Correspondence

Six Letters from Noel Downing to his mother from Mulgrave Castle School in Whitby have survived. This  one dating from 14 July 1901 is well remembered for the humorous portrayal of Mr Suggit’s liaison with Miss Tieman behind a tree at the school ‘strawberry tea’. Continue reading →

This letter is from George Downing’s wife Ann Maria Downing (nee Collins). It is written to Sarah and Eliza, her husband’s sisters. Her brother-in-law William did not marry in fact until 1856. The ‘sly miss’ probably refers to the fact that Sarah has just married or got engaged to William Laister in North Wales. The dates of this wedding have not been checked (Q3 1853 Bangor). The Donkeys reference could therefore be to some kind of honeymoon and could even be the earliest evidence of the Downing’s holiday interest in Llandudno. Continue reading →

Below is a transcript of a 1849 letter to Sarah Downing. It is written compactly on both sides of small red rimmed writing paper – horizontally and then continues superimposed  vertically – making it very difficult to read. Further research is needed to identify ‘Aunt Cropley’ – the letter was stored in a non contemporaneous envelope stating “Aunt Cropley’s letter” Continue reading →

Letter from Emma Downing to her husband’s sister Sarah Downing, postmarked 28 Jul 1845. Her first son George was born in Nov 1844 and is the baby in the letter. She also refers to Aunt Thompson in the letter who is the elder sister Nancy of her husband’s father. Continue reading →