To W. E. Darwin 24 October [1877]1
Down, Kent.
Many thanks.— I have been glad to see enclosed.—2 Mr Bloxham seems well convinced that the stone coffins were left on surface—3 — Sara has been quite charming & very affectionate towards me,—far more than I deserve.4
I am tired to death— good night | my dear old fellow | C. Darwin
Oct. 24
Footnotes
The year is established from the dates of Sara Sedgwick’s visit to Down (see n. 4, below).
The enclosure has not been found; it was possibly the information about the stone coffins (see n. 3, below).
In his work on monumental architecture, Matthew Holbeche Bloxam discussed the use of stone coffins from the thirteenth century, and noted that the lids were generally raised level with or a few inches above the pavement; he then mentioned a number of stone coffins that were later dug up, noting their distance from the surface (Bloxam 1834, pp. 55–6 and 69–71).
Sara Sedgwick, William’s fiancée, stayed at Down House from 13 to 24 October 1877 (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)).
Bibliography
Bloxam, Matthew Holbeche. 1834. A glimpse of the monumental architecture and sculpture of Great Britain: from the earliest period to the eighteenth century. London: W. Pickering.
Summary
Returns [unspecified] enclosure.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11205
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Erasmus Darwin
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 210.6: 149
- Physical description
- ALS 1p
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11205,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11205.xml
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