Letters at CRO

Here we are - a researcher's dream come true - arriving at the Cumbria Record Office which is located within the castle walls. And then... you can't see Bernice's hands shaking, as she undoes the first package.

The first item is a hand drawn map of the Swan River Colony by John Molloy. It is such a treasure. We hope one day it will be sent back here. It would surely be put under glass - and there we were holding it! We realised that the extraordinary amount important archive in the UK, meant that it would not rate as highly as it does here in Western Australian

Bernice would not mind me telling you she was gasping and near hysterical for much of the time as she came across new items. I clicked away for two days straight and bought back the loot which we are now working on. Our hero back here in Western Australia is Patrick Richardson-Bunbury, a direct descent of Georgina, who is transcribing the extremely difficult letters, many of which are cross-written (to save paper and postage).

More on Patrick's progress soon.

Jennifer

Crosby Lodge near Carlisle

A last minute dash to Crosby Lodge, the childhood home of Georgiana, was made possible by the generous reception by the owner of this beautiful private hotel, Mrs Patricia Sedgewick.Mrs Sedgewick has a deep interest in the life of the original owners and particularly Georgiana. This house was built for her parents by Elizabeth Kennedy's father, whose estate mansion was adjacent. I think perhaps Crosby Lodge has a feminine aesthetic with delightful proportions. The Sedgewick have invested in and restored it in an admirable manner. Just imagine staying there and look out of the very windows and see the view that Georgiana experienced. Another dream of which I aspire!

Jennifer

Research in Scotland

The beautiful Knockderry Hotel. Ask for the front room if you are lucky enough to get there! I had no idea when we booked what type of establishment this was and asked if it had a view! It is sensational.

We took so many photo's I would have to work full time just to upload them and so look forward to when we get the interactive new media project up and going. This stone and the shells are so intrinsically beautiful, as is the whole environment. No wonder Georgiana loved the coastline at Augusta in Western Australia, which has distinct similarities with the river, ocean and inlet in a wilderness.

We were given a wonderful reception from author Richard Reeve, at Kilgreggan, who has written a tome on the local history, "A Victorian Burgh", ISBN 0954709233. He has us eagerly listening until late in the first evening. "

Archivist, Mike Davis, was extremely helpful in locating many of the locations and texts.

Jennifer

For Helen Story

This is the original church at Rosneath where Georgiana attended while staying with the Story family. We thought that she may have been married there but further investigations reveal otherwise.

The new manse at Rosneath. Finally we discovered that the original house was in such a bad state that Robert Story used the material to incorporate into this new building and there are no remains of the old house where Georgiana stayed with her friends.

This is the new church at Rosneath undertaken by Robert Story after Georgiana had departed to Australia.

Bernice had this goal for a long time - to visit the gravesite of Helen Story who was Georgiana's dearest friend. It seemed fitting that as we had come from the resting place of Georgiana in Busselton, Western Australia to Rosneath, the place she loved. The first afternoon at Rosneath was spent searching the beautiful cemetery in the fine drizzle with our local host, Alastair McIntyre. The graves are in the grounds of the original church which is crumbling. After many hours we made a late dash to the Helensborough Library and with the help of Mike Davis, who showed us some old records, we plotted our search for the next day.

No wonder we could not find it! It took a determined effort to pull the brambles back from the Story family monument. It was an unashamed tearful time, as we two friends, gave our little speech in recognition of their friendship and set the flowers on the side of the inscription to Helen.

I can't quite make out the writing, perhaps Bernice recorded it?

It says something about sister and calm in the storm...

Jennifer