100 Years of Cox

Frances reads five letters, written by Bernard, Cuthbert, Arthur, Wilfred and Vera in February and March 1910.There is a great deal of polite arguing about whether the siblings should discuss (argue about) politics in the Budget.Bernard has appendicitis and is at the Brooklyn Nursing Home.Avice and Cecil are engaged.Cuthbert has been to a lecture and is fascinated with Shackleton and Scott, the Antarctic explorers.Arthur describes a Boy Scout visit by Robert Baden Powell.Wilfred is home from Canada unexpectedly, and no one recognises him.Vera has also been in the Nursing Home but recovers enough to play international hockey at Richmond.0:00 Intro3:04 Bernard's letter, 20th February 191018:53 Cuthbert's letter, 27th February29:41 Arthur's letter, 6th March39:45 Wilfred's letter, 10th March48:03 Vera's letter, 17th MarchYou can contact Frances by email - machellcoxletters@gmail.com or Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.

This episode is all about the funeral procession of Edward VII in May 1910, as winessed by the Machell Cox siblings, through handwritten family letters, read by Frances.Vera again demonstrates how she is a great letter writer, and Bernard's annotations, after WW1, were unexpected.Does anyone know any more about the King's little dog Caesar? How much of the procession did he walk in? Frances would love to know.If you have enjoyed this podcast, would you write Frances a review or give her a rating? Many thanks. 0:00 Intro7:35 Kings and Queens 11:50 Vera's letter, 21st May 191026:02 Notes on Vera's letter37:10 Other sibling accountsYou can contact Frances by email - machellcoxletters@gmail.com or Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.

Frances has been in the northern hemisphere for a few months, visiting family and undertaking a great deal of Machell Cox research.Coming up in the podcast will be more stories from 1910, more hockey and Vera and Great Comp and more crossed letters, as Frances continues to unpick the story of these ten interesting siblings, born from 1868 to 1884.In May 2022 Frances gave a talk at The Hockey Museum, in Woking, about Vera, hockey and budget letters.If you visit Youtube and The Hockey Museum you will be able to watch. You can contact Frances by email - machellcoxletters@gmail.com or Twitter - @CoxLetters

This episode is all about hockey. Frances reads poems written about Vera and hockey in 1908, as well as letters written by Vera, describing hockey tournaments at Weston-Super-Mare in 1911 and at Great Comp, home of the Heron Maxwells, in 1912. Vera is a great letter writer, and her vivid descriptions makes it very easy to imagine the events  that occurred.You can contact Frances by email - machellcoxletters@gmail.com or Twitter - @CoxLetters0:00 Intro 3:10 Vera, hockey and poems 6:34 Weston Hockey Tournament - January 1911 17:37 Great Comp Hockey Tournament - November 1912  26:26 The Joys of Hockey - 1909

Frances reads a second letter, written by Matilda Machell a week later, on Thursday 27th April, 1826, from 22 Gloucester Place in London. Ten letters of Matilda's have survived, all were written in the 1820s to her favourite brother, Christopher, back home in Beverley, Yorkshire.Minnie (Matilda's daughter) kept these letters; after her death they were transcribed by her husband (Dr Cox) in 1912, for the ten siblings to read - Matilda was their grandmother.Matilda describes carriage rides in Hyde Park, more balls and parties, visiting Boston Manor House in Brentford, home of the Clitherows, as well as all the people she meets, and what she thinks of them.Other episodes of 100 Years of Cox  featuring Matilda Machell - S1E6: Matilda and MinnieS2E6: Send horses to HullS2E7: Ann, Matilda and vile Colonel DonningtonS3E15: Matilda, the Belle of East RidingPlease email Frances if you can shed any further light on any of the content of the letters - machellcoxletters@gmail.com - Frances also posts on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.If you have enjoyed this podcast, would you please write a review or give a rating? Many thanks. All content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 0:00Matilda's letter, Thursday April 27th 1826: 3:14Notes on Matilda's letter: 19:17More notes on Matilda's letter: 29:23

Frances reads a letter written by Matilda Machell on Tuesday 18th April, 1826 from 22 Gloucester Place in London. Ten letters of Matilda's have survived, all were written to her favourite brother, Christopher, back home in Beverley, Yorkshire.Minnie (Matilda's daughter) kept these letters; after her death they were transcribed by her husband (Dr Cox) in 1912, for the ten siblings to read - Matilda was their grandmother. Matilda describes her piano teacher,  the piano virtuoso and composer Ignaz Moscheles, as well as visits to the opera, and very many parties and Balls, during the London season.Other episodes of 100 Years of Cox  featuring Matilda Machell - S1E6 (Matilda and Minnie), S2E6 (Send horses to Hull), S2E7 (Ann, Matilda and vile Colonel Donnington)It goes without saying - Matilda and her brother Christopher would be staggered that you are listening to their letters, almost 200 years after they were written. Enjoy.Do email Frances if you can shed any further light on any of the content of the letters - machellcoxletters@gmail.com - Frances also posts on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.If you have enjoyed this podcast, would you please write a review or give a rating? Many thanks. All content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 0:00Matilda's letter, Tuesday April 18th 1826: 5:58Notes on Matilda's letter: 13:31

Frances reads four letters, written by Neville, Edmund, Avice and Enid in January and February of 1910.Neville has had a fabulous holiday in England, and writes his last budget letter before sailing to Canada, including plenty about the politics of the day.Edmund is angry with his siblings about politics being included in the Budget and doesn't write a letter, then feels regret and writes a short one.Avice writes a long, chatty letter from Portal in Tarporley; she enjoys the political discussions.Enid is not pleased about politics in the budget, and also writes about the sectarian riots in Liverpool. If you have enjoyed this podcast, would you write me a review or give me a rating? Many thanks. Machell Cox Budget Letters is on twitter -  @CoxLetters, or do email me if you have found this podcast interesting - machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 0:00Neville's letter, Jan 31st: 3:00Notes on Neville's letter: 16:16Edmund's letter, Feb 3rd, and notes: 21;24Avice's letter, Feb 7th: 24:22Notes on Avice's letter: 33:22Enid's letter, Feb 14th: 39:00Notes on Enid's letter: 49:20

Frances reads three letters, written by Cuthbert, Arthur and Vera in January 1910.Arthur has been setting booby traps around the house.Vera has thoughtfully provided three county hockey matches to entertain her siblings; they also go to watch the football and the rugby.The siblings decide to have a fancy dress party at home, to celebrate Vera's 26th birthday.They all go to the Duke of York's theatre to watch the play - Peter Pan, or The Boy who Wouldn't Grow Up,Cuthbert alleges that both Winston Churchill and Herbert Asquith were alcoholics.And the siblings write predictions, thinking it wil be interesting to re-read their letters in a year, to see what they wrote.Machell Cox Budget Letters is on twitter -  @CoxLetters, or do email me if you have found this podcast interesting - machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.www.buymeacoffee.com/BudgetLettersIntro: 0:00Cuthbert's letter, 3rd January 1910: 1:59Notes on Cuthbert's letter: 13:20Arthur's letter, 7th January: 26:38Notes on Arthur's letter:34:58Vera's letter, 14th January: 42:16Notes on Vera's letter: 47:26

