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Mrs. G.W. Marriott updates Chase on her life and her children's wellbeing since G.W. Marriott has passed away. She is grieving his death, but takes comfort in God's grace and mercy.

Date

12-19-1833

Keywords

Lord Kenyon, G.W. Marriott, George Marriott, Fitzherbert Marriott, Devonshire, Sir Thomas Acland, the Aclands, Killerton, Exeter, Holnicote, Somersetshire, Miss Cole, Duff Macfarlane, Great Horkesley, Gredington, Mrs. Chase

Transcript

Barten Place, near Exeter

19th December 1833.

Right Reverend and dear Sir

I have long been desirous of acknowledging with my own hands the kind messages conveyed to me from you by our dear and good friend Lord Kenyon, but I have been unsettled as to a residence & my mind & time much occupied by business of various kinds necessarily devolving [on] [me] in my present Widowed State. Being now fixed, as far as we can foresee, for six months at least in our present abode I begin to feel more at home, & able to indulge the wish of resuming some communication with a friend so revered & beloved not only by myself but by my dearest Husband, & you will well understand the feeling (for you have parted with those who were most dear to you) which makes all who were dear to him doubly so to me now. Accept my best, tho’ imperfect, thanks for your friendly & Christian wishes for me & my Children, who are at once my great comfort (& blessed be God that I am enabled to say this,) & my great & anxious care. Four out of my nine Children are so young as to be at School, so that there is much to be thought of & done for them; my three girls are with me here of course & tho’ none of them [strong] are in better health than they have been. George is practising as a Barrister in London, & [Fitzt.] has taken his Degree at Oxford & is [reading] steadily preparatory to Ordination. The health of my girls appearing to require a warm climate led me to decide on making trial of Devonshire as a residence to which step I was strongly recommended by my dear & good friend Sir Thomas Acland whose kindness has been unbounded. We came into the West at the beginning of August & spent some time by the Sea & then came to Killerton where the Aclands most kindly insisted on our taking up our Quarters while we were enquiring for houses, & there we remained ten weeks & on last Tuesday [se’nnight] came to this very pretty spot in the Valley of the Exe. two miles from Exeter and five from Killerton which I rent of some friends who live in 9 months in the year till next July, by which time we shall have made fair trial of the Air & neighbourhood. The Aclands now live at Holnicote on the borders of Somersetshire only coming to Killerton occasionally, but they paid us two or three visits while we were there. They are remarkably well, & full of affectionate feeling towards you. I wonder if you remember a Miss Cole at Exeter—she was here this morning & enquired much after you, & from dear Duff I had a long letter lately expressing herself about you just as would most gratify you. My Son [Fitzt.] has been for 3 months this summer at Gt. Horkesley as the Bishop wished him to read with his Son to prepare him for his Degree. The Bishop is now in England having come over in the hope of having some operation performed on his eyes. There seems a great probability that [Fitzt.] will be Ordained to a Curacy of his at [Alphanestove] not far from Horkesley. He & indeed all my dearest George’s friends shew their attachment to him & value for his character by the greatest kindness to his sorrowing Widow & Children. May we never be ungrateful to them and above all may we not forget the Fountain from whence flow these streams of consolatory kindness. In all the trials of the last year many & manifold have been the mercies with which they have been tempered for which I desire to bless God from the bottom of my heart. Indeed no one could have more blessed consolation to turn to than I have, for my sweet Child as her dear Papa wrote of her when we had given up all hope of her being spared to us, had been dedicated to God in the most blessed Sacrament of His own appointing & being removed before [actual] Sin could have been committed we could not doubt her exchanging the [poor] pleasures & many sorrows of earth for the felicities of Paradise & Heaven, & assuredly we may entertain the like hope of him who so soon followed his sweet Child, for he lived a life of earnest endeavor to serve & glorify his God & Saviour, & died humbly penitent for all his sins & fall of faith in his Saviour & Redeemer. Sorrow therefore as I must it is not as those without hope & generally I bless God I can dwell more on his gain than my irreparable loss & very thankful I am for having had the happy privilege of being his Wife for 25 years. I read with much interest the account of your present mode of life & endeavors to spread the Gospel further & further in the Wilderness. Pray God bless your efforts. If you can find time to favor me with a letter it will be very gratefully received. Lord Kenyon always knows where I am. He & dear Marianne are at Gredington all well & happy with Lloyd and his Wife. Pray remember me in the kindest manner to Mrs Chase & your family,

& believe me dear Bp. Chase,

Your very sincere

& affectionate friend

[?]. A. Marriott

Letter to Philander Chase

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