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Document number: 6384
Date: Fri 10 Jan 1851
Recipient: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Author: GAISFORD Henrietta Horatia Maria, née Feilding
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Last updated: 2nd May 2012

Rome
Friday 10th Jany

My dear Henry

You really do not deserve I should write again, for you have not sent me a single line since I left England, nor Constance <1> either. I wrote to you from Genoa & to her as soon as we settled here (& to A. <2> since) I cannot think what you can be about. I was very sorry to hear of the robbery at the Abbey wh Wright <3> wrote me an account of – but how fortunate the thief was secured before he had time to make away with the plate. I hope this has not made E. and A. nervous, as it was not a breaking in at night. Poor Jane <4> is very melancholy at the hopeless state of Harry Franklen, <5> it seems his father would send him back to sea when he was not at all recovered from his former dreadful illness, & not the least fit for duty – it seems a sort of madness. I am afraid Aunt Mary <6> will feel it very much as he was her favourite grandson. Mr Nicholl <7> is in all the horrors of making up his mind whether to go back to England for the meeting of Parlt or not. He has a great deal of important business in England & yet does not like leaving them all here. Lucy <8> is decidedly better but how she would get on in England I don’t know. We have had unusually fine weather even for Rome as this is generally the unstable time I was sorry to hear from Louisa Howard <9> that my aunt had not been very well & I fear the large Christmas party was too much for her. Have you seen her lately & how did you think her looking? – There are a great many English here – but few of any note. Ld & Ly Blantyre <10> are lately arrived – she looking as fat & rather older than the DK of Sutherland. <11> Ld & Ly Campden, & Ld & Ly Feilding <12> – I had never seen her before, she seems very pleasing. Our old friend Mr Woodward (who was one of our messmates in the Bulldog <13>) is now the Chaplain here & I was very glad to find him again. He is much troubled about the state of the Church of England & I must say things look disagreeable enough.

I was quite glad to be away during all these violent demonstrations – I dislike that sort of thing so much – there seems however a slight lull according to the newspapers indeed I don’t know how they could go on so long at that furious pitch.

Addio if I do not hear soon I shall think you all are very ill

Love to Constance & the children <14> & Amandier who is the only one who has written to me. I hope you were pleased with Charles’s improvement –

Ever yr aff sister
Horatia

Rome is extremely quiet but certainly less gay looking than in the days’ of the Republic.


Notes:

1. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.

2. Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].

3. James Wright, footman to the Talbots & Constable for Lacock.

4. Probably Jane Harriot Nicholl, née Talbot (1796–1874).

5. Probably the son of Isabella Catherine Franklen, née Talbot (1804–1874).

6. Lady Mary Lucy Cole, née Strangways, first m. Talbot (1776–1855), WHFT’s aunt.

7. Dr John Nicholl (1797–1853), MP.

8. Lucy Mary Nicholl (1824-1876), of Merthyr Mawr.

9. Louisa Howard, née Fitzmaurice (d. 1906), daughter of Lady Louisa Emma Fitzmaurice.

10. Charles Stuart, 12th Lord Blantyre (1818–1900), and his wife Evelyn Leveson-Gower, daughter of the 2nd Duke of Sutherland (1825–1869).

11. George Granville Leveson-Gower (1786–1861), 2nd Duke of Sutherland.

12. Charles George Noel, Earl of Gainsborough (b. 1818), and his wife Adelaide Harriet Augusta Noel, of Campden House. Rudolph William Basil Feilding, 8th Earl of Denbigh, and 9th Earl of Desmond (1823–1892) and his wife Mary Elizabeth Feilding.

13. See Doc. No: 06087.

14. Ela Theresa Talbot (1835–1893), WHFT’s 1st daughter; Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter; Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, ‘Tilly’, née Talbot (1839–1927), WHFT’s 3rd daughter; Charles Henry Talbot (1842–1916), antiquary & WHFT’s only son.

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