Brentford and Chiswick Local History Journal 7 (1998)
Sarah was the eldest daughter of Professor John Lindley, the famous botanist and Secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society. The family moved to Bedford House in 1834 (part of the house still survives behind the shops of Bedford Corner) and in 1849 Sarah became engaged to Henry Crease, a friend of her brother’s. Throughout their courtship and the early years of their marriage they were often apart and Sarah wrote regularly to Henry describing her daily life, outings, visitors, shopping trips and the activities of the rest of the family. These letters and other family papers are now preserved in British Columbia, where Henry later became Attorney General.
The letters have been transcribed and indexed in 4 volumes by Robert M Hamilton, who has deposited a set in the Local Studies Room at Chiswick Library. They give a fascinating glimpse of the life of a young Chiswick woman 150 years ago.
