Eunice and Ron Shanahan have shared with readers of the Victorian Web this material from their website, Letters from the Past. Click on thumbnails for larger images.
Queen Victoria's London.
Most of the letters in our collection come from business houses, but of course many private letters were sent. Much of this type of correspondence has naturally been destroyed — after all, how many people keep personal letters ?
We were fortunate to acquire this one, written by John Bing to his sister, Ellen. It is dated inside, August 20th, 1838, and addressed to Mr Joseph Allington, Yoxall, Litchfield, and marked 'Post Paid'.
When the letter was written, Queen Victoria was 19 years old, unmarried and had reigned for just over a year. The long chatty, and somewhat messily written letter, shows what ordinary Londoners felt about their Queen.
Living social history &mdashl as and when it happened. Transcription of the letter.
Last modified 13 December 2002