Frances gives an update on where the siblings are in 1921, details confirmed by the 1921 Census. Seven siblings have been located on the census, an eighth, Aldwyn, is in London but has not yet been found. (Neville and Wilfred were abroad.)Frances reads the final items from the 1909 Christmas Budget:A Country Ramble, by a Perambulating Pedagogue - written by Cuthbert, based on Dr Cox's new book, Rambles in SurreyMeals I Have Eaten by One Who has Suffered - a firsthand account describing terrible food and cooking in British Columbia - written by WilfredA penny for your thoughts - a poem describing the ten siblings, written by BernardPoker Patience - a competition devised by NevilleA double acrostic - written by CuthbertMachell Cox Budget Letters is on twitter -  @CoxLetters, or do email me if you have found this podcast interesting - machellcoxletters@gmail.comPlease email me if you can find the Hospital for Tropical Diseases on the 1921 census!All content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.www.buymeacoffee.com/BudgetLettersIntro: 0:00A Country Ramble by a Perambulating Pedagogue- by Cuthbert: 06:38Notes on Cuthbert's Country Ramble: 11:40Meals I Have Eaten by One Who Has Suffered - by Wilfred: 16:23Notes on Meals I Have Eaten: 27:10A penny for your thoughts - by Bernard: 34:04Notes on - A penny for your thoughts: 39:11Poker Patience (Neville) & Double Acrostic (Cuthbert): 45:32

Frances reads some more from the 1909 Christmas Budget, one of  the special holiday editions written annually by the ten siblings and their father, printed and bound by Bernard and read aloud in the drawing room in Longton Avenue, after tea, on Christmas Day.Avice's contribution was called - A Day in the Life of a Govvie at Portal, all about her work as a governess for the wealthy Brooks family at a grand house, called Portal, in the village of Tarporley in Cheshire.Arthur wrote about the boys of Mount House School - Chips from my Blockheads.There are anecdotes called - Do you remember? – as the siblings reminisce about their childhood, growing up in large vicarages in villages in England in the late 1800s.There is a piece about hockey, written by Vera, called The Joys of Hockey.And Enid wrote a fiendishly difficult competition; a story that had blanks that needed filling in, and the blanks were the names of authors, their surnames telling the story. If filling in the blanks wasn't hard enough, Enid says you were only allowed 20 minutes to complete her competition, without the help of any reference books.Machell Cox Budget Letters is on twitter -  @CoxLetters, or do email me if you have found this podcast interesting - machellcoxletters@gmail.comI would love to hear from you if you are interested in having a go at Enid's competition.All content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 0:00A Day in Cockey's Life at Portal - by Avice: 03:10Chips from my blockheads - by Arthur: 11:45Do You Remember? 19:39Notes on the reminiscences: 40:18The Joys of Hockey - by Vera: 56:08Story wanting Words - by Enid: 1:00:03

Frances reads from the 1909 Christmas Budget, one of  the special holiday editions written by the ten siblings and their father, printed and bound by Bernard and read aloud in the drawing room, after tea, on Christmas Day.Bernard, Vera, Neville, Cuthbert and Avice are at home in Sydenham on Christmas Day in 1909, with Father, and Arthur is coming to visit in a few days.Enid is with her family in Liverpool.Edmund is with his family in Hallam Fields.Wilfred is in Canada and Aldwyn is in Malawi."This third number of the Christmas Budget, in which our Mother took so real an interest, is dedicated to her dear memory, well knowing that she would have wished its continuance as a link between her children at home and abroad."The first item in the Christmas Budget is a poem - In Memoriam - dedicated to dear Mother. I don't know the author.Then - Some early reminiscences  - written By Rev Dr J.C. Cox about the first 18 years of his life . Stories and anecdotes from Luccombe and Bath, as well as the various schools he attended.Machell Cox Budget Letters is on twitter -  @CoxLetters, or do email me if you have found this podcast interesting - machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 0:00Poem: In Memoriam: 03:38Some early reminiscences, Dr Cox, Dec 1909: 5:32Notes on Dr Cox's memoir: 36:28More notes on Dr Cox's memoir: 55:32

Frances reads three letters; Wilfred's letter was written in August 1909, Enid's was written in October and Bernard writes his on Chrstmas DayWilfred writes from Montana in the USA, where he is working as a miner.Enid and Cyril have had loads of people to stay, and they have been making lantern slides from their Swiss holiday photographs. Then there is a tragedy – the whole of Budget No.23 is lost in the post. The Budget letters jump straight from October 1909 to Christmas; Bernard starts Budget No.24 on Christmas morning at the family home in Longton Avenue in Sydenham; he has already been to church; Lizzie the cook is busy in the kitchen, and he can smell the turkey cooking as he writes. Bernard is recording his predictions in the Budget, so he can later find out if they came true or not.Just realised I failed to notice something, about manure - Bernard says this - "Why should the 'stink of this man -Ure' pervade the Budget?" Mr Ure was a politican, this quote - 'stink of this man-Ure' was taken, by Bernard, from one of the "gentlemanly newspapers."Machell Cox Budget Letters is on twitter @CoxLetters, or do email me if you have found this podcast interesting - machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 0:00Wilfred's letter, August 1909: 03:06Notes on Wilfred's letter:  06:36Enid's letter, 26th October: 10:42Notes on Enid's letter: 17:42Bernard's letter, Christmas Day 1909: 23:22 Notes on Bernard's letter: 32:42

Frances reads six letters, written in September and October of 1909, by Neville, Cuthbert, Arthur, Vera, Edmund and AviceNeville is back home from Africa; he writes about the journey and the cricket matches which were played between the first class and the second-class passengers. Cricket on a steamship. Quite bizarre. He also mentions the SS Waratah, which remains a mystery, as the ship simply disappeared in 1909.Cuthbert has seen cousins Ka and Hester, and he tells a story about Ka bicycling at Cambridge, without a hat. How shocking. He has been spending his school holidays staying with the families of his Berkhamsted schoolboys, and there are anecdotes.Arthur writes a fabulous letter about the chaos of opening a new school with 80 barbarians, two new teachers and many new domestic staff.Vera and Miss Thompson (the nurse from Kota Kota) are on holiday in a pretty cottage in Surrey. They are managing without any servants and like the independence, but lock themselves out of the house, at night, whilst looking at the stars.Edmund is very impressed with Vera, who plays golf for the very first time, proving to be an excellent player. And baby Leslie is a dear little chap - Edmund lights his pipe, puffs smoke in the baby's face, and the baby loves it.And Avice has been to visit her brothers at Plymouth and Hallam Fields and provides all the latest news from Tarporley. Machell Cox Budget Letters is on twitter @CoxLetters, or do email me if you have found this podcast interesting - machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 0:00Neville's letter, 6th Sept 1909: 3:05Notes on Neville's letter: 13:45Cuthbert's letter, 16th Sept: 23:09Notes on Cuthbert's letter: 30:37More notes on Cutbert's letter: 40:02Arthur's letter, 24th Sept: 44:22Notes on Arthur's letter: 48:29Vera's letter, 3rd October: 53:26Notes on Vera's letter: 59:26Edmund's letter,  13th October: 1:03:02Notes on Edmunds's letter: 1:08:24Avice's letter, 21st October: 1:10:58Notes on Avice's letter: 1:19:08

