To G. S. Ffinden 31 May 1879
Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.
May 31st 1879
My dear Sir
I have completely forgotten all the details about the purchase of the land from my sister-in-law, Miss Wedgwood; but I have no doubt that you are correct in saying that she agreed to sell it at 80£ per acre.1 The letter from the solicitor, of which you have sent a copy, does not appear to show that any second measurement of the land was made, proving that the first measurement was erroneous.2 It seems probable that the omission of the 19 perches was merely a clerical error.3 Nevertheless Miss Wedgwood authorises me to say that she is quite willing to refund the 10£, if the Ecclesiastical Commissioners will write to her saying that in their opinion she ought to do so, either to them or to you as they may direct.4
Or again she will refund the money to the Commissioners, if it be proved by a qualified Surveyor that the first measurement was erroneous to the extent of 19 perches.— If you desire any further communication with me or Miss Wedgwood on the subject, will you be so good as to write to me, for I have observed that when persons differ on any point in conversation, they are liable unintentionally to differ in their belief as to what passed between them.—
I remain, my dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Charles R. Darwin
To the Rev G. S. Ffinden.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Post Office directory of the six home counties: Post Office directory of the six home counties, viz., Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. London: W. Kelly & Co. 1845–78.
Summary
CD’s sister-in-law, S. E. Wedgwood, is willing to refund £10 of the money paid for her land if the Ecclesiastical Commissioners will write saying she ought to do so, or if a qualified surveyor proves that the first measurement was wrong.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12071
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- George Sketchley Ffinden
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Bromley Historic Collections, Bromley Central Library (P/123/3/4)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12071,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12071.xml