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Document number: 3243
Date: Sat 09 Apr 1836
Dating: the only plausible year after his 1833 visit to Villa Melzi; fire at Bromham
Harold White: 1841?
Recipient: TALBOT Constance, née Mundy
Author: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Collection number historic: LA(H)41-2
Last updated: 17th August 2016

[fragment]

Lacock
Saturday 9th April
Dear Constance

I intend to leave this on Monday and go as far as Reading that evening, and on to London on Tuesday morning. There was a great fire at Bromham last night, the paupers burning the cornricks & barns, as if that was the way to bring more food into their mouths.<1> The loss probably falls on some unlucky insurance office in London. Yesterday James took it into his head to take a walk to Bath & back, having noticed that my stock of tea was exhausted he thought it a fine opportunity to go and purchase some. So he set off at five o’clock in the morning & returned at eleven, having performed the distance very expeditiously – A few more of your seeds are up, as the Yellow horned poppy. I have planted out a good many of them that are getting too big for the Greenhouse, but it rains everyday which renders gardening difficult – It is however warm enough at present to be very pleasant. The birds are very numerous I believe all the singing birds in the county know this place & visit it in their rambles. I have some good Arbor Judæ’s coming up from the seed I gathered in the Villa Melzi.<2> Quantities of things are making their appearance above ground, out of doors,


Notes:

1. The Wiltshire village of Bromham is less than 9km (6 miles) from Lacock. On Friday evening Mr Butler lost a barn full of wheat, three wheat ricks and a rick of peas. Two men were apprehended but discharged for lack of evidence.

2. Outside Bellagio, on Lake Como in Italy, still famous for its gardens. Frustrated with his lack of drawing skills, even aided by a camera lucida, tt was here in the early days of October 1833 that WHFT first conceived of concept of photography.

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