january 15th 1904 BJ to robert willifer stow
churchill, oxfordshire to ashow, kenilworth, warwickshire
28 miles
the message
“I did not send a card yes as I rather hoped to have heard from you but perhaps you have not had time to write. Yet the wedding is 3 weeks on Sat not very long now. Do come if you can. I shall be disappointed if you don’t come. If I do not hear from you before Mon send a letter addressed to c/o Mrs Grey, Netherstead, Studley, BCO Warwickshire as May and I are going up to the Court to put the house straight on Tues. Not the letter asking if I will write but one of your nice letters. If the letter asking if I can write does not come before Mon wait until I get back as we return on Sat. Do come down in Feb. Yours BJ”
the sender
There are no clues to the identity of BJ.
the recipient
Robert Willifer Stow (1882-1958) was the son of Robert Stow (1848-1896) and Ann Maria Harris (1853-1930). Robert senior was a farmer.
Robert Willifer worked on the family farm in Ashow and by 1939 he was a poultry farmer in his own right. In 1919 he married Elsie Tanner, a farmer’s daughter (1889-1979).
the tree
the places
Churchill, Oxfordshire to Ashow, Warwickshire
Churchill, Oxfordshire
Ashow, Warwickshire
Campden, Gloucestershire
Studley, Warwickshire
what the card says to us
The picture showing a view of Campden, Gloucestershire which is better known today as Chipping Campden. It is about 6 miles from Churchill where the card was posted.
The card is written using mirror writing. At the time it was sent, Robert Willifer Stow was 22 years old and living and working on the family farm. The sender appears to be very anxious for Robert to attend a wedding that is presumably taking place in or around Churchill. It is not clear why they need to keep this secret by obscuring the message. If it was an attempt to kindle a romance, it was not totally successful as Robert married someone else, Elsie Tanner, 15 years later.
The card refers to Mrs Grey who was living at Netherstead, another property that was relatively close by. It also mentions May who could be the person getting married although there is no evidence one way or the other.