1847-1848]                                                                                       105
 

CHAPTER VIII

1847—1848

Elizabeth Darwin born—Sarah Wedgwood settles at Down-—Eliza¬
beth Wedgwood and the Langtons leave Staffordshire—Hart-
field—Fanny Allen on a round of visits—The French Eevolution
of '48—Charles Darwin at Shrewsbury—Francis Darwin born
August 16th, i848~The death of Dr Darwin.

Elizabeth Dakwin was born on July 8, 1847.

This year Sarah Wedgwood left Staffordshire and came
to Down to be near my mother, where she lived till her
death. Her house, Petleys, was quite secluded, though
it was close to the little village street.^

I have still a vivid image of my great-aunt Sarah. She
was tall, upright, and very thin, and looked as different
from the rest of the world as any old lady in Cranford. She
used to wear a scanty lilac muslin gown, several little capes,
or small shawls, and a large Leghorn bonnet. She kept
several pairs of gloves by her—loose black ones for putting
on coals and shaking hands with little boys and girls, and
others for reading books and cleaner occupations. Her life
was one of Spartan simplicity. She lived in her books, and
the administration of her charities, and her only society was
that of my mother and a few old friends and relations. She
had no gift for intercourse with her neighbours, rich or poor,
and I do not believe ever visited in the village. Neither do
I think she cared for her garden or ever went into it; and
her horse and phaeton seemed to be kept entirely for our
service, though I suppose that it took her few visitors to
and from the station—an anxious business, as Jack, her
horse, was as old-fashioned as his mistress, and could not
be allowed to hear or see a train, or he became quite un¬
manageable.    The solemn visits to our old great-aunt were

^ The trees of her garden are shown on the left of the picture, and
opposite is the gateway of the house where later on my Aunt Eliza¬
beth came to end her days.