TALBOT2043

Cowes,
Thursday 26^th August. 1830

My Dear Mother,

Lady Listowel ¹ tells me she has received a letter from M^rs Villiers ² announcing Theresa’s ³ marriage to M^r Lister – He has a very small fortune, so they won’t be able to live at his place, which is to be let.

I went in the mail from Devizes to Salisbury, it took me a road I had never travelled, by way of Lavington ⁴ – This is much prettier (the first part of it) than the usual road, indeed I thought between Devizes & Lavington a very nice rural country, & mean to explore it when I have leisure. The mail was near 4 hours getting to Salisbury, distance only 24 miles, but then it had but 2 horses & the road is very hilly – I chaised it from Sarum ⁵ to Southton, ⁶ & steamed it from thence to Cowes; – met Methuen on board the packet returning to Ryde from Lord Radnor’s.

We had a very rough passage, blowing more than half a gale of wind, & shipping seas, which never happened to me before in this usually so tranquil channel.

Besides my aunt Mary’s ⁷ party, Kit ⁸ is here in the Galatea with his usual satellite Calvert Jones; ⁹ Lord Ilchester with John Stavey & Ste. ¹⁰ The Listowels, Grantham’s [sic] Clonmell’s [sic] ¹¹ &c &c. I don’t think you would like the place much, & am not sorry you are at home instead; for in the first place you would not have much enjoyment of my Aunt’s society because she lives on the other side of the water, & there is no Bridge but a boat, & you would not like returning home at night perhaps, pitch dark & raining –Tomorrow there is a Bazar [sic] & réunion at Southampton & a ball at Cowes in the evening – I believe Cowes may be looked upon as a residence neither very lively nor yet absolutely dull – My aunt is not very well but takes a good deal of exercise. – She regrets Penrice ¹² much, particularly that she leaves it so long before Kit will want it; – She says if he were going to live there now, she would not mind it, but he talks of not living there for nearly a year.

We pressed them very much to live on there some time longer, but Sir C. ¹³ thought it better not. – They are going back to Penrice from Cowes, in order to pack up quantities of things that are still lying about, & arrange other business – They are quite undetermined about a residence, talk of Dunraven Castle, or Penthline Castle ¹⁴ (where Bella ¹⁵ lives now). My aunt seems well enough inclined toward Spy Park if it is to be let, which I suppose it would be were a sufficient consideration offered to its Proprietor. – At any rate it is only for 4 years they want a house, till Margam ¹⁶ is built. Afterwards they return to Penrice. – Miss Baring, H. Baring’s ¹⁷ daughter is to be married to a M^r Bridgman Simpson ¹⁸ – I don’t know if John will return to Lacock with me, I shall be at home I think Monday or Tuesday. Kit goes in a day or two to the Assizes – then comes back to Cowes.

Yours
H. T. –

Lady Elis^th Feilding
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Wilts