Frances reads five letters, written in July, Aug and Sept of 1909, by  Vera, Avice, Edmund, Enid and Bernard.Vera writes the fascinating sentence - for two days I have been alone in my glory. She also describes the Girls Friendly Society Festival - tea and games in the garden of one of the big houses in Sydenham. But it pours with rain, so 70 people have tea in the cellars.  Dr Cox and four of the siblings are on holiday at the Red Lion in Thursley, Surrey; the pub is on the London to Portsmouth Road. There are motor cars and dust, and Dr Cox is writing his next book – Rambles in Surrey. Edmund has been to the Church Lads' Brigade camp; at Weston-Super-Mare, and writes all about it. Enid, Cyril and Bernard have been to France and Switzerland,  staying in Chamonix, Finhaut, Arolla and Chandolin. They see the Mer de Glace, the  glacier up on Mont Blanc, which in 1909 was staggeringly larger than it is today. Bernard, still sunburnt from Switzerland, tells a story about a noisy chicken and Mr Morgan, the innkeeper of the Red Lion. Bernard also talks about the North Pole having been found, but did Dr Cook or Mr Peary discover it first? And Louis Bleriot is the first person to fly the English Channel, the Duke of Abruzzi has climbed higher than anyone else in the Himalayas, Cody has flown further than anyone else in a heavier-than-air flying machine, Neville is home in England again and Cyril has been promoted to Divisional Inspector. Everything was happening in England in the summer of 1909 Machell Cox Budget Letters is on twitter @CoxLetters, or do email me if you have found this podcast interesting - machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 0:00Vera's letter, July 28th 1909: 3:00Notes on Vera's letter: 9:20Avice's letter, August 9th: 12:51Notes on Avice's letter: 20:36Edmund's letter, August 23rd: 27:58Notes on Edmund's letter: 34:30Enid's letter, August 25th: 39:42Notes on Enid's letter: 46:52Bernard's letter, Sept. 3rd: 51:10Notes on Ber's letter: 57:12

Frances reads six letters, written in June and July of 1909 by Edmund, Enid, Avice, Bernard, Cuthbert and Avice. Edmund puts Vera on the black list for not sealing up the Budget envelope properly; it was open when the post arrived, although Edmund thinks all contents are safe.  Enid is surprised that diphtheria is spelled with 2 'h's. And she thinks it odd that Arthur and Dorothy spell – negotiation - with a 'c' (negociation). Avice has visited the Natural History Museum and been on the underground on her own. She is quite proud of herself for going on the tube on her own. Cuthbert will soon be off to cadet camp with the boys, and, as usual, they will be marching  to Aldershot. He also describes a singing mouse in one of the boarding houses. Bernard starts Budget No.21 on its rounds. He is writing his letter just before he, Enid and Cyril set off for a holiday in Switzerland. Arthur has recovered from diphtheria and is back at school for his last few weeks at Garfield House. He is moving to Mount House school shortly and has 50 boys booked already, and he thinks there will be another 20.  He is looking forward to the summer holidays; he and Dorothy are going to Prince Hall on Dartmoor again. Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  Or do email me if you have found this podcast interesting -  machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Edmund's letter, 22nd June 1909 : 08:05Notes on Edmund's letter: 11:48Enid's letter, 2nd July: 17:32Notes on Enid's letter: 22:52Avice's letter, 5th July: 27:45Notes on Avice's letter: 35:22Bernard's letter, 8th July: 40:12Notes on Ber's letter: 45:12Cuthbert's letter, 14th July: 50:32Notes on Cuthbert's letter: 55:13Arthur's letter, 25th July: 1:00:40Notes on Arthur's letter: 1:08:20

Frances reads letters written by Bernard, Cuthbert, Arthur and Vera, and also a letter written by Evelyn the bridesmaid, in 1867. These letters all came from Budget series 1, number 20, from 1909.Bernard says the Stock Exchange is busy with South African mining and rubber plantation shares;  Cuthbert describes the Cup Tie final at Crystal Palace and the unsportsmanlike behaviour of the players. He then causes trouble at the Berkhamsted tennis club, and argues with the committee. Basil Fry, son of Dr Fry, Headmaster of Berkhamsted, is described in unflattering terms by Cuthbert. Arthur has got diphtheria and has been very ill and is dictating his letter to his wife Dorothy. Miss Tubbs' school has an epidemic of measles;  However Arthur is too ill to currently move to Mount House. He is recuperating at a house on Dartmoor. Their lawyer is on holiday with them, teaching Arthur how to fish. Avice is in Sydenham whilst the Brooks family are at their London house. She catches a train every day to go and teach little Billy; Vera predicts that Avice will soon miss her train. Vera is sick of Shackleton and the South Pole, as the newspapers talk of little else.  There is a blue English Heritage plaque on the family home today and Vera would probably roll her eyes about that.And Mother has died; not much is said, but reading between the lines there is much grief, but it is British stiff upper lip, restrained grief. Several of the siblings say - we have to keep the Budget going.Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  Do email me if you have found this podcast interesting, or you fancy sharing some of your family history, or family letters -  machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Bernard's letter, 18th March 1909 : 04:47Notes on Ber's letter: 13:12Cuthbert's letter, 1st June: 20:44Notes on Cuthbert's letter: 29:34Arthur's letter, 10th June: 33:14Notes on Arthur's letter: 40:26Vera's letter, 20th June: 51:58Notes on Vera's letter: 56:48The bridesmaid's letter Weds 23rd Oct 1867: 1:05:36

Frances provides a recap on the ten children born to Rev Dr John Charles Cox and Minnie Cox, for anyone who might be still muddling them up."The older family" - Enid (born 1868) Edmund (1869) Arthur (1870) Neville (1871) and Wilfred (1873).Approximately 4 years off between children - How and Why? And Where was Dr Cox between 1873-1877? Possibly some of the time he was on the continent with his brother, possibly researching the Peninsula War."The younger family" - Bernard (1878) Aldwyn (1879) Cuthbert (1881) Avice (1883) and Veronica (1884).Minnie Cox gave birth to seven sons in a row, within 12 years, and she had 4.5 years off in the middle. The ten siblings were all born in the space of 16 years.This episode gives all sorts of background on the siblings and hopefully will help you work out who is who.Frances has a page that came from a distant cousin in Canada, written on Vera's headed notepaper, with her address in Scotland at the top of the page; a handwritten list of ten birthdates, in Vera's handwriting, with eight dates of death. Avice and Vera were the last two siblings to die and the dates of their deaths are not listed. The list was written after Cuthbert died in 1962.Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  Do email me if you have found this podcast interesting, or you fancy sharing some of your family history, or family letters -  machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00"The older family" 04:11"The younger family" 19:15

Frances reads five letters, written in 1909 by Edmund, Annie May, Avice, Aldwyn and Enid.Edmund takes far too long to write his Budget letter and reckons his siblings are going to miss him out of the next round.Annie May begs the siblings - Please don't put Edmund on the black list - I think she was lonely and really needed the family contact.Avice describes the wealthy Brooks family some more as well as her life as a govvie, and she hopes Mother, recuperating in Folkestone, is enjoying the splendid weather.Aldwyn has been to visit Neville in Pretoria, and is now on a steam ship traveling back to Nyasaland. He posts his letter back to England in the mailbag of a steamer, on the mighty Zambezi, which is going downstream , whilst Aldwyn's steamer is going upstream.  Close your eyes and just imagine the scene.And Enid provides all the news about Mother being ill, having an operation, most of the family getting influenza, then Hazel getting measles whilst Mother goes to Folkestone for the sea air and Enid and her family then go to North Wales to take the sea air there.May says baby Leslie cries all the time, Edmund says he is an ugly baby, but Enid says baby Leslie (my grandfather) is a fine specimen. Thank goodness for kind aunties.And the Navy at Plymouth already know that a war with Germany is coming. Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  Or email me if you have found this podcast interesting, machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Edmund's letter, 25th April 1909 : 2:46May's letter, 29th April: 8:20Avice's letter, 7th May: 11:27Aldwyn's letter, 12th March: 17:09Notes on Aldwyn's letter: 28:02Enid's letter, 9th May: 35:39Notes on Enid's letter: 41:58

