at which Mr Wake’s Donkey, Mr Spriggins by name, hoped to get the great prize for Asses, but we have not heard of his success yet. Keswick has been quite lively, and indulging in concerts of a remarkable kind – last week a juvenile performance on the violin of the Broasil[?] family who really have great talent, and next friday a youthful brass band under the Direction of a certain Dr Mark, who has great ideas of making all the population musical from the age of five years. We might perhaps have gone to the former, but Mama is too uneasy about poor Aunt Marian <8> to like to go any where just now. I have not time to embark in a fresh sheet of paper, so must come to a short end.
Your affectionate daughter
Rosamond.
Notes:
1. Ibbley Spedding. [See Doc. No: 04855].
2. Charles Henry Talbot (1842–1916), antiquary & WHFT’s only son.
3. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.
4. Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3rd daughter. See Doc. No: 08203 and Doc. No: 08199, that indicate the date of 1860 for this document.
5. Dabton, Dumfriesshire: home of WHFT’s daughter Matilda.
6. John Gilchrist-Clark (1830–1881), Scottish JP; WHFT’s son-in-law.
7. Keswick, Cumberland.
8. Her sister, Marian Gilder, née Mundy (1806 – 14 October 1860), who was in the last weeks of her life; m. 6 August 1844 William Troward Gilder (d. 1871), Army Surgeon (ret).