Letter to Milbourne
from Charles F.B Wood, Glamorgan, South Wales, 1848, formerly of Barnwood
Vicarage, Gloucester.
Penmark Vicarage
Cowbridge
3rd April
1848
My dear Marsh,
I will not allow my
wife’s epistle to you to be (left?) unaccompanied by a line; first to
congratulate you on the happy (count) which has marked your present visit to our
much loved Country, and to express my heartfelt wishes that your union for both
your sakes may be crowned with every blessing you anticipate. I am sure, and I
consider myself entitled to give an opinion on the subject that if we are not
very much happier for being married, it is our fault.
It would have given us
great pleasure if we could have seen you here; you would have found this a very
different country from England, much behind in conveniences and elegances and I
am sorry to say equally so in far more important concerns. It is not a pleasant
location for those of our profession, for as far as we can judge, our labour
produces very very little fruits, such as it would gratify us to see and it is
a hard matter to keep oneself from falling into a state of indifference to
those duties and pursuits which ought to be our greatest delight. So little do
our parishioners regard as in any other point of view than as they would any
other (persons?) whose residence amongst them might be a benefit in a pecuniary
way.
But we may be thankful that we do not find it necessary as the Irish
clergy do to go about armed, and that when we go to bed at night we have good
reason to expect that we shall get up in the morning with our heads on our
shoulders.
I wish I knew more of
the country to which you are about to return that I might sympathise with you
and your dear wife more fully in regard to your prospects. I believe however,
from all that I have heard that it is a region richly endowed by Providence.
And I think you are very happy in escaping the dreadful taxation with which we
are burdened here. You are particularly fortunate in having your own connexions
so much about you.
I suppose you found
Gloucester very much altered, I mean, in point of inhabitants. For my own part
I find myself almost a stranger there though I have left it so recently
compared with you, and have been several times since I came to live here.
I feel assured that I
shall never feel towards this country as towards England, but as the way for
one coming here seemed to (arise?) quite providentially we feel satisfied that
it is for the best. For our children’s sake however, we must do all we can to
keep up a connexion with our native soil.
It will give me great pleasure to
hear from you whenever you are disposed to give me a line. And with kindest
regards and every good wish for your happiness believe me dear Marsh ever yours
very truly
Charles F.B. Wood
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