Frances reads four letters, written by Bernard, Cuthbert, Arthur and Vera in March and April of 1909.Bernard again apologies for the Budget being lost in the post.Bernard and Enid are going to be the godparents of baby Leslie.Arthur and Bernard go on a long coastal walk. They get the train from Plymouth to Padstow, in North Cornwall, and walk along the coast to Rock, Polzeath, Port Quin, Port Isaac, Tintagel, Boscastle, and then Crackington, they then walk to Otterham, only just catching their train, to return to Plymouth. Cuthbert says Berkhamsted School is again having an epidemic, but the teachers are getting a pay rise, and the school is starting work on some new buildings. Arthur adds his point of view on their Cornish walk. And we get the first report that Mother is not well; Arthur won't post the Budget on, until he hears that Mother is out of danger. Many individual letters and telegrams circulated between the siblings whilst Mother was ill, none of which have survived. Arthur tells more entertaining stories about the servants and schoolboys and we hear about Mount House school, on Hartley Road, for the first time. Arthur soon buys the school and he moves for the start of the new school year, September 1909, taking a good number of Garfield House boys with him.Vera writes a short note, she is exhausted as everyone is ill. Vera doesn't even have the energy to read through the Budget again, to find something to contradict. Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  Or email me if you have found this podcast interesting, machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Bernard's letter, 12th March 1909 : 02:56Notes on Ber's letter: 17:36Cuthbert's letter, 22nd March: 33:49Arthur's letter, 23rd March: 40:59Notes on Arthur's letter: 56:50Vera's letter, 7th April: 1:03:22

Frances reads poems, written by Edmund, Arthur, Aldwyn, Bernard and Cuthbert, originally published by Bernard for the family to read in the 1908 Christmas Budget. At some point the 1908 Christmas Budget was lost. In 1930 the teenage David Machell Cox, son of Arthur, was writing up his favourite family poems into a new book - 'An Anthology of Cox Frivolities, 1893-1930'. The second edition of this family compilation is safely preserved in the Bodleian Library, although its bindings have disintegrated. In this compilation I disovered these 1908 family poems, which don't appear to exist elsewhere in the Machell Cox archive.We hear about hockey, the various remedies Mother uses when her many small children were ill, and Cuthbert writes about a peculiar boy who drinks fountain pen ink.The two hockey poems describe the second match Vera played as a member of the All England Ladies' Hockey team. This match took place at Richmond in London on Wednesday 18th March 1908 and England were playing Scotland. I am still keen to see the photos of Vera which I know exist in magazines called 'Black and White' and 'Ladies' Field' - if you know of surviving editions, please get in touch.You can contact me -  machellcoxletters@gmail.comOr via Twitter - @CoxLetters.  All content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro - 00:00'To the Editor' by Edmund - 09:04'Teardrops' by Bernard (theme suggested by Arthur) - 10:56'A Paean' by Arthur - 13:14'A Missionary's Meanderings in Many Metres' by Aldwyn - 23:52'Of Veronica - and Hockey' by Bernard (with the help of Macaulay, Browning and M.Arnold) - 36:08Notes on Bernard's hockey poem - 43:28'The Advantages of a Proper Education - a Poem' by Cuthbert - 52:14

Frances reads three letters, written by Avice, Enid and Wilfred in February and March 1909, the last three letters of Budget 18.In Avice's letter, the safe arrival of baby Leslie is announced, born to Edmund and Annie May. Leslie was my grandfather, and in the 1980s he and his cousins were still writing the Cousins' Budget. Long Live the Budget! - writes Avice. In Aldwyn's next letter, after visiting Neville in South Africa, Aldwyn says the same thing in Latin - “Floreat Budgettum”  (I think the rough Latin translation is – Long may the Budget flourish)Avice delightedly congratulates Vera on once again being selected to play in the England Ladies' hockey team – the family are all clearly very proud.  Avice has got a new job, governess to a very wealthy family, the Honourable Florence and Marshall Jones Brooks, who live in Tarporley in Cheshire, and she provides a fascinating insight into the life of the gentry in 1909.Enid says she has little to say, and comments on the family, her life in Liverpool and she has read very many books.Wilfred is still in Hope, British Columbia in February 1909, and it looks like he has not found any work; presumably he had saved enough money to live on through the long Canadian winter. His siblings have sent him Christmas presents of books to read, although sadly one parcel of books was lost in the post.I would especially love to hear from you if you know anything about the magazine Ladies' Field, or women's hockey in the early 1900s as I am trying to find out more. Or just email me if you have enjoyed this podcast, and tell me your family history story? machellcoxletters@gmail.com Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  All content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Avice's letter, 27th February 1909 : 2:48Notes on Avice's letter: 16:34Enid's letter, 5th March: 21:36Notes on Enid's letter: 28:48Extra contribution - Wilfred's letter, 5th February: 31:05Notes on Wilfred's letter: 36:03

Frances reads four letters, written by Arthur, Aldwyn, Vera and Edmund in January and February 1909.Arthur has been to Rame Head for sketching and bird watching; this time he has lost some brand-new paintbrushes there.Arthur has a new boy at Garfield House School, Watson major, who is very loquacious. The personality of interesting schoolboys never fails to entertain the members of the Budget.Aldwyn writes one more letter, before returning by ship to Africa. He looks forward to re-joining the Budget in his next holiday, which should be in 1913, and he hopes the Budget will still be thriving. He describes the many gifts he is taking back to Nyasaland.Vera describes the siblings accompanying Aldwyn to Southampton to see him off on the SS Norman and she also describes how she and Avice are mad on roller skating.Edmund writes about his dog called Satan and The Church Lads' Brigade, who are forming a black-face minstrel troop;  Annie May has solved Cuthbert's riddle about what can go up and down the chimney. And Edmund fails to mention their baby, who will be born in just a few days.Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  Or email me if you have enjoyed this podcast, and tell me your family history story – machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Correspondence: 2:32Arthur's letter, 26th January 1909 : 16:02Notes on Arthur's letter: 26:40Aldwyn's letter, 4th February: 32:03Notes on Aldwyn's letter: 39:15Vera's letter, 11th February and notes: 44:17Edmund's letter, 19th February and notes: 50:54

Frances reads two letters, written by Bernard and Cuthbert.Bernard writes in great detail about all the headings on the front page of the Daily Chronicle, a halfpenny newspaper which doesn't impress him; it is far too sensational. He also thoroughly reviews The Testing of Diana Mallory, a novel in which every character regularly flushes, blushes and reddens. Bernard is amused and starts to make a list...  Then tragedy strikes, the Budget is lost in the post, and Cuthbert mournfully starts the Budget on its rounds once more. Cuthbert's letter includes a lot of family detail; he describes a snowball fight in the garden where the siblings are observed by a policeman and some streetboys, and they break a pane of glass in Dr Cox's conservatory.Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  Or email me if you have enjoyed this podcast – machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Bernard's letter, 21st November 1908 : 08:30Notes on Bernard's letter: 24:20Cuthbert's letter, 25th January 1909: 36:20Notes on Cuthbert's letter: 41:27

