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Result number 125 of 971:   < Back     Back to results list   Next >  

Document number: 3658
Date: Mon 23 Apr 1838
Postmark: 24 Apr 1838
Recipient: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Author: TALBOT Constance, née Mundy
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Collection number historic: LA38-8
Last updated: 16th November 2016

St Leonards <1>
Monday March April 23d

My dear Henry

My Sisters <2> have received a letter from our Brother <3> saying, that his Coachmaker has now two carriages of the kind they require, ready for sale – & that should these be disposed of before they come to Town, he is almost certain of being provided with others. – This is satisfactory as far as it goes, but I think, judging from the style of his my Brother’s letter (for he is not very explicit), that he does not intend approaching to anything like a decision before my Sisters make their appearance in London to judge for themselves. – Thus it appears that nothing will be gained by their giving my Brother more time to continue his search before they move from this place. – & therefore they are writing today to say, that they intend leaving St. Leonards in a fortnight from yesterday today – the following day, Tuesday the 8th of May, being the day on which the four weeks of my house expires. – They will go immediately to London, & after devoting a week there to business of various kinds, they will be ready to visit us at Lacock. – Now all this arrangement has been made under the idea that your wish, for me & the children to leave St Leonards at the expiration of our month, remains unchanged, but if your engagements in London or any other cause exists for your preferring to give me a longer leave of absence, it will be both easy & agreeable to my Sisters to remain also another week or two, that is to say as long as I may wish want to stay. – Only they must know your wishes on this subject before next Monday, in order that they may give their house one week’s notice of quitting.

I have been urging them to this degree of expedition to prevent my losing three weeks of their company at Lacock, which must have been the case, had they settled to remain here as they proposed until Monday the 21st & not reach ing Lacock before the 29th if as you told me you wish to pay your Glamorgan visits early in the Summer. – On the other hand there are various reasons for my not wishing to hurry away from St Leonards – one is, that Clifford <4> appears so poorly. – As I am obliged in your absence to act according to the best of my unassisted judgement, I hope you will not blame me for having consulted Dr Duke (my Sisters’ physician) respecting the state of her health, for I felt doubtful whether Mr Kenrick’s <5> prescriptions were doing her any good. – He saw her yesterday & gave his decided opinion that the lowering medicines prescribed by Mr Kenrick were reducing her strength & doing much mischief. – [illegible deletion] she He says that she is suffering from a great degree of debility – but that he thinks there is nothing else the matter with her, though he cannot speak positively until he has seen her again – He has prescribed strengthening medicines for her, & or[dered]<6> her to drink bottled porter. <7> I hope he will succeed in setting her up again, for her health is of so much consequence to the comfort & happiness of the children. – The time is short, but as Dr Duke is very clever, perhaps he may contrive to do her some good even in a fortnight – The Goat carriage has done an hour’s duty this morning to the great delight of both Ela <8> & Rosamond. <9> – & the weather continues so fine that I have ordered 2 Donkeys to come to this door at 3’ o clock & we are going on a regular expedition up the Castle hill &c &c – for I am dying to visit some of the old walks that I used to frequent. – Laura is to be of the party & we both anticipate much pleasure from it. This is the first tolerably fine mild day that we have had since you went. Yesterday the wind was high & the sea quite magnificent, & agitated. – Marian’s health has suffered a little from her confinement to the house but I hope she will be better in a day or two – The page on trial, continues to give satisfaction, & I approve exceedingly of his looks, his size & his manners altogether – Shall I enquire his character of Dr Duke? & engage him if the recommendation is satisfactory. – for you know, he ought to have a little time to fit himself & prepare for so long a journey as from hence to Wiltshire. – Let me hear how you have prospered without a Servant – Poor Nichol <10> lies in a bed of a morn for want of occupation! – He occupies the room over mine & he never thinks of moving about till eight or ½ past 8. – Ela sends her love to you & says that Sister & she [missing text] very well indeed. – Mamma is afraid [missing text] grow quite too fat. –

yr affte
Constance

H. F. Talbot Esqre
31 Sackville Street
London


Notes:

1. Sussex, west of Hastings.

2. Laura Mundy (1805– 1 September 1842); Emily Mundy (1807– 5 November 1839); Marian Gilder, née Mundy (1806 – 14 October 1860); m. 6 August 1844 William Troward Gilder (d. 1871), Army Surgeon (ret); WHFT’s sisters-in-law.

3. William Mundy (1801-1877), politician, WHFT’s brother-in-law.

4. Lady’s maid and nurse.

5. Dr George Cranmer Kenrick, surgeon living at The Grove, Melksham.

6. Text torn away under seal.

7. A kind of beer, of a dark brown colour and bitterish taste, brewed from malt partly charred or browned by drying at a high temperature.

8. Ela Theresa Talbot (1835–1893), WHFT’s 1st daughter.

9. Rosamond Constance ‘Monie’ Talbot (1837–1906), artist & WHFT’s 2nd daughter.

10. Edward, a valet to WHFT. [See Doc. No: 03667].

11. Nicolaas Henneman (1813–1898), Dutch, active in England; WHFT’s valet, then assistant; photographer.

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