Michael D.Heath-Caldwell M.Arch.

1879

Preface

All the following accounts and memories of our Family and its branches, are collected from Old County Histories, from family manuscripts and from vocal tradition, heard from ones relations of the generations before us.

Lousia Marsh-Caldwell

Linely Wood 1879

It is essential to the right understanding of the “social position” of the Family of which the following is an account to remember (what probably will now be soon forgotten) that the “Yeoman (Joeman?) of  Kent” stood in a totally different position from the man called Yeoman in all other parts of England. The real old “Yeoman of Kent” was a Gentleman and he bore arms” in older times the clean (clear, clan?) and indefeatable Marsh of “Gentle blood.” In most cases, as in that of the family in question, he descended from the old Saxon proprietors = As “The men of Kent.” their County were along that part of England, that submitted to the Conqueror by treaty and were never vanquished. They for generations kept their old distinguishing Saxon Marsh (marks) of land and it was only by the process of time that the Saxon landowners of “Gentle blood” or its equivalent assimilated himself to the Norman customs of the remainder of England and adopted the bearing of arms and even Normanised his name – as did this family for a time, from “Marsh or Märsh” to “De Marisco.” This family were of Jute descent.

The Family of Marsh in common with several of the other old Saxon families ‘Normanised’ their name taking for some centuries the name of “De Marisco” instead of their original name of “Märsh” or Maishe” or Marsh but reverted to the original surname about the time of King Henry 8^th.

At Linley Wood in those days lived our Grandfather and Grandmother Caldwell, of simple country habits and manners, but both of them people remarkable in their different ways, as will be seen when we come to the Caldwell part of this narrative further on. With them lived their three surviving daughters and as old Lord Churston told me, who had known them in those days, all distinguished in conversation. Our mother was the second of these daughters and though not so handsome as her two other sisters, was very tall and striking as I have heard from the friends of her youth, very clever and lively. She has told us laughingly that when the sisters had gone to their rooms the night of our fathers arrival, and as girls are want, were discussing the new guest and according to their brothers recommendation!! Who of the three sisters Mr Marsh seemed most to have noticed. They all agreed that Emma, the youngest was the one so forward! But this was not really the case and at the end of ten days my father asked the middle one of the sisters to be his wife. Our dear mother Anne.

Our father was, what is called, in face a plain man, though with much charm and distinction of manner and a beautiful lithe and active figure. Our mother has told us that from the very fear of not loving him enough, as it was difficult for any woman to do on so short an acquaintance, and also her horror lest any interested motives such as making, what is called a “good match” should have affected her would only consent to “a half kind of engagement” to “nothing positive” “they were to see how they should like each other.” This went on for about a year and a half or more, my mother partly from the above reasons and partly from the constitutional “nervousness” which was the bane of her life being unable to come to a final decision either one way of the other, at length Mr Marsh felt it better for both their happiness it say that if she felt she could not come to the decision he had hoped for ie that she would now accept him at once, the affair had better be broken off and so it was, but our dear mother then finding how truly she had really loved my father and that she could not take up life again without his companionship, her father wrote to beg Mr Marsh to renew the engagement and as the od stories say, “they were happily married.”

There are in this village near to Linley Wood, traditions still  kept up of our father in his “courting days” which we have after 1860 heard from old women of the place, who seem to have been impressed by him in 1815 to 1817 and who tell us of our father’s light and active figure and the energy of his movements, how one day walking with Mr Caldwell, his future father-in-law they came to a high farm gate through which young Mr Marsh had to to pass along, in searching his pockets old Mr Caldwell found he had forgotten the “pass key” “Oh never mind the key Mr Caldwell” said the young man, this is best kind of key” and he cleared the high barrier at a bound, evidently much to the admiration of the old woman, who saw the little scene and was a young girl at the time. They also relate on the beautiful riding horses he brought down for my mother and himself to ride upon together and of the Southern born groom, himself also evidently an object of great village admiration. How riding with my mother he threw a sovereign to some child who opened a gate making an observation of the value of “unexpected happiness.” This latter by the way was a trait of our dear father told by our mother.

