THE LETTERS OF THE FIRST DUKE OF WELLINGTON TO MRS.JONES OF PANTGLAS - Preface

Sep 28, 2026

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Letters written by the first Duke of Wellington to Mrs. Jones of Pantglas during the last two years of his life (1851–1852) are presented through a selected correspondence. The preface explains that Mrs. Jones’s daughter, Marie Eleanor Davies-Evans (“Lilla” of the letters), assembled the collection in 1889. It highlights Mrs. Jones as a younger, gifted hostess and correspondent, and shows Wellington’s wit, practical common sense, and deep fondness for children amid his increasing deafness, including references to family life, health, and social engagements.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time1 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Letters from 1851-1852

Selection by Marie Eleanor Davies-Evans

16x26x8 女女 6x10=60 MY DEAR MRS.JONES The Letters of the firstDukeof Wellington to Mrs.Jones * These letters,written in the lasttwo years of his life,reveal anunexpected side to the characterof the Iron Duke. Mrs.Jones of Pantglas,ayoung Society woman and themother of three small children,was nearly sixty years the Duke'sjunior.She was a gifted conver-sationalist and letter writer,andhersteady flow of letters broughtthe Duke the news of the day ata time when his increasing deaf-ness made him more and morereluctant to go out in society. Wellington's letters to hergive a delightful picture of theold hero at the age of 8o and ofhis interest in children:in hisown grandchildren,in his god-son Prince Arthur,and particu-larly in Mrs.Jones's children,Louisa,Albert and Lilla. 4s.6d. 2 Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2022 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation # MT DEAR MRS.JONES The Letters of the first Duke of Wellingtonto Mrs.Jones of Pantglas # My Dear Mrs.Jones THE LETTERS OF THE FIRST DUKE OF WELLINGTONTO MRS.JONES OF PANTGLAS 1954 Hliniature Books THE RODALE PRESS PUBLISHED IN 1954 BY THE RODALE PRESS EMMAUS,PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW BOND STREET,LONDON,ENGLAND MANUFACTURED IN ENGLAND # PREFACE The letters that follow were written by the first Dukeof Wellington to Mrs.Jones of Pantglas during thelast two years of his life:1851 and 1852.The corres-pondence came into the possession of Mrs.Jones'sdaughter,Marie Eleanor Davies-Evans—the 'Lilla'of the letters—who made the present selection in 1889. Margaret Charlotte Jones,a gifted conversation-alist,a well-known hostess and something of a beauty,was nearly sixtyyears younger than Wellington but hetook great pleasure in her letters which brought himthe news of the day at a time when his deafness madeit increasingly tiresome for him to go into society. His letters to her give a fascinating picture of theold hero in the final years of his life.His formidablecommon sense is undimmed by age—how crisply theletter of 5th August 1851 deals with the problems ofsitting for a portrait.The loss of the packet Amaconby fire in the Bay of Biscay involves both his sym-pathy and the close attention of that remarkable mindthen in its eighty-third year,'to discover some modeof avoiding,or at least of mitigating the evils of suchmisfortunes in the future'. He is as active in body as in mind.On 27th Feb-ruary 1852 he writes from Strathfieldsaye 'I under-stand we are to have the Hounds here,which maydetain me for some hours,as I conclude the peoplewill not be satisfied if I should not take a gallop withthem.' Above all the letters reveal the Duke's greatfondness for children:his own grandchildren,his god-son Prince Arthur,and in particular Mrs.Jones'sthree children,Lilla,Louise and Albert.In theirmother's absence the three children contract measles,and the supervision by the Commander-in-Chief(forhe held this post until he died)of the progress of theirmalady must have remained vividly alive in thememory of Madame Simon,their governess. The Duke died on 14th September 1852 at theage of 83;and in 1870 Mrs.Jones,her husband hav-ing died some years before,married Sir RichardLevinge,an Irish baronet.

FAQs

When were the letters to Mrs. Jones written?

The preface states they were written during the last two years of Wellington’s life, specifically in 1851 and 1852.

Who selected the letters for publication, and when?

Mrs. Jones’s daughter, Marie Eleanor Davies-Evans (the “Lilla” of the letters), made the selection in 1889.

How did Wellington’s increasing deafness affect his life and correspondence?

His deafness made it increasingly tiresome for him to go into society, so Mrs. Jones’s letters brought him the news of the day when he was more reluctant to attend social life.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Connor