"if you had been there, it would've been an Eden"

Season 3, episode 6. Back in Middlesbrough, Fred’s fears about his accommodation problems are realised,  in Sheffield, Janie is suddenly flavour of the month again with Polly Roe, and we also have a look at the Phoenix Park Murders that took place in Dublin, Ireland. We also get to hear Fred sharing his love for the sea front at Saltburn.
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Twitter: @1ngi
Email: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.com
Writer and Producer:  Ingrid Birchell Hughes

Transcript

[Intro]
Welcome back to My Love Letter Time Machine, Hi, I’m Ingrid Birchell Hughes, and I’m serialising the love letters of my great great Grandparents, Fred Shepherd and Janie Warburton. Travel 140 years back in time with me now where we take a look at Victorian history through their eyes and today Fred’s fears about his accommodation problems are realised, Janie is suddenly flavour of the month again with Polly Roe, and we also have a look at the Phoenix Park Murders  

[If you had been there it would've been an Eden]
I’ve got a podcast of contrasts for you this time, where a bit of current affairs - as in current in 1882 - bleeds into everyday life, and then we get to hear one of Fred’s gorgeous pieces of description in what can only be described as a hymn to the costal town of Saltburn, but first a recap.

You might recall that Janie’s soon to be sisterin-law Polly Roe had been rather passive aggressive in her behaviour towards Janie, and from his next letter it appears that Fred agrees with her perceptions in Miss Roe’s character. We also get confirmation that Fred and his fellow lodgers have been priced out of their current lodgings by their landlady Mrs Gordon and they have placed an advertisement to find new ones. 

21 Church Street, Middlesbrough
May 10th 1882.

My own darling Wife,
I received your very welcome letter this morning. I am glad to hear that Miss Dalton and Ted have been to see you, I should like to have taken tea with you love as well, I suppose he would have been agreeable? 

4 shillings was very reasonable for “Cold Chicken”. How is Ted off for work now love, and did they mention their marriage?

I do wish I could see the old walks at night love, it would do me good, and on Sunday I'm sure we should have continued a kiss somehow without them seeing us.

I am sorry to hear that you have acquired another cold darling, you must take care of yourself wifey you know, I shall want you.

I am about all right now love from Sunday except that I have got a flourishing gum ball which gives me much pleasure. I think the “Fruit Salts” have done me good as I have not had any headache since I bought them.

I shall be very pleased for you to take me out for a walk my darling, for the good of my health. You shall have an opportunity at Whitsuntide. 

I am not surprised at the character of Polly Roe’s invitation love, from what we saw of her. But never mind darling, you can afford to not be troubled over anything like that love, and put it down to her lack of proper training, or, else to her ignorance and bad feeling. She will I don't doubt be a sweet sister in law, but I think she will not trouble us much wifie. I think she was very nasty about going to your house, I think she and your Fred felt the expense of the children very much love. I should be civil to her love I think for quietness as you say, but you cannot be otherwise I know, and I am sure you would not give her course to say anything like that.

Do I understand love that you are quite resigned not to go to Roche Abbey on Whitmonday? If we don't go anywhere love, it will not be any change for you. Of course to me love, anywhere with you would be enjoyable. So if you are quite satisfied we will do as you say, go down to our house on the Monday. I expect I shall have Monday and Sunday at Whitsuntide love.

I am glad to hear that you think I do not do you any harm love, or ill use you. As to the refraining darling, perhaps it would be as well not to make any rash promises before the time. I knew you loved me my wife but I like so much to hear you say so. I don't expect that we shall have any misfortune through kissing – we have not sufficient time to injure ourselves in that way. 

With regard to the lodgings I think it is about settled that we are to leave. I'm going to see some fresh lodgings tonight near the Park it is a bigger house and they ask 18/- for the three of us, whereas if we stay yonder we shall have to pay 24/- for the three, so that for economy sake we are almost compelled to leave. I shall let you know on Saturday what we have decided.

