1991.1016.271

Letter to Emery Walker from Thomas Fairman Ordish, dated 2nd September 1919. Found inserted in the book, Annual record by the London Topographical Society, when acquired by the museum, shelf R5 (F) . Part of the Emery Walker Library.

1919-09-02 - 1919-09-02 1919 - 1919

20th century

Letter from T. [Faitman] Ordish to Emery Walker dated 2nd September 1919. Found in ‘London Topographical Society’ LANGDALE, CECIL PARK, HERNE BAY. 2nd. September, 1919. My dear Emery Walker, Your letter of yesterday just received. The inaugural meeting of the Topographical Society of London was held at the Mansion House on October 28th. 1880. Hence the year 1880 will complete the inscription you mention. I think you are right to include the fact, because although General Baillie was before him in suggesting that such a society should be formed, Wheatley came forward as the protagonist. Wheatley’s[i] letter appeared in the Athenaeum Notes and Queries for December 13. 1879. From that time till the inaugural meeting I did a lot of donkey-work (sending out prospectuses, &c.); I was appointed Hon. Sec. at the inaugural meeting. You know what doomed the Society to failure. On the one hand Wheatley being Director had the effect of preventing the Council or the Secretary or anyone else from “getting on with it”; while on the other hand Wheatley became too full of work and engagements (especially his undertaking to do a new Edition of Murray’s Handbook) that the Society drifted helplessly. Luckily you were interested, and so far as the situation was saved, you saved it. The issue of Visscher and Hoefnagel after the Wynga[end of word indecipherable] were sufficient, as regards quality, to justify the Society’s existence. But after that for years there was nothing, and no winding up and audit. I remember going to Wheatley and imploring him to do something in this respect. He said he could do nothing, and he was not willing that I should. I had already done a lot of work to help him with London Past and Present, work for which he thanked me warmly at the time but forgot to acknowledge when the work came out. Whatever disappointment I felt about that I have forgiven and forgotten. But as you are the only survivor from the old Society besides myself, I think you should know how the matter was as it affected me. When I restarted the Society in 1896 I did so by independent action because I knew that if I consulted him nothing would be done. My aim in what I did was to get a proper wind-up and audit, especially as regards the sum of nearly £80 which remained in the Bank. The whole thing had been a worry to me for years and I was determined to get an honourable discharge in the matter. That was accomplished by starting a new Society, taking over the old one, and the publication of a statement of affairs and balance sheet, in the “Grand Report” issued with a small “Handbook” in 1896. I believe Wheatley realised that I had rescued him as well as myself and others from a compromising position, or one that could was liable to represented in that light. He did full credit to my efforts and intentions, by letter and word of mouth. Our relations were quite cordial under the London Topographical Society, and he understood my motives afterwards, although at the time (in 1896) there was a period of coolness between us. While I was about it, I have set down the circumstances, very roughly it is true, but the matter is one of interest now probably to nobody except ourselves! Kind regards, Yours sincerely, T. Fairman Ordish[ii] [Footnote: [i]This is probably a reference to Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838 – 1917). He was responsible for the three-volume London Past and Present, which was published in 1891. There is at least one work by Wheatley in Emery Walker’s library, a Monograph on Anagrams.. Like Emery Walker, Wheatley was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. [ii]Thomas Fairman Ordish (1855 – 1924, a man with passionate interest in London antiquities and social life as well as Shakespeare, early London theatres and traditional drama. CAW]