St Ann’s hotel Buxton
Saturday. –
My dear Henry
Our rooms in the St Ann’s Hotel are engaged to day for other visitors & therefore I am obliged to turn out! – There are no other apartments vacant here – but I saw some in the Great Hotel yesterday that I intended to occupy today although they are far from comfortable – the Sitting room being on the Ground floor & the bed room, (which I must have shared with the children, there being no others) almost at the top of the house. Under these circumstances I think it is better best to accept my Brother’s very pressing invitation to spend the next week at Markeaton. <1> – The additional expense of travelling there will be less than a weeks living at Buxton – and the pleasure to me very great of taking a peep at that dear place. – Caroline <2> has given me the Strongest encouragement to go there, & thinks you will certainly approve – I therefore wrote to Harriot <3> this morning to propose being at Markeaton on Monday, but within the last hour Nichole <4> has brought me word that 2 families in the Great Hotel are staying on for some days – so that it now appears doubtful whether or not they will be able to take me into the house at all – In the course of an hour I expect a decided answer & in the want of their being no room I intend to set off today for Markeaton, for there I know they will be glad to receive me without any notice at all. I ought to have mentioned that all the other hotels are full – I have given Caroline permission to read our Newspapers if any arrive & she will forward my letters to Markeaton. Yesterday no Newspaper was received –
I cannot write any more today as the post time approaches –
Your affte
Constance
H. Fox Talbot Esqre
Post office
Newcastle upon Tyne
Notes:
1. Markeaton Hall, Derbyshire, NW of Derby: home of the Mundy family.
2. Caroline Augusta Edgcumbe, née Feilding, Lady Mt Edgcumbe (1808–1881); WHFT’s half-sister.
3. Harriot Georgiana Mundy, née Frampton (1806-1886), WHFT’s cousin & sister-in-law.
4. Nicolaas Henneman (1813–1898), Dutch, active in England; WHFT’s valet, then assistant; photographer.