To G. H. Darwin   8 [July 1879]1

8th.

My dear G.

It has just occurred to me that Mrs. D. of Creskeld(?) offered to give me note to her solicitors in London for permission to search piles of old deeds about the Family.2 Is it possible that Col. Chester might find out something by looking to any of the oldest deeds relating to Cleatham?3 In this case it wd. be necessary to get strong note to solicitor mentioning Col. Chesters name— I know not at all whether this wd be worth while.

C. D

Horace is just come in after a most delightful talk w. T.H.F—which I consider settles it tho’ nothing definite was said he made himself so very nice to H. that I am sure the attraction must have been mutual4

1
The month and year are established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879.
2
Charlotte Maria Cooper Darwin of Creskeld Hall, Otley, Yorkshire, had made the offer in her letter of 16 April [1879]. Her solicitor was Simon Dunning.
3
Joseph Lemuel Chester, a genealogist, was helping CD research his family tree (Freeman 1978). The Cleatham Estate in north Lincolnshire had been owned by Charlotte and CD’s great-great-uncle William Darwin (1681–1760) (see letter to C. M. C. Darwin, 6 April 1879).
4
Thomas Henry Farrer had been opposed to an engagement between his daughter, Ida Farrer, and CD’s son Horace Darwin (see letter to T. H. Farrer, 27 June [1879] and n. 2).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 for permission] interl
1.5 at all] interl
3.1 Horace … mutual 3.3] not in CD’s hand

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12137,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12137