Correspondence from 1811

Here it is, the full text of the twenty four surviving letters exchanged between Ellen Hutchins and Dawson Turner in 1811 (available in three PDFs). Their correspondence is a wonderful read, and has value for so many different reasons. It can be enjoyed as an example of letter writing or life writing of the period, and/or for the story of the developing friendship between two people in the time of Jane Austen. It is delightful as a portrait of two botanists at their studies, or to illustrate the value of correspondence to botanists in the nineteenth century or as a contribution to the history of cryptogamic botany in the early 1800s and in West Cork.

The Ellen Hutchins Festival is very pleased to be able to provide access to the letters transcribed in this way. The originals are held in the Archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London (Turner to Hutchins) and the Wren Library of Trinity College Cambridge (Hutchins to Turner) and the transcriptions are given here with their kind permission.

Except for people who specialise in reading archives, the original letters are not easy to decipher. Ellen’s writing can be difficult to read, and she often turns the page sideways and writes over what she has already written, called cross-hatching or over-writing. Adam Green, archivist of Trinity College Cambridge was very helpful deciphering problem words. Some of the letters from Dawson Turner to Ellen have faded with age, making the ink faint and the words hard to read. It looks as if some pages have been nibbled by a mouse as there are holes and bits of text missing. (This would have happened when they were still with the Hutchins family before being given to Kew).

There are just a few remaining puzzles, some marked by ‘xxxxx’ in the text, or a word with ?before it. The Archives team at Kew Gardens has kindly agreed to tackle a ‘Last Words’ challenge on the Turner to Hutchins letters so maybe we will soon be able to fill in some of these last gaps.

Here is one of the challenge pieces, from a Turner to Hutchins letter of September 1811.

“Mrs T xxx absence in the country & her previous illness making my home less agreeable than formerly has thrown me more into masculine society, which is the bane of xxxxxx especially to one who like me, is ?elevxx xxxxxxx four glasses of wine & I must forthwith either give over visiting or abridge my attention to business unless I will consent to relinquish all the sources of my greatest happiness. On this account I cannot but envy your mountainous situation, though I fear my mind is too much perverted by the luxurious care of a town ever to enjoy retirement as I at one period could have done.”

In the same letter, Dawson Turner explains that his wife is away with the oldest girls, leaving the nurse looking after the baby and the other two youngest girls. He writes  “They have just this moment passed through the Bank where I am writing and been holding up their dolls to me with no little triumph.”

We hope that you enjoy reading the letters from 1811 and we are now turning our attention to those of 1812. Do use the ‘contact us’ button below to get in touch if you are studying Ellen Hutchins or her letters.

The letters from 1811 are available in three PDFs. January to June here. July and August here. September to December here.