Frances reads three letters, written by Edmund, Avice and Enid in November 1908. Edmund is sibling number 2 and is the curate in charge of St Bartholomew's, Hallam Fields in Derbyshire. Edmund's wife is about to have a baby,  but he doesn't mention that. Instead he talks about the Church Lads' Brigade and shooting sparrows. Avice is sibling number 9  and in this letter she talks about rugby and the Australian Walloughbys,  playing hockey at Great Comp with Mrs Heron-Maxwell and Vera and going on scouting expeditions with Arthur and the schoolboys of Garfield House School. Enid is the eldest sibling, born in 1868, who lives in Liverpool with her family.  In her letter she talks about books, concerts, lectures, the Mauretania and the Lusitania and going to the Lake District.Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter.  Or email me if you have enjoyed this podcast – machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Edmund's letter, November 3rd 1908: 02:00Notes on Edmund's letter: 07:38Avice's letter, November 11th: 12:31Notes on Avice's letter: 24:00More notes on Avice's letter: 40:00Enid's letter, November 14th: 45:28Notes on Enid's letter: 58:43

Frances reads four letters written in October 1908.  Bernard  (London stockbroker) and Cuthbert (teacher at Berkhamsted School) both write from the family home, St Alban's, Longton Avenue in Sydenham, south London. Arthur writes from Garfield House School in Plymouth (he is owner and Headmaster); Vera also writes from Longton Avenue in Sydenham. (Hockey player, companion to aged parents)Avice (housekeeper at Garfield House School) and Enid (Edwardian matron - the wife of a Schools Inspector in Liverpool) are at home as well, as Aldwyn (African missionary) has just arrived by ship, from Africa; their letters will be in the next podcast.Vera writes: "It is horrid that four of the Budget members are now at home. It leaves you nothing to say." But the siblings do have plenty to say, describing everything they have been up to.Mrs Wimbush is Arthur's mother-in-law, paying a visit to Plymouth, from Terrington in Yorkshire. She is an eccentric old lady who believes that if you are feeling unwell you should open the window and throw your chest out.Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter.  Or email me – machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Bernard's letter, 2nd October 1908: 4:39Notes on Ber's letter: 11:41Cuthbert's letter, 10th October: 18:21Notes on Cuthbert's letter: 22:39Arthur's letter, 14th October: 27:49Notes on Arthur's letter: 38:22Vera's letter, 25th October: 43:51Notes on Vera's letter: 49:57

If you are new subscriber, you might want to scroll back to S1E1, which explains what the Machell Cox Family Budget is. Today Frances reads three letters written by Neville and Wilfred in 1908; they talk about the Nickel Plate Gold Mine in British Columbia and the Premier Diamond Mine in Pretoria.Neville is playing tennis with friends on the lawn at Hatherley in Pretoria, and he also writes about a bike ride where both their motor car and one of the bicycles fall apart.Wilfred walks from O'Kanagan Falls to Hope in British Columbia, over the mountains, where he meets a bear. Wilfred says it was about 140 miles (225 km). He was tough, walking for days through the mountains, without even a torch;  just a pack full of grub and a blanket to stop him freezing at night.Did you know that in the early 1900s there were two Winston Churchills? One was a best selling American author, and Winston S. Churchill  was the British up-and-coming politican who would eventually become Prime Minister. It gets confusing when the siblings talk about two men named Winston Churchill.Did you you enjoy this podcast? You can email Frances  - machellcoxletters@gmail.comIf you wish, you can also buy Frances a coffee - ko-fi.com/francesthompson100 Years of Cox is on Twitter - @CoxLetters, pics of British Columbia will go up this week.All content is subject to copyright, and belongs to both Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 00:00Neville's letter, 22nd October 1908: 1:57Notes on Neville's letter: 13:52Wilfred's first letter, 22nd September: 21:58Notes: 29:22Wilfred's second letter, 30th October: 34:03Notes: 39:21

Frances reads Aldwyn's second long letter, describing the rest of his journey back to England. He starts the letter 3 days after the port of Mombasa, in Kenya and is now travelling on the SS Gertrud Woermann. Aldwyn describes Zanzibar and Mombasa, then  Aden, the Red Sea and the heat, travelling through the Suez Canal, then Port Said and backsheesh; then the Mediterranean, Naples and then Marseilles, where he gets off the ship, leaving his luggage on board (deliberately, not accidentally).Then Aldwyn describes the train to Paris and then to Boulogne, the Channel crossing to Folkestone, and the three excited siblings who have come to meet him.  He gets back to Sydenham in south London on 5th October 1908.If you enjoyed this podcast or have any questions, you can email Frances  - machellcoxletters@gmail.com100 Years of Cox is also on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to both Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 00:00September 18th 1908: 2:32September 22nd - 7:28September 28th - 9:51October 2nd - 13:38October 5th - 16:43October 20th - 21:15Notes on Aldwyn's letter - 28:03Notes part 2 - 34:06

Frances reads Aldwyn's long 1908 letter from Africa, the first instalment of his journey from Kota Kota on the shores of Lake Nyasa, back to England. Kota Kota is now called Nkhotakota, the lake is called Lake Malawi and the country formerly known as Nyasaland is now Malawi.Aldwyn steams south across the lake on the SS Chauncy Maples; he then travels by several other forms of transport to the coast at Chinde, which is at the mouth of the Zambezi River, in Mozambique. Then he boards a ship, the SS Herzog, ending up in the Mission hospital in Zanzibar, in Tanzania.He started his journey on 31st July 1908; and the Archdeacon said the Itinerarium before they left. Aldwyn doesn't get to London until October 5th.If you have never heard of a machila before, and would like to know what one looks like, some photos will go up on Twitter - @CoxLettersIf you enjoyed this podcast or have any questions, you can email Frances  - machellcoxletters@gmail.comIf you have heard of the Itinerarium before, and know more, please email Frances!100 Years of Cox is also on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to both Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 00:00Aldwyn's letter, 2nd August 1908 - 2:44On the River Shire - 6:50The Zambezi River - 9:12The SS Herzog - 11:02Notes on Aldwyn's letter - 12:54Notes part 2 - 19:30

Frances reads letters from Budget No.15, August and September 1908; Cuthbert and Arthur describe the summer holiday in Branscombe; Vera writes from Plymouth about  tennis and the difficulties of employing servants.  Edmund returns to the Budget, belligerent; he is ill in bed, but manages to write a short letter. Avice writes from Sydenham and Enid writes from Liverpool, where she has been living in a round of dissipation.If you enjoyed this podcast or have any questions, you can email Frances  - machellcoxletters@gmail.com100 Years of Cox is also on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to both Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro - 00:00Cuthbert's letter, 20th August 1908 - 3:30Notes on Cuthbert's letter - 13:15Arthur's letter, 23rd August - 17:28Notes on Arthur's letter - 27:42Vera's letter, 4th September - 35:52Notes on Vera's letter - 38:20Edmund's letter, 15th September - 40:20Notes on  Edmund's letter - 43:11Avice's letter, 22nd September - 46:20Notes on Avice's letter - 53:53Enid's letter, 25th September - 58:50Notes on Enid's letter - 1:04:54

Frances reads five Budget letters, written in July and August 1908.Bernard writes a letter, pretending to be Vera;  it was included in the Budget, labelled "a forgery".Neville writes from Pretoria, including plenty about Transvaal politics. Avice, Enid and Bernard write letters, describing their summer holidays in Branscombe and Charmouth - train journeys, bathing, golf, boating, terrible roads and bicycle punctures and an overbearing landlady called Miss Deane. If you enjoyed this podcast or have any questions, you can email Frances  - machellcoxletters@gmail.com100 Years of Cox is also on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to both Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro - 00:00Bernard's forgery, 19th July 1908 - 2:29Notes on the forged letter - 4:22Neville's letter, 31st May 1908 - 7:34Notes on Neville's letter - 16:34Avice's letter, August 1908 - 20:23Notes on Avice's letter - 24:58Enid's letter, 8th August - 28:12Notes on Enid's letter - 34:19Bernard's letter, 18th August - 38:48Notes on Bernard's letter - 45:23

