Scope and Content
"At last I find myself alone in possession of my flat after a long run of visitors. The last went yesterday - a short visitor from London - and now I have a week to do my Christmas correspondence and clear everything up before leaving next Monday. I shall spend the night at my club in London and meet my friend there, and we fly to Tenerife on Tuesday. We have booked to stay at Puerto de la Cruz for four weeks; then we got to Tangier and on to Marrakesh in Morocco for an indefinite period. As February is usually our worst month here (though this year at any rate one month has been as bad as another) I shall not return probably until early March. Arrangements after that are that I have promised to go to France for Easter and afterwards, and I have a very attractive invitation to go and stay in Florence later with a man I met in Naples last December; one Lionel Fielden, who recently produced a book called THE NATURAL BENT, his autobiography, which was highly recommended by the Book Society. So it does not look as if I am going to spend much time in England in the first half of next year. I must say I shall be thankful to get away from this incessant rain. We seem to have had it practically every day for as long as one can remember. Which reminds me that it was a good thing I had to cancel your visit in October. That week was one of the worst; gales, storms and all. The decoration of my sittingroom took over two weeks, what with men going down with the 'flu, and paper running short and having to be ordered from London ... however, after one delay and another, it was finally finished, and I think the result is very good. If you had come at the time earlier suggested, you would have had to sit indoors again all day. That has been more or less the fate of my visitors since the decorations.
I was extremely sorry to hear of the death of Joe Jennings. Although I had completely lost touch with him since leaving Amphtill 13 years ago, I always remembered him as a very loyal friend. He helped me in countless ways, and there was a great bond of trust and sympathy between us. 62 is a young age to die in these days, but I lost a very close friend of that age a few weeks ago, Ivor Watkins, the Bishop of Guildford. He came and visited me here about two years ago when he was preaching at Canterbury Cathedral. I wonder if you remember Laurie Brown, one of my brother curates at S.J.D.K. He preached at Ampthill during my time there. He was then at Welwyn Garden City, and eventually moved back to London to become Canon of Southwark cathedral and then Archdeacon of Lewisham. He was made Bishop of Warrington in Lancs. a few weeks ago.
One of my recent visitors was Major Kenneth Timbrell, whom I believe I have mentioned to you before. He was on Sir Anthony's staff and looked after the llamas and horses before the war. He joined the Horse Guards in 1939, then got a Commission in the Blues, came up through Africa and Italy with the 8th.Army and won the M.C. After the war he went out to the Sudan and was there for some years. He transferred to the Royal Dragoons, and is now at Muscat in Arabia defending the Sultan from rebels. My only touch with him has been the annual Christmas card for years; but he rang up recently and said he was on leave in London at the Cavalry Club (of which Andrew Wingfield is a member). He came down here for a couple of nights. He expects to be moved out to Singapore in March as C.O. of his regiment. He never came to church at Ampthill, so I don't suppose you remember him, but he used to drop in on me at the Rectory.
Yes: I did see the TV interview with Philip Bradford. They showed a view of Church Street and Sir Albert's house, which was very interesting. Incidentally, Mrs.Fantle's son Paul at Christ's Hospital, shows considerable artistic talent, and has done quite a lot of pictures. Whenever I see those pictures on TV done by children of 10 or 11, it staggers me! We couldn't do things like that when we were children.
Before I forget, the sleeve length is 20 inches from underarm to wrist. Don't worry about the garment taking so long. I have been wearing my thick blue one in this cold weather.
I expect you have read Betjeman's "Summoned By Bells" excerpts in the Sunday Times. A book I read recently THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE by Morris West quite impressed me. It got the Tait Memorial prize. It might do for one of your crossword books!
Referring back to your previous letter of Oct.16th., I was amused to see your reference to the signpost with HILLAM on it in Yorkshire, near Selby. Some years ago, my father got interested in it, and got a genealogist on the job, and we discovered all sorts of interesting things. Records of Hillams in and around HILLAM went back to the 11th.century. As the name is Danish in origin, it is likely that they settled there before the Conquest, and either gave their name, or took it from, "the home on the hill" which apparently is what Hillam means. The family eventually acquired a coat of arms, which can be seen in a 14th.century window in Selby Abbey, and also in York Minster. The family seems never to have risen to noble rank - they were just landowners - and it seems that the Battle of Towton, 1461, was fought over lands which belonged to the Hillam family. Anyhow, the Hillam coat of arms turns up again on a tomb in a church at Barwick in Elmet, near the site of the battlefield. And after 1461, there are no records of any Hillams until the 18th.century, when they turn up in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Were they wiped out at the Battle of Towton, where 30,000 men were slain in the bloodiest battle of the Wars of the Roses? And the remnant migrated to somewhere in the West Riding?
We found these researches most exciting. The present Hillam Hall is a Victorian building, and owned by a chemical manufacturer called Lyon. Miss Diana Eagles and I called there once when we visited my father and mother, who were then living at Sutton-on-the-Forest, north of York. That would be in 1938, and we turned off the Great North Road when we saw the signpost HILLAM, as Miss Di was very intrigued. It turned out that the Lyons were away, but we were allowed to wander round the garden by the gardener, and I took some snaps. Well, all this family history must be very boring to you.
I hope you have a very happy Christmas. I will send you your card from Tenerife.
Yours sincerely,"