SD638.1. Mary Moulton-Barrett to Elizabeth Cook
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 2, 354–355.
Hope End
Christmas Day 1827.
My dearest Bessy,
I could have wished my first letter to you on your return to England should have expressed the glad feelings which the long desired event must, under any circumstances, excite in one who loves you as well as I do, without being embittered; but alas! it cannot be so, while we are sympathizing with dearest Mary in her present affliction: [1] which is just announced to me by Emily—I cannot however consider this letter so sad as the last, in which she described her poor Father’s hopeless & acute suffering, & so prepared, I trust poor dear Mary’s mind, will, under divine help, be comforted by the cessation of that suffering, & by the blessed hope which the Christian faith affords, the only support in all our woes. It is impossible to express half that I feel for the dear sufferer, nor my anxiety to hear how she is. Will you directly Reply, tell me all you can about her, as soon as you can, for I cannot yet intrude a letter upon her. My heart aches, when I think of her eight children: but the Almighty is all sufficient, and let us not doubt that He will be her comfort and strength and the Father of her children.
Dearest Bessy! how much your sweet affecte letter comforted me, in my affliction. [2] Severe indeed it was, for I never heard of my sainted Mother’s illness till I was told of her death. Three happy weeks she spent here in Augt. She afterwards made a tour of the lakes and on arriving at Fenham, was quite well and able to dine out and see her friends, so that we flattered ourselves she might long be spared to us. On a Tuesday Morng, after breakfast she complained of spasms, and on the Saturday Morng. following her gentle spirit was called hence, after little suffering during the 4 days illness. She resigned herself to the will of God with so much tranquil and happy calmness, that our grief for her could not but partake in some degree of the same calm and holy character. I am very sure dearest Bessy, that you would feel for her almost as a child. Certainly there was a strong similarity of character between her and your own dear Mother—dearly they loved each other, and I trust the same affection descends to their children, now that their pure spirits are I humbly hope, in the merits of their Saviour, reunited where death & sorrow shall no more be felt—irreparable is their loss to us: but I try to sooth the anguish of knowing that here I can no more receive her dear affection, by dwelling on the lovely features of her character, & by the hope that blessed has been her change. Poor Charlotte does not yet know of her affliction being near her confinement at the time, and since that being in so weak a state it has been found necessary to carry on a delusion most trying to poor Fanny who was with her. I trust it will please God to be her strength, when it is communicated, also the sad tidings of the death of the Wife of Sir Thos B’s 3d Brother in childbirth, leaving seven children. I was in hopes Bell would have come here soon, however Jane [3] seems to think it best that she should continue at present with them at Hartford, as she is now used to the place and her acute sorrow seems settling into composure and tranquillity, which might be disturbed by coming to scenes she had so lately visited with my beloved mother. Poor Bells loss is indeed peculiarly severe; James [4] wishes her to live with him, and I hope she will determine to make herself happy by dividing her time amongst us all. After all the long enjoyment I have had of health I cannot complain, that for the last two months I have felt the common lot, & suffered very severely from rheumatic stricture I fancy on the sides of stomach—the pain however is wonderfully better, & I got down into the library yesterday which is a great blessing to me, & I trust it may please God soon to make me able to renew my daily occupation in the school room, tho’ Elizth [5] & Hentta [6] have exerted themselves there so much as to spare me all anxiety. Barrett has been in London some weeks with his Mother, [7] but I trust he will return in a day or two—he is well and my Eleven! [8] whom I do hope now to introduce to you, dearest Bessy. Pleased indeed I am to think you are again in England & have a house selected as you wished. Anxiously do I hope that our poor dearest Mary, may be able to continue in your neighborhood—that she may have the blessing of your society, & all her dear Sister’s love. I write to you on Christmas day, dearest Bessy: that day which in our childhood we so often spent so happily together! dear recollections! that no time or circumstances can efface. I wish you could hear the noise, that your tribe of cousins here are making, & the children of our little School, who eat their beef & pudding here always on this day.
The anniversary this year comes with many a painful feeling to my heart. Perhaps you have heard that our excellent brother Sam & his lovely wife are gone to Jamaica, for two years should it agree with their health as the medical men think it will. We are living in our usual retirement here. Dearest Bessy! how happy should I be to welcome you to this dear place some day, as I trust I shall.
And now with kindest love to all your dear Sisters and an assurance how well I know all they would feel on the loss of an Aunt who truly loved you all, & kind love to all your Children,
believe me, my dearest Bessy
Ever most affecly yours
M M Barrett
Kind regards to Col. Cook
Address, on integral page: Mrs Cook / Miss Surtees’s / Cottage Place / Chelmsford / Essex.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library, Altham Archive.
1. The death of her husband.
2. The death of her mother Nov. 10. 1827.
3. Her youngest sister married to Robert Hedley, afterwards of Sidbrook, Somerset. She is now the only survivor of that generation in her family.
4. They did live together many years at Fenham Hall. James Graham-Clarke, her brother, died unmarried at Tours in 1859.
5. The distinguished and gentle poetess, author of Aurora Leigh and other poems. She married in 1846 Robert Browning by diploma M.P. and Hon. Fellow of Ball. Coll. Oxford, the poet so well known; and she died at Florence June 29 1861 leaving an only son Robert Barrett Browning born 1849, matriculated at Ch. Ch. Oxford Jany. 1869.
6. Her daughter who married the son of her cousin to whom this letter is addressed.
7. Mrs Moulton. Her residence was in Baker Street which was then much considered, there being no Belgravia, no Tiburnia, above all no ’buses!
8. Of all that merry group in the nurseries and school room at Hope End alas! only five are left on this our earth. (1871)
___________________
