These letters graciously have been shared with the Victorian Web by Eunice and Ron Shanahan; they have been taken from their website. The letters give an insight into the daily lives and concerns of 'ordinary' people without whom history would not exist. The letters are a wonderful example of how much history may be gleaned from such sources.
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