This it appeared was the practice on each different Wednesday night; & on the follow’g even’g a Mrs Stenton, Miss Plumptre, Mrs Watson & Mr Heathcote drank tea with us, the latter of whom & his Sister additionally drank tea with us on the follow’g evening. He returned via Southwell, where he arrived on Wednesday 21st, ‘alighting to go to my Sister’s, whose numerous household I discovered all in good health. On Wednesday the 25. Mr Heathcote drank tea with us, & the young ladies, his pupils, each performed a bit on the grand piano-forte, of whom my grandaughter (Harriet, the daughter of his late son, Henry) was the principal performer, who was now a lot improved. As she was under no circumstances certified for a governess’s situation, we were now due to this fact looking out for some situation for her within the dressmaking, or little one-bed linen line under the superintendance of a Mistress, by which Mrs Enderby was form enough to assist, tho’ as she stated, after what occurred, it wo’d not be proper to obtain her at her house.’ Nearly a 12 months later, in April 1825, Harriett was apprenticed for 3 years to Mrs White, a dressmaker, of South Street in London.
By today’s London coach they nonetheless arrived, 2 within, & 2 without, when it appeared that they had not bought prepared in time, as just after they ought to have been at the Belle Sauvage, they have been cording their packing containers & sent J. Williams there to ask when it wo’d be ready to set out, who discovered it was simply gone but wo’d cease on the Elephant & castle. We found your Uncle Marsh fairly well and in good spirits; but your poor uncle Henry I believe a very good deal altered. There are three sitting rooms beneath stairs, and a breakfast room above, (in which we sit to learn & work) all except one trying into the garden, which is not I think bigger than ours, but very fairly, being turfed throughout; with a gravel walk round and a border on each aspect. In July 1826, John Marsh was In London, after one in every of his trips to Kent to collect his rents, when he ‘had a visit from my Sister, niece Mary & nephew John, at whose home my Sister had been staying since she left Ramsgate, to which she had gone with my Son Edw’d & family about three weeks before within the steam boat, which conveyed his quite a few family of 13 (together with 3 maids) with a lot ease.
On Monday the 26. I anticipated my Sister, Nieces & grandaughter Harriett down by the coach, for whom I had taken places earlier than I left city, & accordingly ordered dinner at 5. after i went to stop the coach on the fleece, however was surprized at finding it are available in empty withinside, the coachman saying that no person came both to the Belle Sauvage, Golden cross or Elephant & castle at which latter place he waited a long time. I now due to this fact returned & sat right down to a solitary dinner that had been prepared for 5. Thinking they might possibly come by the Portsmouth night time coach & arrive by the mail the following morning I went to meet it, when I found, not them but my bro’r Henry, who pondering they’d arrived at the top of the preceeding week, was come to spend about 10 days with us. She had changed her identify she told me on Tuesday the ninth after which she & Mr H.—- had set off for Peterborough, whence she dated her letter, but not mentioning their handle there, or how lengthy they meant to stay there, I co’d not ship my congratulations.’ In June 1828, ‘This being the day (Friday 20th.) my Sister & the Heathcotes had appointed to come back & keep a fortnight or 3 weeks with me, my Son (John) & Edmund went to look out for them when the coaches came in, in neither of which they have been, in order that about 5. my Son & I sat all the way down to dinner without them.
In her letter, Mary relates ‘Here am I, in one of the best bedchamber, surrounded by this pricey household, who I’m completely satisfied to say are all well, (some maybe quick asleep). The George Hodgkinson that Mary Williams mentions in her letter was the son of George Hodgkinson junior. You’ve heard that Mr George Hodgkinson turned us out that he might make a grand place of it and stay there himself.’ Mr Hodgkinson apparently made some substantial alterations including ‘my poor little old fashioned bedroom after being considerably reduced is made right into a water closet, which in these genteel days is taken into account indispensable. The Barrows eventually took over the authorized follow based by George Hodgkinson senior. In September, John Marsh set off to see his sister again, finally arriving at Newark, ‘where having breakfasted within the resort, a put up chaise took me the remaining eight miles to Southwell, the place I found my Sister & family all effectively.