Martha Wilmot (1775– 1873) now Martha Bradford writes from Sussex to Edward Wilmot in Ireland

 

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This letter initially baffled me because it is signed off with a nickname “Aunt Sylvia” but it only makes sense as a letter from Martha Wilmot / Bradford because the children named and described in it as “my progeny” are hers. Emma Rothwell at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin provided the necessary scan to confirm the handwriting by a comparison with Martha’s notebooks held in Dublin along with letters which provided the material for two volumes published in 1934 and 1935: The Russian Journals of Martha and Catherine Wilmot: Being an Account by two Irish Ladies of their Adventures in Russia as Guests of the celebrated Princess Daschkaw, containing vivid Descriptions of contemporary Court Life and Society, and lively Anecdotes of many interesting historical Characters followed by More letters from Martha Wilmot: impressions of Vienna 1819 – 1829.

Martha Wilmot will figure prominently in two books to be published in autumn 2024: Angela Byrne, Anarchy and Authority: Irish Encounters with Romanov Russia and Alexis Wolf, Transnational Women Writers in the Wilmot Coterie 1798 – 1840.

The letter begins with a beautifully crafted opening paragraph in which Martha congratulates her nephew Edward Wilmot on the birth of a first child and continues with family news and reflections on contemporary politics and mores. It has not been previously published and is now in my possession from the purchase of a local history collection belonging to the late Graham Booth. At the time of its writing, Martha was 55 or 56.

 

Storrington 13^th June 1831

I wish this paper was couleur de rose dearest Edward that it might at once shew you the pleasure which your letter announcing dear Janet’s safety & the birth of my tiny great grand nephew has given me, as well as William [husband of Martha], Alice [sister of Martha], Catharine [daughter of Martha] & Blanche [younger daughter of Martha], all & each of whom desire me to express their pleasure, according to their different characters. I will name the last first by telling you that Blanchy your graceless god daughter burst out laughing at the notion of her Vienna playfellow being not only an old married man which was bad enough, but a real Papa which was ten times worse. If so catching a thing is folly, that although the older & wiser individuals of the party assembled at breakfast begun by joyful exclamations of a more quiet nature - & I am not sure whether a sentimental sympathy for the dear Mamma was not excited on my part, - yet one by one we dropped off till broad mirth hailed the arrival of the little stranger & will I hope prove a happy omen of a laughter loving baby, the greatest of blessings for a young mother!

Well do I remember being the first to run and announce your birth to your dear, dear father [Robert Wilmot] & well do I remember his receiving the news just like Blanche. His first explosion was gratitude to the Almighty for Eliza’s safety, his second, a droll, half incredulous laugh & intense curiosity to see the child.

Wednesday 15^th

I was interrupted dearest Edward & could not resume my letter till now & perhaps it is well for you, as I suspect I was just getting into a morality strain, which you have escaped, & Sylvia comes to tell you the present situation of your monstrous portfolio together with all the extra baggage belonging to ourselves. They are all lying at Hamburg waiting, like ourselves to know our fate – for at this moment we know no more than you do whether we shall return to Vienna or not, & it is a consideration to make said baggage march back, or remain stationary being so far on that way. In short I fairly wish the whole concern was under the hammer, for I think it all round but a bad chance of being anything but a dead expense to us, & so much do I differ from you that far from wishing for more Vienna treasures, I wish we had never brought anything that did not move on 4 wheels along with ourselves. It is all a matter of luck your bringing things safely thro the Custom House, & if you have that luck it is a thousand to one whether the things are worth bringing; in these enlightened and luxurious days we have found that almost everything which we imagined rich & rare is become poor & common & it is all naturally accounted for by the constant intercourse between nation & nation. The comical thing is that dress & manners are literally just changing places between Vienna and London to a great degree. I don’t say universally as yet. Our English children set, I believe, the first fashion in Vienna of little white frocks and trousers, short hair, & great simplicity & that is now almost universal there but on coming to England I thought it was Vienna 10 years before, when I saw long hair & silk frocks on urchins of 3 & 4 years of age, & when Mrs this that & tother chose to force a bedroom most unnaturally & ungracefully into their would be suite of rooms making an awkward clumsy elegance of what is an easy & elegant disguise  where its adopted; but the custom is losing ground even there & it is mauvais ton to introduce the bedroom into society at present, & is only adopted where the Apartment (not house)  is on a small scale – have we improved our tastes?  I say no, nor our morals, nor our manners, nor our mirth, nor our safety as a nation, no nor our respectability! As for Ireland what has yours and Mr Bradford’s [support for Catholic] emancipation done? “All the rest of it” en attendant I do not fret myself about things, I only sit & wonder what is to happen next for the bare list of revolutions happening before our eyes might furnish forth a quarto volume, with a few observations to illustrate each.

Alicia [ Martha’s sister] quitted us this morning to our great regret, she is going to visit Anna Maria [ Chetwode 1774- 1870, a writer - see Cambridge Dictionary of Irish Biography]: & go with her & the family of Stretton to Malvern for a short time, she charged me to say everything kind and affect. to Janett & you

A propos, you modestly accuse me of being your debtor on the score of letters, you sinner, when the truth is that a threefold epistle of Catherine, Blanche & myself was never acknowledged by you. What have you to say to that! As for me I do honestly confess myself the worst correspondent that ever took pen in hand. But when you feel certain symptoms of pain in the eyeballs every time you write a letter, you will then, and not till then know that one letter from me deserves, but does not claim or honor, 2 or three from young and strong sighted beings. I say no more.

Wilmot [Martha’s son, later General Wilmot Henry Bradford] is learning to laugh and enjoy at the last bon mot of all. He is so fond of Eton now he is in the 5^th form, that I suspect his Latin & Greek makes but a small part of his employment – he wrote us a very amusing acct. of the 4^th of June [traditional Eton celebrations since 1811]. He is one of the boats & rows very well I hear. Of course you know Miss Wellesley is now Mrs Robert Grenville – a very good match they say. I met old Salisbury at H. House [ Hatfield House] when Cath [ Martha’s daughter] made her débût & ending for the season. Cath looked very well indeed at the drawing room, but her simplicity was the droll part of it & so entirely did it take off from shyness & vanity that she went thro the ceremony without the slightest embarrassment & of course very gracefully. It is a positive fact that she never once looked at herself in the looking glass before the event. She is the same admirable true boots she always was but much improved in manners I believe since you saw her, her singing is really noble. I am true boots myself for I do not coquet the matter but speak the plain truth as it strikes me & you know at …….[place name unreadable] I could not endure her singing; so I may be believed.

Blanche grows prodigiously. She is a less decided character at present than Cath but a very conquest making hussy I am told. My admirable Cath is doing her best to keep up Blanche’s German, French & Italian music but it is not as easy work at Storrington as it was at Vienna.

So my dear Ed I treat you as a Papa and speak of my progeny as you desire – but I must take compassion on both our eyes & stop after adding renewed congratulations & kind love to Janett – a kiss if you please to that lump of flannel (dear child how I should like to see him) & affectionate love to Em[ily?] if she is at Woodbrook. You may likewise present comp’ts or what you will to Mr Chetwood [ Edward’s uncle] & believe me your ever affect Aunt Sylvia