If you go down to our house tomorrow love, I would not say anything about receiving this (unless they ask) because I was to send them some more money today and I forgot it until after the post office has closed + my mother might think I have done it purposely if she knows you have received a letter. Write for Friday love, if you can. It is so pleasant to get a letter every other day. 
I remain 
your loving true and faithful 
husband 
Fred


Handsworth 
May 11th 1882

My own darling husband
I was pleased to receive your letter this morning.

I should have been agreeable for you to take tea with us last Monday it would've been a treat if you could have done that love. Ted did not say how he was off for work now and they did not say anything about their marriage.

Ted did not get to tea as he thought but came up about seven Miss Dalton and I went through the nurseries just before six. We got some very nice cut flowers.

I went down to Roe’s on Tuesday after tea and Polly was quite different. She asked me to be bridesmaid and to say what dresses would be nicest and was very amiable indeed, she is a queer customer to deal with she is so changeable. Lizzie and I are to be the bridesmaids, we are thinking of having two very pretty sateen dresses, and Polly a stone coloured silk, the wedding is to be the fortnight after Whitsuntide, cream coloured hats and gloves. I wish you could be with us then love but I would rather have you at Whitsuntide even you could come then. Polly, Carrie, Lizzie and I went down to Mrs Fleers last night to see her about making two of the dresses and called Pollys dressmakers to see about making hers. I have found out how I offended Polly, the last time I was there before Carrie came, I said as I was leaving her you will be coming up soon Polly and did not mention any particular day I found out through our Fred, he knew I was going on Tuesday so he said don't ask Polly to come sometime. I thought it was a very trivial thing that I had offended in, I thought I would not offend last night in the same way I asked her to come to tea today as it is the only day Carrie has open to be at our house except Saturday and Sunday. I expect them every minute now so I'm rather hurried over your letter.

I try to take care of myself love, I don't know how I have got my cold it is all in my dose today, I am glad you are alright darling. I am quite resigned not to go to Roche Abbey on WhitMonday it will be a very agreeable change to have you with me love. I shall not get to your house today as they are coming Carrie has been staying at Roe’s since Tuesday. I hope you will be comfortable in your new lodgings if you decide to go, I will write you a longer one for Sunday I love you my darling more than ever and I shall be so glad to see you, 
I remain my darling husband 
your loving true and faithful 
wife Janie.

21 Church Street, Middlesbrough
May 12th 1882.

My own darling Wife,
I received your welcome letter this morning, I thought you would not disappoint me darling. You are evidently going to be a “big gun” in this forthcoming marriage darling being bridesmaid and having the great responsibility of choosing the dresses. I am sure they will be nice if [they?] wear what you choose for them. 

I should like very much to be there at the interesting ceremony, but I don't think I could conveniently get being so near Whitsuntide. It will be fine experience for you love, attending so many weddings; while I have never been to one all through. I am afraid I shall want some little instruction from you, but you will assist me won't you my darling, as you have done at other interesting periods of our mutual existence and pleasure.

Why did they not choose it for Whitsuntide and then one could have seen it. I should think it would be equally convenient then wouldn't it? 

I wish we were married now and then I could stop at your house without inconveniencing you in anyway. 

I think Polly was very foolish and taking offence in such a trivial thing as that love. You'll have to be extremely careful how are you treat her, especially when she enters your family love.

I am sorry that Carry is to leave you love because you will not have many intimate friends now because they were almost all of them dropped as I took their places which of course I'm very sorry.

I was in hopes that Carrie would stay over Whitsuntide and then I should see her please remember me very kindly to her and express my sorrow at not being able to renew our pleasant acquaintance.

I hope your cold will soon be better my darling, you must be better for Whitsuntide love or else you will be wanting to blow your nose when I want to kiss you, which would be a serious loss to me. Have you taken anything for it love, hot coffee sweetened with treacle is a good thing, also as much cold water as you can drink, both to be taken before going to bed.

Now my darling, are you quite satisfied with not going to Roche Abby on WhitMonday, because you know love, if you want to go I shall only be too glad to take you. I should not like you to feel disappointed wifie, on that day, or you might be scolding me, a thing that I never remember you to have done so far and which I should not recommend you to try on.