Frances and Emma nattered on for so long about marathons, that one podcast episode became two.Frances and Emma recorded a video chat between Australia and the UK; this is the audio from that recording, so apologies that the audio is not as good as usual. You can watch the video, on the Machell Cox Letters YouTube channel,  in 2 parts, at this link.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFVcOvI9WjcCEN1BjLPV3gFrances thinks the noisy bird who screeched during Vera's letter was a butcherbird.Please do email Frances about any of this content - machellcoxletters@gmail.comAlso on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to both Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Dorando and the Stadium - 0:00Other sibling comments - 3:55Edward VII funeral & George V Coronation - 8:241908 Olympics - 11:27John Disley re-measuring marathons - 14:18Dorando's crimson knickers - 15:04Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - 17:12Dorando & Hayes - 18:18Medal ceremony and King Edward VII - 20:06Dorando & Hayes - 25:20Oxo, Bovril and marathon diet - 30:261948 Olympics at Wembley - 32:081908 route - 33:38BBC TV Centre - 34:36McWhirters, 1954 Oxford, Roger Bannister, 3 mins 59.4secs - 35:40Stilts - 37:40

Today Frances has a guest, her friend Dr Emma Cleobury, whose parents were both Olympic athletes - Sylvia Cheeseman and John Disley. There is  plenty of chat about running, marathons, King's College Oxford, the Cutty Sark and Whitechapel Bell Foundry.John Disley and Chris Brasher founded the London Marathon in 1981, and Emma was there at the finish, as a volunteer, as a 'spindler' and 'plucker'Frances reads Vera's 1908 letter, a first hand account of the finish of the London Olympics marathon at  White City and Emma has plenty of marathon anecdotes.Frances and Emma recorded a video chat between Australia and the UK; this is the audio from that recording, so apologies that the audio is not as good as usual. You can watch the video, on the Machell Cox Letters YouTube channel,  in 2 parts, at this link.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFVcOvI9WjcCEN1BjLPV3gFrances thinks the noisy bird who screeched during Vera's letter was a butcherbird.Please do email Frances about any of this content - machellcoxletters@gmail.comAlso on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to both Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro - 00:00David Machell Cox - 6:02Corpus Christi College Cambridge - 7:22King's College Cambridge - 11:24Ten siblings, family tree - 20:301908 Marathon - 22:00Sylvia Cheeseman - 23:35John Disley - 27:181981 London Marathon - 27:57Bendigo (Victoria, Australia) and the Whitechapel Bell Foundry - 33:00The Cutty Sark - 35:201908 London Marathon - 37:25Vera's 1908 marathon letter - 39:18

Frances reads two Budget letters, written in July 1908, immediately prior to Vera's Marathon letter.Cuthbert writes from Berkhamsted School - about schoolArthur writes from Garfield House School - also about school.It is the end of term, and the end of the school year;  there are exams, both teachers are tired and it is raining.These letters were written 113 years ago, but many things about school life have not really changed much.Please do email Frances about any of this content - machellcoxletters@gmail.com100 Years of Cox is also on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to both Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro - 00:00Cuthbert's letter, 8th July 1908 - 2:38Notes on Cuthbert's letter - 9:24Arthur's letter, 9th July  - 14:18Notes on Arthur's letter - 21:26

Frances reads two letters, written by Matilda Machell, her third great-grandma. These letters are part of a huge archive of documents, written by Frances' family, now safely preserved in the Bodleian Library.The first letter was written from Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, on the East coast. The letter states Friday Aug 28th at the top, but was likely to have been written on Friday Aug 26th 1825, when Matilda was aged 25.The second letter is written from Springwood on Monday January 23rd 1826. Matilda visited Crow Nest, near Halifax, home to the three wealthy Walker siblings, and she wrote about them.  Both letters were sent to Matilda's favourite brother, Christopher, back home in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire.Frances has thoroughly enjoyed researching this podcast and delving into the world of Ann Walker and Anne Lister. She hopes you enjoy listening to it.Do email Frances if you can shed any further light on any of the content of the letters - machellcoxletters@gmail.com - Frances also posts on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro - 00:00Bridlington letter - 05:20Notes on Bridlington letter - 11:28Springwood letter - 16:09Notes on Springwood letter - 25:11"Poor Lord Paget" - 40:33Springwood - 46:43

Frances reads two letters written by her 3rd great grandmother, probably in 1823, sent to her favourite brother Christopher, back at home in Beverley, Yorkshire.Matilda is staying with Mrs Appleby in her house on East Parade in Leeds. She goes to a concert and hears Mr Sapio (tenor), Mrs Salmon (soprano), Mr Mori (violin) and Mr Lindley (cello) - Matilda is in ecstasy at the beautiful music.Matilda also goes to several Balls and describes who she dances with and what she thinks of them.Minnie, Matilda's daughter, kept these letters; they were then transcribed by Dr Cox and Vera in 1912, for the ten siblings - Matilda was their grandmother. It goes without saying, that Matilda and her brother Christopher would be staggered that you are listening to their letters, almost 200 years after they were written. Enjoy.Do email Frances if you can shed any further light on any of the content of the letters - machellcoxletters@gmail.com - Frances also posts on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro - 00:00Matilda Machell - 05:08First 1823 letter from Leeds - 09:48Notes on first letter - 19:49Second 1823 letter from Leeds - 32:21Notes on second letter - 30:49

Frances reads letters written by Edmund, Avice, Enid and Bernard in June 1908. Edmund's letter is mournful; he knows his siblings are going to miss him out of the next round of the Budget. As Bernard says, sixpenny fines don't work. Edmund draws a sketch, of himself, hanging on the gallows. “Let me be a warning to you all”, says Edmund's speech bubble. Check out his drawing on Twitter. @CoxLettersAvice is exhausted, exams are on, and she has also hosted an At Home Day, with many parents visiting Garfield House School.Enid's street in Liverpool is being renamed and renumbered. It was previously known as Lodge Lane, but is now being renamed Sefton Park Road. Enid also describes more of Edmund's wedding. Also incuded are two Derbyshire newspaper articles, from June 1908, describing the wedding.Bernard and Vera have been on a bicycling expedition and describe it in great detail.And the Franco- British exhibition, which was adjacent to the 1908 London Olympic stadium at White City in London is described, including a wonderful fairground ride called the Flip Flap. There are photos of it online and I will put some up on twitter.All content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library - Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter, or email – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Edmund's letter, 12 June 1908 - 3:53Notes on Edmund's letter - 10:05Avice's letter, 19 June - 15:08Notes on Avice's letter - 17:13Enid's letter, 21 June - 20:30Notes on Enid's letter - 33:08Bernard's letter, 30 June - 41:50Notes on Bernard's letter - 55:48

