The letter written in August 1817 and transcribed below begins with a warning which I should repeat here: don’t start reading it out to others before you have read all of it to yourself.
Unmarried Mary Daly, youngest of the Daly sisters, has travelled from Ireland to Bristol with her mother to visit her married sister Emily, now Mrs Morgan Crofton. She is writing home to her married sister Catherine, now Mrs Godley and installed in a fine new house commissioned by her husband at Killegar in County Leitrim; the house is still there and occupied by direct descendants.
But instead of the Regency England recital of tea parties, intrigues and betrothals forthcoming which we have come to expect from the secondary sources, this newly discovered primary source describes a brute at loose in full view of his visitors.
Morgan Crofton (1788-1867) was the son of an Irish baronet and wealthy landowner and became in 1834 the Third Baronet Crofton of Mohil, County Leitrim. The internet offers the genealogy but nothing about his life. In 1812 he married Emily Daly (circa 1790-1876) and a son, Hugh Denis, was born in 1814 and appears briefly in this letter. In later life Hugh became a soldier but in 1861, and after serving in the Crimean War, was murdered in barracks by a disaffected soldier and thus pre-deceased his father. Hugh's son, another Morgan Crofton, became the Fourth Baronet.
The writer of this letter married the Reverend Arthur Knox in 1820 but neither have any informative presence on the internet. Mary can now be credited with this letter and others may well exist since it probably originated from a house clearance decades ago; the Killegar house to which it is addressed was neglected for a long period, burnt down in 1970 and only much later restored.
The Misses Earberrys were, as the letter notes, related to the Croftons and the relationship continued: the first wife of Reverend Henry William Crofton, a son of the second Baronet Crofton, was Maria (or Marcia – sources differ) Earberry and the marriage took place in 1820. The Rev Crofton, his first wife and her sister are recorded as patrons of a school at Inchanappa. This is consistent with these being identical with the “Misses Earberry” of the letter. The surname “Earberry” is difficult to research because the internet prefers to convert it to other names.
The Dalys were connected to the Gores of whom Lady Grace Gore appears in the letter and who has an online existence. Miss Richardson is, as might be expected, untraceable but is unlikely to be the Miss Richardson who makes a fleeting appearance in Emma. I have found no evidence that Emily Crofton ever separated from her husband. What strikes me most about the letter is that Mary Daly does not suggest that her family should intervene in any way to protect her sister. What could they do at a time when custody rights in a child normally belonged with the father?
Transcription
Addressed to: Mrs Godley Killegar Killeshandra Ireland
Datelined: Clifton Augst 21
Transit postmark of Dublin: 26 AU 1817
My dear Catherine don’t read this or any of my letters out till you have read them to yourself I am much obliged to you for your letter which I received this day According to your desire I am going to write a long letter but I must leave it to you to determine whether it is an agreeable one or not. We have had most sad scenes since we came here but they are so extraordinary I am sometimes tempted to think it must all be a dream I really cannot help laughing though when I reflect upon it is very melancholy when I see the doleful faces of all the servants, the parlour maids look as white as a sheet Gwendoline [the writer’s or the boy Hugh’s maid?] has her face all swelled & her eyes all red with crying she thought Mr C [Mr Crofton] was going to knock her down stairs she did not bring a card of Mrs Cootes though as she said herself as he was at the top of the stairs & she but half way up she could not possibly have given it to him when he flew at her he snached the card from her dashed it in her face and as she thought was going to knock her down the stairs she has determined not to stay & I have written to Lady Grace Gore about her as I think she will answer for her as a childrens maid. I hope she may as I shall be very glad to get a place for her. Mrs Dance [another servant in her party of whom her sister will have knowledge] is obliged to have recourse to red Lavender as she calls it I suppose Lavender drops [Red Lavender was a popular herbal remedy for headaches, dizziness, fainting, and unlike laudanum is still freely available] says she is quite ashamed to confess she is nervous she never was so before in her life but she must acknowledge she is now very nervous I think his salutation to the Misses Earberrys is as curious as anything; they are relations of his have known him all life & really are fond of him, & even now they think he will be so shocked at his conduct that he will reform entirely; when he was living at Bath he used to go to them, express his strong attachment to Emily, & even begged one of them to give him some of her handwriting as it was so like Ems it quite put him in mind of her he told them he could not bear to join in any of the gaiety at Bath, he did not think it right for a person in his circumstances to do so. In short he played his part so well that they thought he was quite devoted to Em and very religious; they came to visit Emily on her coming here and thinking to please him how much they liked her and how pretty & pleasing they thought her; this however I believe a reason for his taking an aversion to them tho’ I am sure he never liked them; as soon as they were shown into the drawing room the other day they said How do you do Morgan? to this he returned no answer but they thought he looked most horridly out of humour, but supposing he had not heard them, again asked him how he did, to which he replied, not the better for seeing you; he then said that Mrs Crofton was out & that she did not see company, but as the maid just then came in & told them Em would be glad to see them they thought they had better go into her; he followed them into her room & walked up & down the room in a great fury & soon went away, however when they were going away he called out to them from the top of the stairs before the servants, Miss Earberrys there must be an end to all intercourse between us, our acquaintance must be at an end; Miss Earberry’s I hate traitors in friendship. One of them who has been ill was nearly in Hystericks however she was the better for getting a glass of water & fearing that Mr C might follow them into his parlour & say a few more evil things to them Mama brought them in here; they wrote him a letter on the subject yesterday, & I know he wrote an answer for we heard him saying to Mary the parlour maid, let the servant wait I will send the women an answer. I believe it is from him that John [? relationship] has learnt to be so fond of talking of the women for that is his appellation for Emily even to the servants. The other day he told one of the maids to go ask that woman what she wanted for her dinner & on her not immediately understanding, he said, I mean that woman who is lying in up stairs whom you call your mistress. His enmity to the female sex extends even to his birds of which he has a large collection, he says the hens are all quarrelsome & ill tempered & therefore either to gratify his own ill temper or to get the better of them, I leave you to determine which, he frequently clips them and sometimes leaves them a whole day without a bit to eat; he scolds them greatly & calls them B----‘s & all sorts of horrids things. Hugh [the three-year old son] asked him what was the meaning of a B---- he said all she things & particularized she dogs and women. I suppose for want of other occupation he has become accoucheur to his Canary birds he was however unsuccessful in his attempts for the poor little thing died shortly after the operation of delivering it of an egg was over. We have had two or three days of wonderful quiet. I suspect there is some understanding between Mr C & Miss Richardson & that they have agreed not to be so much together, but it is reported that when we leave this they will be as much together as ever; the first day or two of the separation he was all in the doldrums & spent his day blowing his nose & taking saline drafts, but today he seems to be less cast down. Emily went out to take the air today & on Tuesday she chose the first day to stay out two hours & the consequence was she was scarcely able to stir after it & had a very bad headache. We are to leave this tomorrow fortnight we stay at Bath till the Monday following & then proceed homewards. Give dear little Johnny a kiss & ask him if he still loves his aunt Mary & let me know. My Mother desires me to say she would write only I do.
Yours affly
Mary Daly
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