L1.38 from JC Bleek to F Anne, LC Lloyd (23 June 1869)

L1.38 from JC Bleek to F Anne, LC Lloyd (23 June 1869)

Correspondence

A letter from Jemima Bleek to her "brothers" Lucy and Fanny Lloyd, dated Wednesday 23 June 1869 and sent from London. Jemima responds to her sisters' letters - they are fatigued having moved from Natal to the Cape. Jemima then writes a "resume" detailing hers and Wilhelm's daily London activities. Wilhelm has been visiting influential people with letters of introduction. She describes the many people who have called and who they called upon. She also consulted Dr Weber for her neuralgia. She reports that her uncles Marmaduke and Henry got on well with Wilhelm when they met and that Uncle Marmaduke will use his connections to help Wilhelm in his work. She apologises for the "shabby" letter but blames her busyness and lack of strength.

23 June 1869

aunt, Aunt Cary, Aunt Lizzie, brothers, Cape, Canon Henry Jeffreys, Caroline Dundas, doctor, Dr Weber, doctor's advice, Edith Bleek, England, English family, exhaustion, Fanny Lloyd, fatigue, family, family connections, Frances Lloyd, Henry Jeffreys, ill health, influential people, introductions, Julia Byron, June 1869, letter, Lizzie Forbes, London, love, Lucy Anne Jeffreys, Lucy Lloyd, maid, Marmaduke Jeffreys, maternal family, medicine, mother, move, Mrs Fisher, Natal, Natal family, neuralgia, outings, Oxford, Papa, paternal relations, pregnancy, present, promote work, recovery, relations, removal, return to Cape, sale, sisters, tiredness, tonic, Uncle Henry, Uncle Marmaduke, uncles, visits, weather, Wilhelm Bleek, work

1. See footnote #7 on p. 9 of the catalogue: "From this reference to Fanny and Lucy's "removal" coupled with Bleek's comments to Lucy Lloyd in his letters to her of June 23rd and July 21st, we can deduce that Lucy had sold their home, Avondbloem near Congella, Durban, Port Natal and they had made a permanent move to join the Bleeks in Cape Town." 2. Mrs Fisher accompanied Jemima from the Cape to England on the steamer in April 1861 and received letters for her in London while she travelled. We have a photograph of her. [See Photographs and Portraits on this website.] 3. Wilhelm was initially viewed with suspicion by Marmaduke Jeffreys (who held Jemima's Power of Attorney before her marriage) during negotiations over Jemima's wedding settlement. [See Wilhelm Bleek's letters to Uncle Marmaduke]. 4. The letter description is taken from the Bleek-Lloyd Scott Family Archive Catalog 2007. [See Resources on this website]