RECORD: Emma Darwin's diary for: 1853. CUL-DAR242[.17]. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua, corrections by John van Wyhe 3.2019. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with the permission of Richard Darwin Keynes. See the introduction to Emma Darwin's diaries here. All of the diaries are also available in a single file here, which has the latest corrections.
Introduction by Christine Chua:
This diary is incomplete and only begins in April 1853. The year seemed to be a pleasant one for the Darwins. The family spent a longish holiday in Eastbourne, visited Beechy Head and enjoyed the seaside. The children did fall ill probably due to the rain, cold and stormy weather they encountered while holidaying. Mrs Darwin herself suffered thumb ache which she attributed to her knitting.
[page break]
April 1853
[1 January –13 April 1853 not microfilmed]
1853
Thursday, 14 April 1853
Friday, 15 April 1853
Saturday, 16 April 1853
April 1853
[17 April – 23 April 1853 not microfilmed]
Friday, 22 April 1853
X
Sunday, 24 April 1853
Monday, 25 April 1853
Heavy snow & very cold
Tuesday, 26 April 1853
Wednesday, 27 April 1853
In hand 9.18
Thursday, 28 April 1853
went to London
Etty & G. Quartett Concert
Friday, 29 April 1853
headache
Saturday, 30 April 1853
came to Hermitage with Susan & Mary P.
May 1853
Sunday, 1 May 1853
Monday, 2 May 1853
Tuesday, 3 May 1853
came home
Miss Bents came [line crossed out]
Wednesday, 4 May 1853
Miss Bents came
Thursday, 5 May 1853
Friday, 6 May 1853
Bents went.
Saturday, 7 May 1853
May 1853
Sunday, 8 May 1853
Monday, 9 May 1853
Tuesday, 10 May 1853
G Tollet came
Wednesday, 11 May 1853
Thursday, 12 May 1853
Friday, 13 May 1853
went
Saturday, 14 May 1853
May 1853
[15 May – 21 May 1853 not microfilmed]
Sunday, 22 May 1853
Monday, 23 May 1853
Tuesday, 24 May 1853
Wednesday, 25 May 1853
Thursday, 26 May 1853
Friday, 27 May 1853
Eliz & Charlotte came
Saturday, 28 May 1853
dined at the Normans
May – June 1853
Sunday, 29 May 1853
Monday, 30 May 1853
went to the Hoares
Tuesday, 31 May 1853
Wednesday, 1 June 1853
Thursday, 2 June 1853
Friday, 3 June 1853
Saturday, 4 June 1853
June 1853
Sunday, 5 June 1853
Monday, 6 June 1853
In hand 16 – 19
came to Hartfield
Tuesday, 7 June 1853
Wednesday, 8 June 1853
Thursday, 9 June 1853
Friday, 10 June 1853
came home
beautiful weather
Saturday, 11 June 1853
June 1853
Sunday, 12 June 1853
Monday, 13 June 1853
Tuesday, 14 June 1853
Wednesday, 15 June 1853
Thursday, 16 June 1853
X
Friday, 17 June 1853
up in London saw Dr H. for G & Sir B.B. for me
Saturday, 18 June 1853
June 1853
Sunday, 19 June 1853
Monday, 20 June 1853
Tuesday, 21 June 1853
W. holidays
Wednesday, 22 June 1853
Mr Sowerby
Thursday, 23 June 1853
Friday, 24 June 1853
Saturday, 25 June 1853
June 1853
Sunday, 26 June 1853
Monday, 27 June 1853
Tuesday, 28 June 1853
Trosachs Hotel Perthshire
Wednesday, 29 June 1853
June – July 1853
Thursday, 30 June 1853
Friday, 1 July 1853
Saturday, 2 July 1853
July 1853
Sunday, 3 July 1853
Monday, 4 July 1853
Folks from Cumberland Terrace
Tuesday, 5 July 1853
Wednesday, 6 July 1853
P. O Dunkeld Perth
Thursday, 7 July 1853
Friday, 8 July 1853
Saturday, 9 July 1853
July 1853
Sunday, 10 July 1853
Monday, 11 July 1853
Went to London to Sir H H.
all the elders of the party
Tuesday, 12 July 1853
Wednesday, 13 July 1853
Mrs Hardstone 8/
Thursday, 14 July 1853
came to Eastbourne
wind & storm
X
Friday, 15 July 1853
rain & wind
walked out
crab
Saturday, 16 July 1853
horrid cold wind
July 1853
Sunday, 17 July 1853
fine & bright
went along the shore
Monday, 18 July 1853
rain
walked out towards Eastbourne
Tuesday, 19 July 1853
drove out to Beechy Head
Wednesday, 20 July 1853
drove to the foot of Beechy & walked along sands
Thursday, 21 July 1853
drove to Martello Tower. Cirens
Miss Th came.
