Frettenham January 1838

Dear daughter and son in law and grandchildren. This comes with our kind love to you all. Hoping to find you all in good health as it leaves us all at this present, thanks be to God for it. I received your letter with much joy and pleasure to hear you are so comfortable in a foreign country and strange people. Excuse my not answering your letter no sooner. I thought I should have had another letter from you. Mr. Myatt called on me for your direction last spring. He was sending some people from Cromer and that neighbourhood. He said he would convey a letter to you without expense as they were sending them to Upper Canada. I sent a letter by him so I expected you would have heard from me as, he promised to send it, but I have not seen him ever since he had the letter. He is a Relieving Officer of the poor laws of England. I think for my part they are no benefit to many. We have a great many complaints now. I hope this letter will find you all as comfortable as your letter left you. We hear a great many different tales about America. We have had many different families over to Quebeck and New York last spring, but America frightens many back to England and their mothers. Now my dear children, I will give you an account of your brothers and sisters. William and his wife and child are well, thank God for it. The child runs alone now and [unknown] likely at present. Christain is married to Mr. John Read[1] of Frettenham about a year and has a daughter 4 months old. They are living in with me at present, but I expect they will leave us soon. The girls name is Elizabeth. Mary is married to a Mr. Joseph Burton[2], a shoemaker from Lyng. Mr. Evans went to live at Lyng last Michaelmas twelve months. She was married on the 31^st of October last. She has got a good husband and comfortable house and trade. He is a carrier to Norwich every Saturday. Hannah is living at Thorpe very comfortably and Susan is at home. She lived at Lady Suffield's at Horstead Hall[3]. She had the misfortune to have a child by the footman, and he has left and we know not where he is. It is a nice boy[4], about 5 months old, so we meet with some troubles as well as our neighbour. Charlotte grows quite the woman, and she is to go as nursemaid to [Mr. or] Mrs. Read. Granna is well as usual. Give our love to William and tell him his bird is dead last September. Your uncle Henry and family are well and have quite given up going to America. Christmas is living with me. I have not seen Uncle Richard since last Michaelmas 1836. I hear they are well. I do not know whether your cousin Richard is married or not. Mr. and Mrs. Ducn and family are all well, and Mr. and Mrs. Blake are well to the best of my knowledge. I have not heard of them very lately. John Broughton[5] left me last April. Your brother Charles is foreman for me. Thank God I am able to work ever since John left, so we get by without a man. Trade is very bad and many are worse. John is at work at St. Faiths at present. He had a fever sore on his hand and was obliged to go to the doctor. He is at work now. We had all the family at Christmas except you and family. We did not forget you. We drank your health and prosperity to all your family. We have no snow this winter at present. Our flour is 2 shillings and 1 per stone at this time. Before I wrote, the price of pork was 6/3 and 7 per stone We killed a pig of 16st. You are so far from England I cannot send to you a piece as if you were near to us, but I hope you will excuse that. I see by the newspaper there are disputes in different parts of America. I received your letter of the 2nd of July. I paid 1-11 and pay 2-9 when I post a letter at Norwich. I shall be very glad if you answer this letter as soon as you can, and I will answer yours by return of post if possible. Pray send me word if you receive a letter from anyone from England from me and by what way.

Dear Sister, my love to you and your husband and dear children, and I should so much like to see how much they are growing since they left England, and send us word if you are likely to have any more family. We should like to see you over in England again to see what difference a foreign country has made in you. I named my little tot after you. If you could step in to your mother's house and see two babes, you would sit with astonishment, but we shall not be here much longer for our house is near done. It is a new house at Hainford. It is a very pretty house when done, but I shall not even have the pleasure of seeing you there, I doubt. I have been to dine and to tea at Mrs. Read's at Frettenham, and they are very comfortable. I have been to Trowse Mills[6] at Mr. Thomas Read's. Mr. Read sends his love to you and your husband so no more at present from your loving sister, Christianna Read.

Feb 3. Dear daughter, excuse my neglect of writing before. We have had as severe a frost this last 3 weeks as ever I remembered, so God bless you all and I hope you will write as soon as you can.

Frettenham Feb 3, 1838

from your loving father and mother, brothers and sisters

William and Christain Remmington

Footnotes

1: Possibly a relation of Robert Read, listed as a farmer in White's 1845 Norfolk Directory
2: A John Burton is listed as a shoemaker in White's 1845 Norfolk Directory
3: Lord Suffield was the Lord of the Manor of Frettenham
4: The child was named Henry
5: John Broughton (b.1809), the Spixworth blacksmith, Edward's younger brother and William's older brother
6: Possibly Trowse Newton