With regret to the change of lodgings love, we have had a meeting in the form (Banks, Alvey and myself) together with Mrs Gordon, and she seems very determined not to let us stay on at the old rate but gives us the option of taking the rooms for 24/- for the three of us, that is 8/- each, and will not hear of boarding us at all. Now where we have decided to go we get three rooms for 18/- which is 6/-. 

I may mention that the rooms are nicer than those we occupy at present and there is a piano. With regard to the boarding I don't think it will cost us more than 10/- per week each, perhaps not as much. So that we shall not lose much and save 2/- shillings each by changing. Besides I should not like to stay at Church Street now, because after what has occurred I don't think we should feel comfortable.

I think Mrs Gordon is doing a very foolish thing, because by her own showing, when there were six of us, the board for all six cost £2 per week that is, for three of us 20/-. Now the three of us pay 48/- so that in that way she would clear 28/- per week. But at the new idea the three of us would pay 24/- so that she would be a loser to the extent of four/- per week by the change. Besides that, there is the danger of not letting her rooms, and judging from there being 27 replies to our advertisement I should say would be sometime perhaps months and that I should think would be a serious loss to her, having nothing coming in. However the thing is settled now, and we leave tomorrow week.

I shall let you know the proper address before then. I do not know it at present love. Where we are going is only about three minutes walk from the park, which is looking very nice at present.

I hope I have not wearied you with these details of such a trivial matter, but I thought you would like to know darling. 

What a sad affair it was about Lord Frederick Cavendish. It was he that unveiled the statue here at the Jubilee, so that Middlesbrough was interested in him to a certain extent. The shops were all closed yesterday afternoon and the blinds drawn, the statue was also draped in black. But that is a mournful subject.

A brighter one is Whitsuntide, only 14 days love to our happy meeting. I am almost counting the hours to it now darling 
I remain my darling wifie 
your loving true and faithful husband 
Fred

PS/ I should have written more love, but it is 8.25 now and I've not had tea. You must excuse the variety of paper darling.

I’m always amazed when a bit of recorded history turns up in the letters. The death of Lord Cavendish was a seismic event that became known as the Phoenix Park Murders.  He was a liberal politician, who had traveled to Dublin to be sworn in as the new Chief Secretary of Ireland. He disembarked from a steam ship at 7am on the 6th of Ma 1882, and 12 hours later he would be dead

The city he arrived in was struggling, beset by poverty that was driving mass emigration, creating serious decline. In order to understand the febrile atmosphere surrounding the murder, we have to go back to 1879 with the advent of an intractable impasse between landlords and their tennants, who suffering from crop failures and prolonged exploitation, had begun to demand better rights. The conflict that became known as the Land War only grew over the next few years, and at first the British Government was unsympathetic and cracked down on the growing movement with ever increasing severity. After the 1880 election, the new government realised that they had be more conciliatory and to that end, Prime Minister William Gladstone, sought out someone to become the new secretary to broker peace. Cavendish wasn’t his first choice, he was a somewhat retiring personality but he was known and trusted, in part due to being married to Gladstone’s niece Lucy Lytleton 

Cavendish, and the Earl of Spencer who was to become the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, arrived in Dublin to a festive atmosphere. The streets were lined with people and they were welcomed at the station by the Lord Mayor.  The reception was at first welcoming and celebratory but as they approached Trinity College, the mood shifted and students from the college started to pelt the procession with flour, and this surely would have given the new arrivals the impression that their welcome was only skin deep. After arriving at Dublin castle, Spencer was sworn in as Lord Lieutenant and Viceroy, and Cavendish as Chief Secretary. At some point that afternoon Cavendish was introduced to Thomas Henry Burke, the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Irish Office. Burke had been de facto in charge for the last few years and as such had become associated with the conflicts and was a well known and controversial figure in Ireland. 

After the long day of official duties, Cavendish elected to walk home to his new residence, The Viceregal Lodge, through Phoenix Park. As he walked a carriage pulled up alongside and out stepped Thomas Burke and the two men elected to continue walking through the park together. Unbeknownst to them, Burke was being followed by seven men.

