Document Request: Diary of a Leycester
Document Description: Uploaded by contributor #1 on 15/07/2021
Transcription URL: https://richardson.surnametree.com/library/vdocs/D_314#314
Document Transcription:Diary of a Leycester
Tim Richardson - July 2021
This notebook was one of several in a jiffy bag covered in stamps residing in a house on the Scottish Borders. The keeper of this heirloom is Harry Rycroft, who has inherited through several generations, none of whom bothered to add a note identifying the author.
I took photos of the first three pages, transcribed below.
1860 DIARY OF A LEYCESTER
May . 31 . 1860 .
Dieppe . Hotel Royale
This morning at soon after 7 Mama, Rafe, Amy, Eliza and I left London for Newhaven where we crossed to Dieppe. We had a very smooth passage but the rain fell in torrents a great part of the time.
Some of our fellow passengers were rather amusing: consisting of Americans & French. One of the latter, a funny little dark man, told me I was very courageous for remaining on deck in the bad weather, and agreed with me in not at all liking the [cabin]
On landing we of course had to show our passports & have our things searched, but Rafe & I got away be…
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...fore
Mama in order to secure rooms at the hotel. Then we [opened from the Douana] we were again led by a clatter of voices demanding which hotel we were going to & after some [demure] a man in a blue striped blouse accompanied us to show the way, respectfully holding an umbrella over my head. After what appeared to be rather a long walk we got to the hotel, looked at some ‘apartements’ & Mama soon arrived. After we had refreshed ourselves by a collection of fillets de boeuf [Casserole] - terrer; vin a ordinaire - café au lait [Le] Rafe & I set forth on a small voyage of discovery.
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We first went to the place where they change one’s money, then to the fine old Church of St [Jean], which stands by a large sort of paved square or perhaps a market place. A beautifully tuned bell was ringing for service and we went in. There are several very pretty painted windows in this ‘eglise’ and the whole of the effect of the building both in the interior and exterior is striking. A good many women in white caps, and children also, kept dropping in to say their prayers. A priest was lighting the candles on a very much decorated (with flowers) altar, & Service was ...
Notes on the transcript :
The author of this diary is believed to be Isabel Emily Hanmer Leycester, the great grand-daughter of William Richardson of Calcutta, the pursuit of whose portrait has caused me to investigate this and other documents.
In May 1861 Rafe Leycester, her elder brother, was 18 and Isabel was five years younger so 13, possibly 14, and the entries in the diary could fit a young lady of this age.
We then have Amy and Eliza, if not belonging to Mama (Harriet Susan Neville) then likely to be of similar age (13-18).
Eliza is identified as Elizabeth Gertrude Lyne, who Rafe (in his own diary) referred to as Girt, she was the same age as Rafe. She was the daughter of Louisa Genevieve Leycester, sister of Mama’s husband Edmund Mortimer Leycester, so Isabel’s cousin.
Amy is possibly Amy Theodosia Leycester who would have been around 15 in 1860, from the Toft Leycesters, whereas Isabel et al were the White Place Leycesters.
Rafe’s own diary has been transcribed and annotated and is part of the Richardson Collection - https://richardson.surnametree.com
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