It is May 1908 and Frances reads letters written by Bernard, Wilfred, Cuthbert, Arthur, Vera and Aldwyn.The older family are: Enid, Edmund, Arthur, Neville and Wilfred. The 5 members of the younger family are: Bernard, Aldwyn, Cuthbert, Avice and Vera. Enid, Bernard and Arthur travel to Hallam Fields in Derbyshire, for May and Edmund's wedding celebrations. The women wear fabulous hats, the working-class locals are entranced by the wealthy visitors, and Edmund and Arthur set up booby traps in the Parsonage. Cuthbert sets out the route for Berkhamsted School's cross country run, using bags of paper. Vera sits in the garden at Longton Avenue in Sydenham to write her letter, wearing a light blue cotton frock and a Liberty Panama hat; it is a hot day in June and she is surrounded by furniture in the garden, as the whole house is being spring cleaned. There is discussion about characters and graphology and who the expert handwriting analyser might be. Wilfred (working as a road builder) writes from O'Kanagan Falls in British Columbia, and Aldwyn (the Anglican missionary in Africa) writes from Kota Kota in Nyasaland, (now Malawi). Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter.  Or email me and tell me where you are listening from – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Bernard's letter, 10 May 1908 - 2:12Notes on Bernard's letter - 12:55Wilfred's letter, 19 April (Canada) - 16:00Notes on Wilfred's letter - 26:55Cuthbert's letter 18 May - 29:00Notes on Cuthbert's letter - 35:14Arthur's letter, 20 May - 37:55Notes on Arthur's letter - 47:02Vera's letter, 1 June - 50:00Aldwyn's letter, 29 March (Nyasaland) - 56:03

The ten Machell Cox siblings continue writing Budget letters to each other, discussing a variety of subjects.Enid is married to Cyril, a Schools Inspector, and is a wealthy Edwardian matron, in Liverpool. Edmund is a poor Anglican curate in Derbyshire, soon to marry May, my g-g-grandmother.Arthur, married to Dorothy, is Headmaster of Garfield House prep school in Plymouth. Neville works for the railways in Pretoria, South Africa. Wilfred lives in British Columbia, Canada. He has been a schoolmaster, but is currently building roads and grubbing stumps. Bernard is a London stockbroker, living at home, in Sydenham. Aldwyn is an Anglican priest in Nyasaland (now Malawi). Cuthbert is a schoolmaster at Berkhamsted School. Avice is housekeeper at Arthur's school in Plymouth. And Vera, when not playing hockey, assists her father in writing and editing his books, and looks after the aging parents, at home, in Sydenham, south London. Cuthbert is grumpy – Berkhamsted school has an influenza epidemic, everyone is ill, a Schools Inspection is underway and he is annoyed at Enid criticising his spelling.Arthur describes the search for new servants at Garfield House, as well as expressing his dismay that his favourite newspaper, The Tribune, has closed.Vera explains how wearing long skirts prevents good stickwork in Ladies' hockey and Vera and Bernard go to watch the Oxford-Cambridge boat race.Enid goes to Aintree to watch the Grand National, and they sit in a stand of seats on a barge on the canal.  And Enid and Cyril have a telephone installed in their house, for the first time. And Avice, Bernard and Cuthbert go to Branscombe in Devon for a few days to check out a boarding house and the landlady, to see if it would do for the whole family for their upcoming August summer holidays. Of course, there are no photos or online reviews to help you choose your holiday accommodation in 1908. Intro - 00:00Cuthbert's letter, 30 March - 2:40Notes on Cuthbert's letter - 8:20Arthur's letter, 8 March - 11:08Notes on Arthur's letter - 23:18Vera's letter, 2 April - 27:52Avice's letter, 26 April - 35:50Enid's letter, 30 April - 41:10

Budget No.1 was written by the siblings in Sept. 1906. It is now February 1908 and they are up to  Budget No.11.  Arthur goes to a dinner party, and accidentally wears one brown and one black boot. A lapse of social etiquette; Edmund is choosing new wallpaper for Hallam Fields Parsonage; Avice is interviewing new servants for Garfield House School; And Bernard describes Vera's appearance as an International on Wednesday 18th March 1908 -  England played Scotland at Richmond in London. Bernard describes the scarlet hockey skirts, the excellent game and the second-rate tea which was served to them afterwards. Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter.  Or do send me an email – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Arthur's letter, 5 February 1908 - 03:35Vera's letter, 15 February - 13:50Edmund's letter, 4 March - 15:30Avice's letter, 10 March - 20:32Enid's letter, 12 March - 27:06Bernard's letter, 20 March - 36:40

Peter Pan, or the boy who wouldn't grow up - a long running, immensely popular play by JM Barrie, was at The Duke of York's Theatre. Avice has been to see it, again, and loved it.It is January 1908 and Frances reads letters from Edmund, Avice, Enid, Bernard and Cuthbert.The discussion on nightshirts versus pyjamas continues; Edmund has a new job – curate in charge of St Bartholemew's, Hallam Fields, in Derbyshire. (He will stay at the same church from 1908 -1950s.) And Edmund and May can finally afford to get married after years of engagement.  Enid describes Cyril's photography and Magic Lantern and Bernard begins his letter by writing down the beginning of several other letters – many begin with a sigh or an excuse – embarrassing his siblings. All content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter.  Or email me – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Edmund's letter, 6 January 1908 - 02:20Avice's letter, 12 January - 13:40Enid's letter, 19 January - 20:00Bernard's letter, 26 January - 30:58Cuthbert's letter, 4 February - 40:46Limericks written by Cuthbert - 45:10  

Frances reads from the Machell Cox Family Budget - a stream of letters collectively written by ten adult siblings from a middle class Edwardian family. They started writing in 1906 and continued, non-stop, for the rest of their lives. There are eighty years worth of letters, safely preserved in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, which is where Frances discovered them. The letters were written by the family members of Frances, but are available to be read by anyone eligible for admittance to the library. There are also family letters from the 1820s.Today Frances reads more of the 1907 Christmas Budget - a special edition, written by the seven "home siblings" (Enid, Edmund, Arthur, Bernard, Cuthbert, Avice & Vera), along with contributions from their parents (Rev Dr John Charles Cox and Mrs Marian Cox.)  The Budget was read aloud by Bernard, Cuthbert, Avice and Vera; they read it to each other, at home in Sydenham on Christmas Day, after tea and presents. The family home was called St Alban's and they lived at 13 Longton Avenue in Sydenham, south London.The Budget was then posted to the other UK siblings - Enid in Liverpool, Edmund in Derbyshire and Arthur in Plymouth. It was then posted to Wilfred in Canada, Neville in South Africa and Aldwyn in Nyasaland (Malawi). It was then posted back to England and was stored in the bottom of a wardrobe and then in a garage for about 70 years.Edmund is the great grandfather of Frances, and she is thoroughly enjoying deciphering the handwriting and  sharing these fascinating documents through this podcast.  All content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter.  You can also contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Miss de Mena McHell - Arthur's  Attempt to shadow a missing lady - 2:22Bernard's Six Wives - 8:28Edmund's Budget Alphabet - 10:55Enid's Prize Competition - 14:29Rev Dr Cox - Carolling at Sydenham - 19:17Artwork - 24:05Bernard's Literary Competition - 27:10The Ladies' Page - 32:42Fashions for Females - 35:09The Children's Corner - 37:36Engineering Supplement - 41:46The Editor's wastepaper basket - 43:26Actual advertisements from the Church Times - 44:47Advertisement for Garfield House School - 49:34