Friday, 22 July 1853
rainy
thumb better bad for nearly a week.
Saturday, 23 July 1853
better
Langtons came
July 1853
Sunday, 24 July 1853
ache again
fine
Monday, 25 July 1853
well
all little ones poorly
baby very feverish
walked towards Beechy Head
Tuesday, 26 July 1853
well
violent wind
walked to Eastbourne
Wednesday, 27 July 1853
well
drove to Beechy Head & East Deane with E V C
Thursday, 28 July 1853
well
went to Pevensey
Friday, 29 July 1853
well
went to Brighton & Lewes
Saturday, 30 July 1853
knitting made it bad
July - August 1853
Sunday, 31 July 1853
ache
walked
Church in evg
Monday, 1 August 1853
well
drove to Birling Gap East Deane & Jevington
Tuesday, 2 August 1853
went to Hastings
well
Wednesday, 3 August 1853
fine day
well
Thursday, 4 August 1853
came home
well
fine
Friday, 5 August 1853
went to cricket
went bad
fine
Saturday, 6 August 1853
bad
fine
August 1853
Sunday, 7 August 1853
fine
sacrament
well
Monday, 8 August 1853
well
Tuesday, 9 August 1853
well
Wednesday, 10 August 1853
well played
beautiful weather
Thursday, 11 August 1853
X
Friday, 12 August 1853
Saturday, 13 August 1853
went to Hermitage
August 1853
Sunday, 14 August 1853
Monday, 15 August 1853
Camp
fine
Tuesday, 16 August 1853
Camp
rainy
Wednesday, 17 August 1853
came home
W. went to school
Thursday, 18 August 1853
Friday, 19 August 1853
Saturday, 20 August 1853
August 1853
Sunday, 21 August 1853
Monday, 22 August 1853
Tuesday, 23 August 1853
Wednesday, 24 August 1853
Thursday, 25 August 1853
Friday, 26 August 1853
violent rain & storm
Saturday, 27 August 1853
wind not much rain
August 1853
Sunday, 28 August 1853
Monday, 29 August 1853
fine
Tuesday, 30 August 1853
fine
Wednesday, 31 August 1853
September 1853
Thursday, 1 September 1853
Friday, 2 September 1853
furious rain
Tim came
Saturday, 3 September 1853
slight shower
September 1853
Sunday, 4 September 1853
fine
Monday, 5 September 1853
fine
showers
Tuesday, 6 September 1853
Wednesday, 7 September 1853
Thursday, 8 September 1853
Friday, 9 September 1853
Saturday, 10 September 1853
September 1853
[11 September – 17 September 1853 not microfilmed]
Sunday, 18 September 1853
Monday, 19 September 1853
X
Tuesday, 20 September 1853
Wednesday, 21 September 1853
Thursday, 22 September 1853
Friday, 23 September 1853
Saturday, 24 September 1853
Thumb bad
September - October 1853
Sunday, 25 September 1853
Monday, 26 September 1853
Tuesday, 27 September 1853
Thumb bad
Wednesday, 28 September 1853
Thursday, 29 September 1853
Friday, 30 September 1853
Whites came
Frank came
Saturday, 1 October 1853
Rowlands & young Mr Cresy
October 1853
Sunday, 2 October 1853
Monday, 3 October 1853
Tuesday, 4 October 1853
Whites went Harry came
Wednesday, 5 October 1853
Har
Thursday, 6 October 1853
Went to Q. A
Mr Robinson
Friday, 7 October 1853
Toys 4/.
Lewis. 1 – 13 – 6
bonnet 1 – 15 – 0
Matha 2 – 6
Cab 1 – 0
Do 1 – 0
Shoolbred 1 13
chintz 1 – 16 - b
Saturday, 8 October 1853
November 1853
[9 October – 12 November 1853 not microfilmed]
Sunday, 13 November 1853
Monday, 14 November 1853
Tuesday, 15 November 1853
Cath came
Wednesday, 16 November 1853
Thursday, 17 November 1853
Friday, 18 November 1853
Saturday, 19 November 1853
November 1853
Sunday, 20 November 1853
Monday, 21 November 1853
F. F & Amy came
Tuesday, 22 November 1853
Wednesday, 23 November 1853
Cath went
Thursday, 24 November 1853
Friday, 25 November 1853
Saturday, 26 November 1853
November 1853
Sunday, 27 November 1853
Monday, 28 November 1853
F. F & Amy went
C. went to London
Tuesday, 29 November 1853
Wednesday, 30 November 1853
December 1853
Thursday, 1 December 1853
Friday, 2 December 1853
Saturday, 3 December 1853
[4 December to 31 December 1853 not microfilmed]
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 30 July, 2023