To: Wilhelm HI Bleek (29 December 1861)

To: Wilhelm HI Bleek (29 December 1861)

Correspondence

A letter from Jemima Lloyd to Wilhelm Bleek, sent from Croydon on 29 December 1861, concluded on 14 January. She writes despite illness, reflecting on higher love, morality and her fear that her friends will see her unworthiness. In addition to a detailed discussion of religion, a prominent theme of this letter is Jemima's account of her personal history in Natal, including Lucy's sufferings and the four sisters' trials due to the actions of their father (and "poor mad stepmother"). She explains how she and her sisters took on a "man's part" in caring for their younger stepsiblings and each other after their expulsion from their father's home. She roots Lucy's deep doubts and self-reproach in her unhappy childhood and what became her broken engagement, but also describes her and Lucy's close bond. Jemima reports Dr Russell's renewed concerns about her health and her need to move to London for observation. She confides a history of insanity in her father's family, believing it explains his unnatural conduct: she feels Wilhelm should know in case "it should make you think differently about the future".

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1. Wilhelm's "October letter" (or declaration/proposal letter) is dated 31 October 1861 [see C4.7]. 2. There are photographs of the Sandersons, George Woolley and Dr Russell and family. See Photographs and Portraits on this website.