To C. S. Wedgwood [3 May 1879]1
Down
My dear Caroline
I distinctly remember my father saying that Lady Charlemont or Charleville remarked that our grandfather was one of the most agreeable persons she had ever met; and my father added that she had constantly met the most agreeable persons in London. I think it was the lady who drew Shelton oak. Now do you know whether it was Charlemont or Charleville; if the former she certainly must have lived with the pleasantest people in London.2
Is your memory distinct about R. Darwin (who must have been the father of Erasmus) pulling down the mill because his horse shyed. It seems almost incredible; more especially as tho’ he lived at Elston he was not the owner of the property, tho’ his son ultimately came into possession of it. How he was rich enough to live at Elston and send 3 sons to Cambridge at the same time is a mystery to me which no inquiry has solved.3 Will you be so good as to write to Bassett, Southampton.4
Yours affectionately | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Erasmus Darwin. By Ernst Krause. Translated from the German by W. S. Dallas, with a preliminary notice by Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1879.
Miles, Archie. 2013. The British oak. London: Constable.
Summary
Was it Lady Charlemont or Charleville who remarked how agreeable their grandfather was?
Asks her to confirm story about Robert Darwin (father of Dr Erasmus).
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12030
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Caroline Sarah (Caroline) Darwin/Caroline Sarah (Caroline) Wedgwood
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 153: 4
- Physical description
- C 1p
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12030,” accessed on 27 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12030.xml