The "Hungry Forties" 35 Original Handwritten Family Letters (1840s)
A rare Victorian phonetic record of daily life, health, and hardship during the late 1840s and early 1850s
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This is a unique collection of 35 handwritten letters from the early Victorian era. They all centre around a Liverpool family in the Kirkdale area, and extend to Withnell, Chorley and where work could be found. This collection represents a rare survival: a primary record of the 19th-century working class, whose letters were rarely preserved in such quantity.
They are a fascinating glimpse of everyday life in the late 1840s (the "Hungry Forties" at the height of the European potato failure) through the vernacular correspondence of one family, as they focus on the everyday search for work, of illness and death, and asking after other members of the family.
The letters were sent to and among the Guest family, they are mostly to Priscilla Guest, the eldest daughter who was born in 1829 and died in 1863. She was the daughter of William (1803–1873) and Esther (nee Brooker, 1803–1881). Priscilla had six brothers and sisters, only two of whom made to adulthood. She married William Wilding in 1853. The majority of the letters were sent to No 1 Alcock Buildings, Morley Street, Kirkdale nr Liverpool, an earlier address is 35 Portland Street, Vauxhall Rd, Liverpool, and most are a single sheet of paper, the correspondence on one side, and in some cases the address, postmark and occasionally, the remains of a seal to the other side.
The style of handwriting is from neat to rushed, with the spelling being Victorian phonetic where the word is spelt as it sounds, offering a rare linguistic record.
Most of the letters are from William Wilding, who Priscilla married in 1853. Others are from suitors, her parents, brother, or one or two from her to William Wilding.
Some snippets (copied as they are written with a few [translations]):
27th August 1848 from William Guest to Esther, his wife "I write to inform you that we arrived in Bolton about half past nine it rained all the time we were on the carriage + we were almost wet through before we got to the Horse Shoe we stopped to get each a glass of ale... During the last week the weather has been so rough + wet as was scarcely ever known the roads have been flooded + an embankment burst at Darron which drowned 12 persons principally children in their beds.... we went to get up some potatoes they are rotting so much within the last fortnight they think they will nearly all rot in the ground... the person William spoke about is not at home but we heard he has ten loads of potatoes to get up this next week + he will need assistance to do it, there is a deal of hay out yet + they think the corn will scarcely ripen without there is very fine weather"
15th Sept 1848 from W & E Guest to Priscilla, "Dear Daughter, I write to inform you that as we are so busy amongst the corn + potatoes + your mother so busy sewing that we shall not be able to come home before Monday next".
29th October 1848, William Wilding to Priscilla, "We was very glad to hear that your father had got abit of work... we lipen [lippen / expect] of these water works bein agate in about three weakes or amonth, their is five men staken it out betwixt ear and Liverpool... so send me word wen burtonhead [Birkenhead?] docks begins".
17th October 1849, William Wilding to Priscilla, "...very glad to hear your father is in work for work is very bad hear at present their is two delfes [delphs / quarries] stopt and the other one nearly / Frank got the sak last saterday so now he as time a nuf [enough] to be marred without askin is ould [his old] masters leve. / Their was a man came from Manchester on the 28 of sept to Brinscall he died on the 29 was bered [buried] on the 30 at Withnell church. When they ad got the corps in the grav one of the men whould have the coffin opned that he cud kiss the ded corps so he went don in the grave and their ware too [two] more standing to elp im out they blipt in [slipped in] just as the parson was readen from ashes to ashes and from dust to dust" [Note: there is a Parish record of a William Harrison of Manchester, aged 46, being buried at St Paul, Withnell, on September 30, 1848].
29th November 1849, William Wilding to Priscilla, "me and Frank set of on the tramp we went through Yorkshire and Darbishire and we got work in severl places... and I did not like stopen be my self in the winter time and no one their that I knew."
21st March, 1850, William Wilding to Priscilla, "Now I am workin on a new cart rode [road] to a colpit [coalpit]. Work is very brisk with us and the cotton trade more also than ever was before."
17th August 1851, Priscilla to William Wilding, "Our Mary [sister] has been very ill since you went away, My Mother as been very ill too... Tho. Bond fell out of the Mill but was not hurt much... Dear William you must be good and save what money you can while it is in your power to do so... I must bid you good night it is past midnight and all but myself are Sleeping."
12th August 1852, Esther Guest to Priscilla, "I have been waiting to send you word of William getting into work but as only had 2 days at the Great Britain steamer [the SS Great Britain]... William Bond called on Saturday night but is not married yet you will have to come and push him on to do it for I think he is getting Long Winded".
12th December 1852, William Guest (younger brother) to Priscilla, "I was very sorry to hear that you had a bad flans [? inflammation]… I hop wen I shall meet you youll be haty (hearty) fatt and klever as full alive as ever but der is a better day kommen [coming] a day as we shall rechise [rejoice] and live and die happe [happy] to getter [together]"
1853/1854, William Wilding to Priscilla (now married), [William appears to have enlisted for the Crimean War and is on a trupes [troop's] steam ship] "My dearest wife... we had a very good passage here... we do not know wen we are goin away to nor ware to nor wen we shall return... I have tould you many a time a bout the big mountains in wales but their nothing a tole [at all] to these mountains ear. If you as one of the walch ills [Welsh hills] and one of these ills at the backside the walch ill wood look like a bug at the backside of a big cockerosh [cockroach] from a bake house".
3rd February 1853, Priscilla to William, "I have been so ill and baby has been very ill too but I am happy to say she as got well again. I have been down to the Office twice but they told me that I must get a note from you before I can get any money... George's wife told me that little Mary Gorton as got into some disgrace at Grandmothers house, I hear she is going to be married but I cannot tell who too... Richard Alcock as gone out in the "Cleopatra" screw steamer to the Crimea as cook and as sent some very queer letters home".
3rd Jan (no year), from Esther to Priscilla, transcribed in full, "Liverpool, Jan 3, Dear Child, I put of writing till today thinking you would have come home yesterday, you wished to know if Edward came he as not nor I do not want him—as for young Davis he called to enquire if you was came home and he told me last Wednessday Night about 10 o'clock he was 8 miles from Liverpool riding on the Ormskirk road when a man jumped out of the hedge got hold of the horse to rob him, he slashed the wip across his face which almost blinded the man, set spurs to his horse till he reached the inn he puts up at he looks very ill—Mrs Henderson as Buired [buried] Mary Ann the eldest on New Years Day and the others is very ill—Our Mary as had fits day and night since Thursday but is a little better now. Thy father began work this morning at 9 o'clock but things are looking very bad at present but we hope for better. I should like thee to come home, thou as been a burden long enough on thy Aunt, I do not know when I shall be out of her debt. I hope all her family are well. give my love to her and tell her she must rite to me some times. Do not forget my love to William and his father and all the rest. I have a little more to say, I long to see thee. Mary Wilkinson as called many thanks—my mother was here today and they are all well. Mrs and Mr Trelfa fights dreadfully they have orders to quit the house next Saturday; Anthony Guffe as been for the rent but I would not give it him till his father comes he was angry but I did not care, so I must conclude and remane thy affectionate Mother till Death."
Condition
The letters remain in readable condition, two have torn along the folds into two parts and one or two have corners or addresses torn off with loss of text. There is significant edgewear, and plenty of burn marks where perhaps they were read by candle (one mentions being written after midnight). A grouping of letters such as these is rare; they offer a sustained glimpse into a segment of society seldom seen in such quantity.
Further images available on request.
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Price
£300.00
