Lacock Abbey
Thursday Nov 30
Dearest Henry
We are all exceedingly rejoiced to hear of your safe arrival in London – A pleasant journey or a pleasant séjour in Town we could scarcely expect you to meet with – & I only hope you will despatch your business as quickly as possible & return to us speedily – I am delighted that your paper on Crystals <1> has met with such success – & I am exceedingly touchée by the manner in which you propose to employ the fruits of it. – I have already got an idea concerning it which I hope you will approve of.
Your Mother <2> is I am sorry to say very rheumatic today – she was out in the Garden a long time yesterday & I imagine she must have caught cold – though the weather was as fine as possible – Still the wind was very keen – to my feelings, unpleasantly so, & yet your Mother did not feel at all chilled – The rheumatism is chiefly in her head but she has flying pains in her limbs also – I believe she is writing to you & will probably tell you all this herself – She had a bad night & breakfasted in bed, but she is now up & in the Library. – Another double letter having come for you today Horatia <3> proposes to enclose it with mine to Mr Strangways <4> – I hope you have already received one which I think was sent to you through Ld Ilchester <5> & also a note from Ld Lansdowne <6> – Does he Ld L. give any encouragement to Mr Snow Harris?<7> My box came from Markeaton <8> this morning having incurred a large amount of carriage, but it contained many precious things & was well worth the expenditure. I had also a letter from Emily<9> this morning – too much happiness for one day! –
I suppose you will meet the Talbots in London – Lady Charlotte<10> has written to propose coming here in their way home to Penrice <11> – some time after the 7th. Horatia writes to accept them today – Lady H. Frampton <12> is also coming but her time is not yet fixed – If these relations do come & Lady Mary <13> too in the course of the winter I am sure they will do your Mother good – for she certainly requires some diversion for her thoughts. – When you call in Somerset Street pray don’t forget to give my very best love to Aunt Matilda. <14> – Shall you bring a Coral for Rose? <15> –
Ever your affectionate
Constance.
All the rest of us are well –
Pompey <16> is come to guard us in your absence – We are so sorry you did not leave us any more old letters to read – They have been succeeded by one of Horatia’s Journals in Italy, which she reads aloud to us in the evening after tea –
H. F. Talbot Esqre
31 Sackville Street
Notes:
1. WHFT gave the Bakerian Lecture in 1837, on the optical phenomena of crystals. Two papers were published on this work in 1836 and 1837 in Philosophical Magazine and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. [See Doc. No: 03620].
2. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773–1846), WHFT’s mother.
3. Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford, née Feilding (1810–1851), WHFT’s half-sister.
4. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
5. Henry Stephen Fox Strangways, 3rd Earl of Ilchester (1787–1858).
6. Henry Petty Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1780–1863), MP, WHFT’s uncle.
7. Sir William Snow Harris (1791–1867), scientist.
8. Markeaton Hall, Derbyshire, NW of Derby: home of the Mundy family.
9. Emily Mundy (1807– 5 November 1839), WHFT’s sister-in-law.
10. Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803–1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT’s Welsh cousin; and his wife, Charlotte Talbot, née Butler (1809–1846).
11. Penrice Castle and Penrice House, Gower, Glamorgan, 10 mi SW of Swansea: home of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.
12. Lady Harriot Frampton, née Fox Strangways (1778 - 6 Aug 1844); dau of Henry Thomas Fox Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester and Mary Theresa O'Grady; she married James Frampton (1769-1855) in 1799.
13. Lady Mary Lucy Cole, née Strangways, first m. Talbot (1776–1855), WHFT’s aunt.
14. Matilda Feilding (1775-1849), WHFT's 'aunt' - sister of Charles Feilding, his stepfather.
15. Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter.
16. Pompey was a family dog, mentioned from 1832-1838.