What then followed was a brutal attack focused on Burke. Two of the seven were carrying surgical knives and both men were repeatedly stabbed, Cavendish trying to defend himself against the assailants with his umbrella. His struggle was in vain and 12 hours after he had come to Dublin to oversea a policy of conciliation, he became the latest victim of the conflict. 

The death of Cavendish caused a shockwave through both Ireland and Great Britain and the circumstances of his death were condemned by all sides. After his body was taken back to England, thousands attended his funeral, including 300 members of parliament. That this shockwave was felt by Fred and Janie is a startling moment where something of history isn’t just a distant event but connects and has repercussions down the years. I think of terrible moments we have all lived through were we were knocked sideways by a public tragedy, and we all stopped, our heads not able to wrap themselves around what had suddenly become an unwanted reality. I think you definitely can see that this was one of those moment from Fred’s letter.

I’d like to say I thought it was important to get my information from an Irish rather than a British source for the background here, and would like to credit Fin Dwyer, and his Irish History Podcast which gave me, a brit who shamefully was not taught very much about this chapter in history, a deeper understanding of the cultural details and provided valuable context. It’s an excellent podcast by the way, definitely recommend it, and he’s done two episodes on the Phoenix Park Murders.

Anyway back to Handsworth with Janie’s next letter…

Handsworth 
May 13th 1882

My own darling husband
I received your welcome letter this morning. I am evidently going to be a big gun at the wedding, we are going to get the dresses on Wednesday I am glad you think that will be nice as I am choosing them, I wish you could have been there to see us, I shall not be able to show you the dress even at Whitsuntide, but we will see them afterwards and I shall be very happy to give you any instructions to assist you at the wedding love as you are inexperienced.

They do not like WhitMonday weddings, besides it would be very inconvenient for us, we could not leave only mother and Kate to do everything being such a busy week. I wish we was married now so that you could stay comfortable at our house but it does not inconvenience us at all I am afraid the inconvenience is on your side we have to push you in anywhere.

I am sorry Carrie can't stop until after Whitsuntide but it is their busiest time then, she wishes to be kindly remembered to you and would like to have seen you. My cold is better today love and I think will be alright by the time you come and shall have got over blowing my nose so often, so darling we shall not have the serious loss of not kissing each other.

I am quite satisfied with not going to Roche Abbey and shall not feel at all disappointed my husband, if you do not take me.

I think Mrs Gordon is making a mistake in letting you go I certainly should go if they are nice rooms and cheaper and you think you will be comfortable. I don't think you would be comfortable to stay in Church Street now. It will be very nice for you being so near the park I wish I could have a walk around with you tonight darling. I am never wearied with anything that comes from you love it is always interesting when it is anything that concerns you it is a sad affair about Lord Frederick Cavendish. You would be interested in him to a certain extent at Middlesbrough, it is a shocking thing.

Jinny Reckless has come up this afternoon so darling we have so much to talk about the wedding and they won't wait for me to write more I will give you a long one for Tuesday or Monday if I can 
I remain my darling husband 
your loving true and faithful 
wife Janie

 
21 Church Street, Middlesbrough
May 14th 1882.

My own darling Wife,
I received your letter this morning, and was very much disappointed at it being so short. I hope you are not vexed with me love over anything – as I am not aware that I have given you cause to be so. If I have I regret it wifie. Why shall I not be able to see the dress at Whitsuntide love? You say you are going to get them on Wednesday, I suppose you mean next Wednesday, don't you? It would certainly be very inconvenient to have the wedding on Whitmonday love, being such a busy week. It is no inconvenience to me love to stay at your house, but it seems a shame to turn your John out of his bed for the sake of poor me. 

I am pleased to hear that your cold will be better by the time I come, so that we shall not lose any kissing. Will you please tell Jinnie Reckless from me love, that I do not feel very pleased that she should occupy your time talking about such a trivial matter as a wedding, instead of letting you write a letter to me which is by far a more important and necessary duty.

