[this is written on the same sheet as a note from Lady Elisabeth - see Doc. No: 02780]
Lacock Abbey
Saturday Decr 19th
My dear Henry
We had a very amusing expedition the day you left us – the weather was delightful, quite made on purpose, & the hounds & red coats made a very gay sight. We saw lots of people we knew amongst others Lord Wilton, Lord Alvanley col. [sic] Arden Mr Ricardo – Lord Graham – Lord Castlereagh <1> – Mr Gilmour & many other distinguished fashionables as the Morng Post wd say – it seemed quite absurd to see all these London faces popping up in the middle of a ploughed field & you may suppose how surprised they were at our unexpected appearance. – Wednesday we left Stoke, comblés de politesses <2> by Sir Robert & Lady B. <3> & saw en passant Belvoir Castle – & dined at Melton where Edward Montagu called on us – & just as we had done dinner, there came a note from Lord Alvanley asking us to dine with him & meet Lord Wilton, Col. Arden & several other agreeable men – I am sure it would have been extremely amusing but we would not accept, & drove away in the dark to Lutterworth regretting all the way we had not staid. Next day we visited Newnham Padox, <4> which was extremely interesting – Lady Denbigh was very agreeable, & shewed us the pictures of all our ancestors & some curious letters – Warwick Castle delighted us extremely as far as I could see it in a cold dark evening – it must be lovely in summer. We slept at Stratford on Avon my room was called As you like it – but we had not time enough to spare to visit Shakespeare’s house or his mulberry trees –
Friday we went to Cheltenham, & in consequence of various delays & the ground being covered with snow, we did not arrive here till past midnight we found the house looking extremely comfortable with roaring fires in all the rooms. – I have not been out yet – but the terrace looks very well indeed from the windows – I think it is an amazing improvement. – London must look very wret[ched] this weather – but I should like to be t[here]<5> one day to see Miss Kemble <6> in Belvidera. –
Addio fratel carissimo, scrivetemi due righe <7> –
Your very affte sister
Horatia
How <8> very unlucky you should have sent for your Poney at such an unfortunate moment. It must have arrived at its destination just the day you came away & perhaps be all the worse for having been moved in such bad weather when it was not well. We knew nothing about it till some of us (not me you may suppose) missed it in the Stable. Pray write & amuse us with your adventures –
Ev yrs
ETF
I hope <9> you announced yourself in Sackville St <10> else I am afraid you will not be very comfortable. I suppose you have heard Lady Emma Bennet is going to marry Lord Fitzharris– <11>
W. H. Fox Talbot Esq <12>
31 Sackville St
Notes:
1. Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton (1799–1882); William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley (1789–1849), soldier; Richard Pepper Arden, 3rd Baron Alvanley, lieutenant-colonel; David Ricardo (1803–1864), MP of Whig principles elected for Stroud in 1832; possibly James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose (1799–1874); Lord Castlereagh was probably Charles William Stewart (1778–1854), 3rd Marquess of Londonderry.
2. Overwhelmed by courtesies.
3. Sir Robert Howe Bromley, and Lady Ann Bromley, of Stoke Hall, Nottinghamshire.
4. Newnham Paddox, Lutterworth, the home of William Basil Percy Feilding, 7th Earl of Denbigh (1796–1865).
5. Text torn away under seal.
6. Fanny Kemble, popular actress, daughter of Charles Kemple, actor-manager of the Covent Garden Theatre.
7. Goodbye dearest brother, write me a couple of lines.
8. Postscript written in Lady Elisabeth Feilding’s hand.
9. Continues in Horatia’s hand.
10. 31 Sackville Street, London residence of the Feildings, often used as a London base by WHFT.
11. Lady Corisande Emma Bennet (d. 1876), daughter of Charles Augustus Bennet, 5th Earl of Tankerville, married on 13 April 1830, James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury (1807-1889).
12. Address panel written in Lady Elisabeth Feilding’s hand.