Laycock Abbey
Sunday August 17th 1851
My dearest Henry
I received your letter from Brussels this morning - it was forwarded from Belgrave Square <1> -
It was a melancholy satisfaction to me to find that you had heard the fatal news <2> - for I did not know where you were, & dreaded your arrival in England unprepared for this sad blow! She was indeed an angel! Our only comfort must be that she is now happy, & free from all the suffering which I fear would have been her lot, had she recovered from this attack.
If you have seen Mr Nicholl <3> he will have told you the arrangements we were obliged to make without you - we knew her wish had always been to be deposited in the same grave with her parents <4> in Laycock Church yard - & I therefore wrote to ask Constance <5> for leave to come here & make what use of the house that would be required -
Poor Wright <6> took charge of all, as on two former sad occasions - & W. Gaisford <7> & I & his Brother came down here on Friday morning - Val <8> was already here - & we followed the mournful procession through the orchard & garden, exactly as before, in the afternoon, about three o'clock.
Val staid till today, to comfort me, & goes back to Mount E. <9> this evening, where his presence is of great use & pleasure to his Father & Charlie. <10>
Mr Gaisford's Brother went on the same day to Iford & he & I settled to stay till tomorrow - partly that we might go to Church here - & partly to look over her papers & letters together - This we have done - & have put them all in order to shew you - because we are aware that we ought not to take anything away without your knowledge - We have therefore most scrupulously avoided destroying any, the most useless [illegible] of papers - (except 3 or 4 letters of mine, to wh I thought I was entitled) - although I could not find any papers or letters that concerned you in the least - with the exception of your own letters, which are all carefully put together. The very few other things I thought you would care about, & some old papers on business, are also put by themselves - But by far the greater part of the contents of her table are letters of our Parents, which can now only interest me - & ought in fact to be burned -
Having now heard that you are in London, or will be there tomorrow, I write to beg you to join us here, in order to arrange these papers at once, & read her Will, wh is I believe in Mr West Audrey's <11> hands - Pray write, if you can by tomorrow's Post, to say you will come -which I entreat you to do - If It is very difficult to say how we might all meet here again for this purpose - besides the sooner those things are arranged the better - The little Baby <12> is left in Belgrave Sqre with it's [sic] 2 Nurses and Pam[?] & Ernestine <13> to take care of it - but I am anxious not to be away from it (or her,) longer than I can help, till he is old enough to travel; when Mr G. will take him to his Parents at Iford - He is very healthy, thank God, & so thriving, that he will very soon be in a state to move. - Pray therefore, dear Henry, do not be dilatory, but come at once - Perhaps you will be on your way tomorrow - do, if possible - otherwise write that I may hear Tuesday morning. We had determined today to wait till Tuesday afternoon's Express to London - to give time for you to come by the morng Express, or some early train in case you had could not manage to write to apprize us of yr arrival - But we will even, if necessary, wait till Wednesday morng - for the chance - But please come as soon as possible, or write - or send a letter in a parcel to be delivered immediately. - The poor old Abbey looks so peaceful - & all the flowers in her garden so bright & blooming!
Yr very affte Sister
Caroline
Notes:
1. The house of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803-1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT's Welsh cousin.
2. The death of Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810-1851), WHFT's half-sister, who died on 9 August 1851, a fortnight after childbirth.
3. Dr John Nicholl (1797-1853), MP.
4. Rear Admiral Charles Feilding (1780-1837), Royal Navy; WHFT's step-father, and Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773-1846), WHFT's mother.
5. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811-1880), WHFT's wife.
6. James Wright, footman to the Talbots & Constable for Lacock.
7. A relation of Capt Thomas Gaisford (1816-1898), JP, Horatia's widower.
8. William Henry Edgcumbe, 'Val', 4th Earl Mt Edgcumbe (1832-1917), JP & Ld Steward of the Royal Household; WHFT's nephew 'Bimbo'.
9. Mt Edgecumbe, near Plymouth: seat of the Earl of Mt Edgcumbe.
10. Ernest Augustus Edgcumbe, Lord Valletort, 3rd Earl of Mt Edgcumbe (1797-1861), WHFT's brother-in-law, and Charles Earnest Edgcumbe (1838-1915), JP, WHFT's nephew.
11. West Awdry (1807-1892), solicitor, Chippenham.
12. Lt Horace Charles Gaisford (1851-1879), WHFT's nephew.
13. Ernestine Emma Horatia Edgcumbe (1843-1925), WHFT's niece.