I think I told you we had decided to leave here, and go up near the park. We shall have to board ourselves there so that I don't really know how much it will cost us, but in any case it will be a saving of two 2/- on the new rate here, and we should have to board ourselves if we stayed here.

I went down to Redcar again yesterday afternoon, to look after our secretary’s new house. It was a beautiful day, being perfectly cloudless. I got down to the house just after three and stayed there until five, making arrangements with the builder for connecting the water, and sundry other business. Mr McCrie (the secretary) has left it all in my hands, to make the best arrangements I can for him. I hope he will be satisfied with what I have done, for I have done the best I could under the circumstances. The rent of the house is £35 per year, which I do not think is very heavy seeing that there are three rooms downstairs, five bedrooms and one attic. Besides there is half an acre of land attached to the house.

The paper looks very nice now it is put on, and I feel quite gratified at my choice. It is very good experience love. 

After I had finished looking after the house, I set off to walk to Saltburn on the sand. Saltburn is 5 miles from Redcar. It is a magnificent walk – the sands are so firm, and being by myself, I had plenty of time to think, and I thunk so deeply that I did not notice that the tide had come in so much that I was surrounded by water. That being the case of course I had to get across it the best way I could. So I pulled my shoes and stockings off and walked through it.

You would have smoled if you could've seen me paddling through the water, with my shoes in one hand + stockings in the other, and my trousers turned up not very dignified was it love?

I've got to Saltburn at a quarter past six, + of course being hungry had tea first thing to keep up the British constitution. After tea and took a walk around the town, + of all the lovely places I think Saltburn is the loveliest.

The town is built on the top of a cliff, and you get onto the pier down the lift. There is no promenade, and almost all the houses are built towards the hills, and they seem to be almost all gentleman’s houses.

From the street the ground slopes down to a stream and then up again on the other side. On the slope of the celebrated Gardens which is something like the spa at Scarborough. Father on from these gardens are some woods belonging to the Earl of Zetland, but which are open to the public, and for loveliness I have seen nothing to equal them not even Roche Abbey though it is something like it.

The hillsides are quite as steep as that we climbed at Matlock, with a stream at the bottom, spanned by rustic bridges. The trees seem quite as big as those that Roche Abbey, and yesterday looked beautiful. You could imagine you were 100 miles from the sea. The Hawthorne was all in bloom, and the bluebells and the primroses in flower. Oh darling, if you had been there it would've been an Eden. But never mind darling, I should be able to show it to you when we are married I'm sure you feel resigned to Middlesbro wifie, when you have seen Redcar and Saltburn.

I was so interested in the scenery that I missed the train, and had to walk back to Redcar and then ride home. It was very nice but I always feel as though I only half enjoyed it with you not being there. Without you darling, I feel so lonely but I shall soon see you and get a fresh stock of courage to help me live a little longer. Only 13 days love to our blissful meeting, but that includes another Sunday after today.

I enclose you a little Hawthorne I got from Saltburn I have not been able to give you any other flowers this year love, but will give you myself instead. I remain your loving true and faithful husband Fred.

Oh gosh isn’t that letter simply beautiful? It’s possibly my favourite. Fred really let his writing and his thoughts soar there, and then the fact that he got so distracted and missed his train, feels so so familiar - I’m just like this and it was this particular letter that left me without any doubt that I have inherited Fred’s soulfulness and his capacity for getting lost in the moment. It brings him so tantalisingly close oh - how I wish I could have met him. 

We’ll leave it there for now. Next time Fred moves to his new lodgings, and Janie’s friend Carry has to send sad news to her sister Annie in Australia. 

[outro]
Thank you so much for listening to My Love Letter Time Machine. I’d very much like to share Fred and Janie’s story with more people, so If you haven’t already - can I ask to share this podcast with someone you think might enjoy it? You can also find excerpts of Fred and Janie’s letters on instagram at my love letter time machine all one word and you can write to me at my love letter time machine at gmail dot com.

Until next time, take care.
© Ingrid Birchell Hughes 2022