Reference
OR2225/1
Title
Letter from S. Orlebar of The Toft to R. Orlebar (son).
full of faults – thinks how wrong to interfere in Richard’s affairs – her, nervous and irritable temperament.
‘vain idea that my longer experience in life may be of use’.
Date free text
1877
Production date
From: 1877 To: 1877
Scope and Content
two ways in which shows needless to give her opinions.
(a) always dreaded idea of boys being brought up abroad; then Richard wrote to say on further consideration decided to send Rouse to Eton.
(b) settled Beauchamp should go to Repton – not school she would have chosen.
then Richard’s sudden decision to remove him to go to Radley.
delighted Beauchamp is at Radley ‘it is of the first importance to have gentlemanly companions, ‘I mean . . . . . carefully brought up boys’.
Bill Currie keen on bird nests but tought never to take them.
Poor dear father taught the boys not to shoot robins for sport.
‘Charley Stileman is allowed to do all these things (they scarcely know a nicer little boy’).
[NB Charles Stileman later Bishop of Persia!]
Short time at Repton perhaps good for Beauchamp but longer could have been ‘very undesirable’ advises abandon idea of Eton scholarship, suggest keep Beauchamp on at Radley
almost all the milk in this parish is sent up to London like M. De Belle Isle’s butter sent to Paris – going to keep rents steady
[28 May [1877 in pencil].
Pencil comments ‘Poor Old Lady’. This reads so affectionately and humbly but she never yet acknowledged a fault when put before her, at any rate by Richard - “miserable sinner” so willingly in the abstract’.
Level of description
item