This letter is one of the many that members of the Murray family wrote to John when he was serving at Sevastopol in the Crimean War. It is held at the Archives as part of the papers of the Murray family of Polmaise. John Murray was 24 when he left Scotland for Crimea as a Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards in late 1854. John saw action at the Siege of Sevastopol and his letters home give a vivid account of conditions there and the life of an officer during that conflict. His family wrote to him regularly with news and the collection includes letters from his parents and siblings.
Elizabeth, known in the family as ‘Bessie’, had recently started boarding school at ‘The Hermitage Lodge’ in Fulham near London. This was on the estate of Sir John Scott Lillie who had bought the house and lodge at North End, Fulham in the 1820s. He stopped living there in 1836 and the Lodge was subsequently converted to a boarding school for young ladies.
She gives news of the cold weather in Fulham and the reaction of her fellow boarders to the cold, describing them as ‘spoonies’. ‘Spoony’ is now regarded as an archaic term and means a silly or foolish person. Elizabeth evidently sees herself as tougher than her classmates being used to cold weather when she is in Scotland living on the Polmaise Estate near Stirling.
In her letter she describes seeing effigies of Guy Fawkes in the local streets, “Today Monday is the 5th of November and the whole streets are full of Guy Foxes we saw 4 today when we were out only think of that Have you any G Foxes out in the Crimea.”
Fox is another spelling of Fawkes and this refers to the celebrations for Bonfire Night. The thwarting of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament was celebrated right from just after the conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, were discovered in November 1605. In fact an Act of Parliament calling for an annual public thanksgiving and celebration of the ‘miraculous and gracious deliverance’ of the government from being blown up was passed on 23rd January 1606.
Traditionally, bonfires were lit and effigies of Guy Fawkes placed upon them to burn on the night of November 5th. Towards the end of the 18th century, reports exist of children asking for ‘a penny for the Guy’ and the celebration became known as ‘Guy Fawkes Night’. Elizabeth is writing on the 250th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot and evidently the occasion is being marked in the usual fashion. The Observance of 5th November Act was not repealed until 25th March 1859.
Begun on November 1st 1855
Finished Thursday 8th November – Hermitage Lodge
My dearest John
very very many thanks
for your long letter which I just
received before I closed my last
letter to you and I then had only time
to add a P.S. to thank you for it.
Well by this time I daresay you are
aware that Papa & Mama are at Polmaise
I had a letter from Ma saying they
had arrived and were busy settling
themselves at home again. I had
a letter from Minnie last night
telling me loads of news and that
I must try and give you some of
them. I suppose you know that
Capt. Ord and a detatchment of
the 42° has left Stirling Papa
saw them start I believe. So
Capt. Ord has been obliged to
go after all, although he always
said he did not wish to go again.
Are you now at Sevastopol or
at Balaklava? or where. What
a grand thing it was the taking
of Kamira (Have I spelt it right) we
read all about it in the Times
the other day which was very
interesting indeed. I wrote a
long letter to Jem the other day
which I hope he will favour
me with an answer. Today
Monday is the 5th of November
and the whole streets are
full of Guy Foxes we saw
4 today when we were out
only think of that Have you
any G Foxes out in the
Crimea. Be sure you tell
me where the 1st Dragoons
are when you next write
which I hope will be soon
I am the only girl who
receives a letter here strait
from the Crimea which
is of course by the young Ladies
thought a great deal of I suppose
you will receive this letter the
same time you get those from
Polmaise telling you all the
home news Have you any
idea when you are coming
home. Do you think you
will leave the Crimea before
your regiment does I should
think now that Sebastopol
is down you would not
much mind. Our Holidays
begin on the 22 of December
which is just late enough
is it not? I shall expect
my home letter tomorrow and
if there is any news in it I
shall tell you them though
I must say I think they will
have told you every thing that
I know for a school girl is not
expected to know much about
what is going on in the world only
that what is going on in her books.
The weather here is dreadfully cold
much colder than it ever is in Scotland
I am sure we have set fires on in
most of the public rooms now for
of course the English girls are frozen
when there is even no appearance
of frost some of them are rather
spoonies (Tuesday) I have had
a visit from Miss Lloyd today
who is as great a talker as usual
but is looking well she is to leave
the Curries in March I believe and
some time soon Capt. Currie is
to be married so that she will
favour it with her presence.
I have not had my letter from
home yet! I had a letter from
Minnie last night she tells me she
had had a letter from you but
no news All just going on as
usual. Today is poaring. A girl here has
just heard that her brother has sailed for
Malta it is Lt. Allhusen 50th If you
hear anything about him or the regiment
I wish you would mention it to your
Affect. sister
Elizth Murray
