skip to content

Darwin Correspondence Project

From Richard Owen   [17 September 1841?]1

6, Park Cottages, Park Village East.

Friday.

Dear Darwin,

In the possible event of your being from home I write to say that I shall have a holiday musical evening tonight, and that if you & Mrs. Darwin will join us—we have tea at 127—it will add to our pleasure very much.2

Ever your’s, | Rd. Owen.

Footnotes

The date is conjectured from the address, and from Owen’s reference to a ‘holiday musical evening’ (see n. 2, below). Owen is recorded in the Royal blue book as residing at this address from 1840 to 1842.
On 8 September 1841, Owen wrote to William Clift that he hoped that Clift would come to dinner ‘at No. 6 Park Cottages’ on 12 September, following Owen’s return from holiday on 11 September. He promised: ‘a long and most delightful tour through Cornwall will be re-performed, with innumerable and most rare adventures by land, rock, mine, and sea; and the characters of divers amiable and hospitable friends will be portrayed’ (R. S. Owen 1894, 1: 187). It is probable that Owen performed other holiday entertainments during this period. Owen’s biographer records: ‘About this time Owen and his wife saw a good deal of Mr. and Mrs. Darwin’ (ibid., p. 188). In 1841, the first Friday after 12 September was 17 September.

Bibliography

Owen, Richard Startin. 1894. The life of Richard Owen … With the scientific portions revised by C. Davies Sherborn; also an essay on Owen’s position in anatomical science by the Right Hon. T. H. Huxley, F.R.S. 2 vols. London: John Murray.

Summary

CD and [Emma Darwin] are invited to "a holiday musical evening".

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-608F
From
Richard Owen
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Park Village East
Source of text
The Royal College of Surgeons of England (MS0456/1)
Physical description
ALS 1p

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 608F,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-608F.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 13 (Supplement)

letter