We have seen some of his letters to my mother before their marriage. They all most charming, full of deep feeling, cultivation and wit. Our mother had in later years, burnt may of these letters, which we never saw, saying that she feared if we even read them “We should love him too much more than herself!” – Dearest Mother! Our parents were so different in their natures that there could be no danger of this on comparison between them. To our minds they were while still with us, and all in our memories, so different, and so much more original and un-commonplace, then 99 our of the 100 one knows and her known beside them! We all loved, almost worshipped our father but there was room for love of them both in their childrens hearts and surely no parents more truly earned the affection, the dear affection of these children and the earnest veneration we bear their  memories.

A short time after the change in our family fortunes, my father gave up his house No.7 Whitehall Place, then a fashionable part of London, and went to live at Kilburn, in 1826, a merely village suburb of the capital. Of course the Knightsbridge family town house now called “Stratheden House” belonging to my Grandfather Marsh was sold, as was also his Hampshire property, and thus no trace was left of the former prosperity of our forebears.

At the time of the break-up my father was nearly 40 years of age, and therefore too old to enter any profession. He was made a Director of the Imperial Gas Company, of which he became before his death, Vice Chairman, and in fact it was said managed the whole affairs of the company which he had brought to a high state of prosperity.

We as children, and in my own first youth can remember, that we all thought ourselves very very poor, but the term “poverty” is very comparative, and some of my now dear sisters in their married lives, and our married nephews and nieces would smile at the thought of considering themselves “very poor” on £900 per annum, which was the lowest income my parents ever had.

About 1836 Mr Wheeler, an old friend of my Grandfather Marsh’s and a devoted admirer of my father’s mother, died, and left my father a considerable sum of money, several thousand pounds, and before this time our dear mother began her career as an authoress and published her “Old Men’s Tales” which had an immense success and created quite a sensation in London. These I know were published anonymously, as my father had an intense objection to his wife being known as an authoress. Indeed he never could quite re— himself to her writing at all, especially works of fiction. “His wife’s mind was her own possession.” And he did not like others to become acquainted with it as they must be by her books!  

My mothers health however began to improve in a marvelous manner after she began writing again as she had done for her own amusement from childhood till the time of her marriage, and though her nerves were a source of much suffering and discomfort to her to the end of her life, yet all of us who can remember the times before and after she began to write again, can well recall the difference it made in her daily existence by giving, as it were, an outlet to the workings of her brain.

Her first book was published in 1834, and she continued writing every year for many years, having published 18 different books – a History of the French Reformation and various little articles in periodicals. Altogether she has told us that she made £5,000 by her writings, a sum which with her then reputation would

 John Bull.

Saturday 26 April 1879

Marriages.

April 23, at Coldharbour, Surrey, Henry Elliot Malden M.A., of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, second son of the late Henry Malden Esq., of University College, London, to Margaret Eleanor, daughter of the late W.G. Whatman of Kitlands, Dorking.

Staffordshire Sentinel

Saturday 26 July 1879

Notices
Rural Fete in Linley Wood Grounds, Near Talke.

By kind permission of the Misses Marsh-Caldwell's Rural Fete will be held in the picturesque Grounds of Linley Wood, near Talke, on Wednesday and Thursday, July 30th and 31st, 1879.

Besides the well-known beautiful views to be obtained from Linley Wood, the highly popular Old English Custom of Dancing Round the May-Pole will be carried out by the Children of the Talke Schools, under the direction ofr the Rev. James Badnall, Vicar of Endon.

There will also be a Procession of the Queen of the May, accompanied by Her Maids of Honour, which will be immediately followed by the May Dance.

The May-Pole Dance: First Day, at Three o'clock and Seven o'clock; Second Day Four o'clock and Seven o'clock.

The German Dwarf, "Herr Von Zoldagain," will be exhibited under the care of H.F. Donaldson, Esq.
On both days, in the Grounds, will be held a Bazaar for the Sale of Ornamental and Useful Articles; the Proceeds in aid of the Building Fund of St.Saviour's Church, Talke.

The Bazaar will be opened on Wednesday by Sir Smith Child Bart.

The Grounds will be open and the Bazaar comence, First Day, at Twelve o'clock, and close at 8.30; Second Day, open at Two o'clock and close at 8.30.

Admission to the Bazaar, including Grounds and May-Pole Dances; First Day, up to Four o'clock, Single TIcket, 2s 6d.; Family Ticket, to admit Five Persons, 6s; after Four o'clock 1s 6d. Second Day, up to Five o'clock, to Bazaar, &c., 1s 6d.; after Five 1s.

Children under Twelve, Half price

Tickets may be obtained from the Stall Holders, or any Members of the Bazaar Committee.