Melbury <1>
Thursday –
My dear Henry –
I have made the extracts I wished from Gale’s <2> bill as Memorandums – & I now enclose it you – You know he wished to have it next week to deliver to Mr Awdry. <3> – I wish I could know how you are today & whether your journey was as prosperous as mine – Was it not a perfect day for travelling? – all the early part at least for in the afternoon we had occasional showers, though not sufficiently heavy to conceal the beauties of the Landscape. – I particularly admired the latter part of our drive where there is so extended a line of hills on each side – Melbury enchants me – I have written my first impressions to Lady Elisabeth <4> so will not repeat them to you – especially as I feel the time devoted to this place too scanty to allow of sparing much for writing. – I paid Mr Lawes’s <5> horses to Trowbridge thinking you might prefer it, as you had said something about settling his bill, & not leaving an account there in future. – He had well behaved horses all the way, especially at Bruton, where one of the wheelers slipped down in descending the steep bit of hill in the town. – But he got up again quite quietly & neither injured himself or anything belonging to the carriage – I (of course) thought it best to get out with the children, <6> while the bystanders raised the horse up from the ground – and after a delay of a few minutes only we went on again – It was nearly ½ past five when we reached Melbury – Not very quick travelling – but quite early enough to suit the dinner hour &c – The children were very good & Matilda not very restless till the latter part – I found a note from Lady Ilchester <7> accepting us for Saturday.
Yr affte
Constance
I was ashamed of my sleepiness yesterday evening, but do not now feel very fatigued. Many enquiries after your health. –
Henry Fox Talbot Esqre
31. Sackville Street
London
Notes:
1. Melbury, Dorset: one of the Fox Strangways family homes; WHFT was born there.
2. John Gale, carpenter at Lacock.
3. West Awdry (1807–1892), solicitor, Chippenham.
4. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, née Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (1773–1846), WHFT’s mother.
5. Mr Lawes, of Lawes’ coaches.
6. Ela Theresa Talbot (25 Apr 1835 - 25 Apr 1893), WHFT's 1st daughter; Rosamond Constance Talbot (16 Mar 1837 - 7 May 1906), 'Rose'; 'Monie'; artist & WHFT's 2nd daughter; died & buried at San Remo, Italy, with a memorial at Lacock; Matilda Caroline Gilchrist-Clark, née Talbot (25 Feb 1839-1927), 'Tilly', WHFT's 3rd daughter.
7. Juliana Maria Strangways, née Digby (d. 1842).