"Dear Minnie..."

Emma Savage's Letters to Araminta Brown

Addressed to Miss Minnie Brown, c/o Mr. Longsdon, Thorn Croft, Keighley.

February 23rd 1902

Dear Minnie ,

I have been away to Bournemouth for a fortnight. I have been poorly a thorough cold which I cannot shake off.

We came down a week ago Master spoke very strongly to Gersham about assisting his Father. Gersham said he intended to send 5/- that week so Mr. S. said I am going down I will take it he did he went and saw your Father and gave him 7 shillings he added 2/- to it. He has made up his mind to leave Glemsford and come to Yorkshire I hope it will turn out for the best.

Will Savage went one Sunday to the Sunday League Concert there were good seats 3d and 6d but Gersham was in the best seat 1/- he ought to think a little now.

We have had very bad weather here a week ago the 16th it froze the flowers in the greenhouse it was very severe there is a good deal of sickness about. Mr & Mrs Bixby at Melford both ill in bed.

Mr Prentice has broke owes over £2,000 business is very [quiet] hoping you are keeping well

with best love your affectionate friend E.S.

Another letter with lots of detail hidden within it.

• The "borrowed" envelope had a black border! Must have caused a bit of a shock when it arrived.
• Bournemouth seems to have been a popular place for Emma in 1902. The May 1902 letter talks more about it.
• The "advice" that Mr Savage was giving Gersham seems to highlight not a little friction, and possibly some problems, within the Brown family.
  We suspect George Savage's action in "offering" to take the money to Glemsford was a classic example of bluff being called.
  And yet again we find the Savages adding some of their own money to the income of the Browns.
• This is the only reference to George Brown moving out of Glemsford, to travel north (to be near Minnie?). We don't think it happened.
• Will Savage, George and Emma's nephew, manager of the Shakespeare Hotel, 88-90 York Road in Waterloo.
• Clearly, Emma is getting more and more frustrated by Gersham's feckless and extravagant behaviour.
• Charles and Emily Bixby ran a baker's business on Westgate Street, Long Melford
• In the 1901 Census for Cavendish, there are two Prentice families:
  William Prentice, aged 60, a butcher, on the High Street, next door to the "White Horse" (next door to the "Bull"),
  and
  further up the High Street, near the "George", Thomas Prentice, aged 37, a "Cattle Dealer".
  Both men had families of their own.
  The 1881 Census makes clear that they were father and son.
  It is not clear, at this stage, which of them had gone broke, although my money would be on the son.
• And of course more references to bad weather and illness.

Read about what we know about the
Brown Family History and what we know about
their "future" in the 20th Century