Transcript
July 22,/[18]91.
THE CAMP, Sunningdale.
Dearest Gracie*1
Many thanks for your letter. I miss you very much. Joey looks a little pulled down but is very bright. I like what I have seen of the new Governess, she is thin, pleasant and ladylike I hope the children will get on with her. We went for an hour to Admiral Strange's garden party today, and on Saturday we go to the Kempe Welches'. On Monday we went to Mrs King Chambers' garden party. Tomorrow we dine at the Thompsons', so you see we are very gay.
We had a very pleasant little trip to Bitten, where we staid[sic] the night at Mr Ellacombe's, who has a beautiful wild garden crammed with fine plants. Unfortunately the visit was a very wet one[.] On our way we stopped two hours at Bath and went to see Mr and Mrs Blomefield. He was very well, but old and infirm; full of chat about Natural History.
From Bitton we went to Stroud and to a place about 4 miles north of it in the Cotswolds, to see Mamma's friend Mrs Hutton. The view from the house over the Severn Valley to the Malverns is splendid, but Gloucester is hid by a little intervening hill. Hare's Court is a lovely spot, and the garden very pretty. Mrs Hutton knows plants well and wrote a botanical excursus. We found 12 Orchideae, including one of the rarest in Britain, Cephalanthus purpureous which grows nowhere else in Britain. I had seen it in France. Mr Hutton is a retired County Court Magistrate. They have a son and two daughters.
July 22,/[18]91.
THE CAMP, Sunningdale.
Dearest Gracie*1
Many thanks for your letter. I miss you very much. Joey looks a little pulled down but is very bright. I like what I have seen of the new Governess, she is thin, pleasant and ladylike I hope the children will get on with her. We went for an hour to Admiral Strange's garden party today, and on Saturday we go to the Kempe Welches'. On Monday we went to Mrs King Chambers' garden party. Tomorrow we dine at the Thompsons', so you see we are very gay.
We had a very pleasant little trip to Bitten, where we staid[sic] the night at Mr Ellacombe's, who has a beautiful wild garden crammed with fine plants. Unfortunately the visit was a very wet one[.] On our way we stopped two hours at Bath and went to see Mr and Mrs Blomefield. He was very well, but old and infirm; full of chat about Natural History.
From Bitton we went to Stroud and to a place about 4 miles north of it in the Cotswolds, to see Mamma's friend Mrs Hutton. The view from the house over the Severn Valley to the Malverns is splendid, but Gloucester is hid by a little intervening hill. Hare's Court is a lovely spot, and the garden very pretty. Mrs Hutton knows plants well and wrote a botanical excursus. We found 12 Orchideae, including one of the rarest in Britain, Cephalanthus purpureous which grows nowhere else in Britain. I had seen it in France. Mr Hutton is a retired County Court Magistrate. They have a son and two daughters.
I hope you will enjoy your visit to Worcester and the Potteries, also to the Lyalls. I shall be glad to know how you find Mrs Lyall. Give them my kindest regards. I am sorry to hear of Uncle Cary's illness. My kind regards to him and love to Aunt Annie. I hope you continue drawing Grasses. If you do you will soon become able to do some for me from the Herbarium.
We have not had much rain here, but lots of very fine strawberries, and there is promise of good gooseberries and a fair lot of pears and some apples[.]
We have not seen Reggie*2 since you left. No news of Brian*3, Dicky*4 asks if Mr Price's choristers are all his sons!
Ever your loving Father, | Jos.D.Hooker.
1. Grace Ellen Hooker (1868 -- 1955), Hooker’s seventh child.
2. Reginald Hawthorn Hooker (1867 -- 1944) statistician
3. Brian Harvey Hodgson Hooker (1860 -- 1932), Hooker’s fifth child
4. Richard Symonds Hooker (1885 -- 1950), Hooker’s ninth and final child
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