Frances reads from the Machell Cox Family Budget - a stream of letters collectively written by ten adult siblings from a middle class Edwardian family. The siblings started writing to each other in 1906 and continued, non-stop, for the rest of their lives. There are eighty years worth of letters, safely preserved in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, which is where Frances discovered them. The letters were written by the family members of Frances, but are available to be read by anyone eligible for admittance to the library.Today Frances is reading excerpts about votes for women, suffragettes, the emancipation of women and the General Election of December 1918. The whole world is currently following the 2020 election in the USA, and the events of 1918 are interesting, in comparison.Frances also reads a letter written by Arthur on Armistice Day (also his birthday) - the day peace was declared at 11am on the 11th November 1918. Although the syrens on the many ships in the Hamoaze started galumphing at 9am, and Arthur reckons that the boys of Mount House School offered the first thanksgiving prayers for peace in England on that day.All content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter. There will be WW1 and election-related tweets this week.You can also contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.com.Feedback, opinions and comments all greatly appreciated.Intro - 00:00Suffragettes - 00:581906 letters - 3:101910 letters - 12:131912 letters - 17:44Bernard's 1913 letter - 32:04Arthur, 1918 - Armistice day - 34:04Notes on Arthur's letter - 40:161918 Avice gets a vote - 44:08Notes on Avice's letter - 54:18

Today Frances reads from the 1907 Christmas Budget - a special edition, written by the seven "home siblings" (Enid, Edmund, Arthur, Bernard, Cuthbert, Avice & Vera), along with contributions from their parents (Rev Dr John Charles Cox and Mrs Marian Cox.)  The poems, limericks and stories in the Christmas Budget were all written by the Machell Cox family.The Budget was read aloud by Bernard, Cuthbert, Avice and Vera; they read it to each other, at home in Sydenham on Christmas Day, after tea and presents. It was then posted to the other UK siblings - Enid in Liverpool, Edmund in Derbyshire and Arthur in Plymouth. It was then posted to Wilfred in Canada, Neville in South Africa and Aldwyn in Nyasaland (Malawi). It was then posted back to England and was stored in the bottom of a wardrobe and then in a garage for about 70 years.The 1907 Christmas Budget, along with the rest of the Machell Cox Family Budgets (80 years of content), are safely preserved in the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Edmund is the great grandfather of Frances, and she is thoroughly enjoying deciphering the handwriting and  sharing these fascinating documents through this podcast.  All content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter. You can also contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.com.Feedback, opinions and comments all greatly appreciated.Edit: Captain Cook in fact landed in Seventeen Seventy in May 1770, not June.Intro - 00:001906 Christmas Budget - 2:00Bernard's Editorial - 3:57Mother's Lost Art of Letter Writing - 8:44Cuthbert's Song of the Budget - 14:50Arthur's Phonetic Alphabet - 18:36Bernard's family limericks - 23:38The Young Man from Nantucket - 32:25

Frances reads letters from  Bernard, Cuthbert, Arthur and Vera from December 1907.Bernard writes in his letter: “The great question of nightshirt versus pyjamas, which is now nightly before me.”Bernard also writes about Rev Dr Cox shouting at carol singers and chasing them out of the garden. Really. A Church of England vicar who detested carol singers.Cuthbert has had 17 teeth pulled out in total, (at  just 27 years old) and he is waiting for his permanent dentures to be ready.Bernard and Cuthbert give their opinions on the Druce-Portland case, which was enthralling everyone.Arthur has students in quarantine due to scarlet fever, and he writes about working in his darkroom, on photographs, wearing an old nightshirt. As you do.Vera has to finish her letter abruptly due to the dreadful news that something is missing from the Christmas Budget, and Bernard ( the Editor) needs her help to look for it.Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter, for Machell Cox related content. You can also contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Bernards's letter, 2 December - 3:08Cuthbert's letter, 9 December - 13:34Arthur's letter, 13 December - 23:22Vera's letter, 22 December - 33:48

Frances reads letters from Edmund, Avice and Enid, written in November 1907. The siblings are planning a special Christmas edition of the Budget, and are all busy writing items for it, including limericks, which were wildly popular in the early 1900s . Edmund has a headache, and his letter is late, again. Although he has made a better effort this time. Well done Edmund. Send your sixpenny fine home to Sydenham again.   Avice has been to see Yeoman of the Guard. And she is playing hockey and wearing a short hockey skirt – but there is no cause for alarm,  she is still quite respectable, the hem of a short hockey skirt was about 10cm above the ankle in the early 1900s. Enid starts the family discussing the high-profile Druce-Portland case, concerning mistaken identity, the Duke of Portland, a lot of money and whether or not a coffin should be exhumed.Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter, for Machell Cox related content. You can also contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Edmund's letter, 12 November 1907 - 02:26Notes on Edmund's letter - 10:13Avice's letter, 20 November - 11:45Notes on Avice's letter - 19:06Enid's letter, 25 November - 24:18

Frances reads Neville's second letter, from October 1907, describing his travels through Switzerland, as well as Lake Como, Milan, Venice, Rome, Naples and Pompeii in Italy. It rains all the time, some towns are decidedly smelly and Neville tells us about his train journeys and how much his hotels cost.Neville went on two Thomas Cook tours, in Venice and Pompeii, giving a fascinating insight into early tourism. If you have never heard this slogan before  -  Don't just book it, Thomas Cook it - it was a well known catchphrase for Cook's in the 1980s and 90s.Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter, for Machell Cox related content. You can also contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00 Neville's second letter, 24 October - 2:15Notes on Neville's letter - 28:29

Frances reads Neville's long letter, written in October 1907, as Neville (sibling No.4) went travelling through Europe, after farewelling his family at Longton Avenue in Sydenham.He travels through Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy on his way to Naples, where he boards his ship to travel back to Africa.Neville wrote this letter on Wednesday 23rd October 1907, from the Hotel International au Lac, in Lugano, Switzerland. The hotel is right on the waterfront of Lake Lugano, and is still there today.We hear about his train journeys, what he sees and does and how much everything costs. It is really quite a remarkable snapshot of what Europe was like in 1907. Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter, where I post related Machell Cox content. You can also contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Neville's letter, 23 October - 1:38Notes on Neville's letter - 19:03

It is October 1907 - Frances reads letters from Bernard, Cuthbert, Arthur and Vera.Avice has joined a mixed hockey team, "and one man said DAMN, just like that". Avice is shocked that a man would use such words with a lady present.Goldbeater's skin was the peculiar fabric used to construct airships - Bernard describes an airship landing at Crystal Palace in South London, in great detail.Cuthbert has many many teeth pulled out by the dentist;  Arthur goes to Rame Head on an expedition, nearly dies and his valuable camera equipment is ruined by the waves;Vera and Bernard are visiting Garfield House School in Plymouth, they sit on the floor (shock! horror!) to play with Christopher's trainset; and the siblings have started playing Diabolo, which was all the rage in 1907.Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter, for photos and Avice's sketches. You can also contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Bernard's letter, 10 October 1907 - 1:30Notes on Bernard's letter - 13:00Cuthbert's letter, 21 October - 17:30Notes on Cuthbert's letter - 23:45Arthur's letter, 27 october - 26:15Notes on Arthur's letter - 32:10Vera's letter, 2 November - 35:30Notes on Vera's letter - 43:50 

Frances reads four Budget letters from September 1907 - news from Vera, Edmund, Avice and Enid.Vera is at home with the parents at St Alban's, 13 Longton Avenue, Sydenham in South London, Edmund is back in his parish in Clay Cross in Derbyshire; Avice is still working as Arthur's housekeeper at Garfield House School in Devonport, Plymouth and has been drawing illustrations for the Budget;Enid has not been well and is visiting her husband Cyril's relatives at Clevedon Rectory in Somerset.Avice's illustrations will go up on my Twitter - @CoxLetters. You can also contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Vera's letter, 10 September 1907 - 1:36Notes on Vera's letter - 7:18Edmund's letter, 25 September - 10:52Avice's letter, 1 October - 18:58Enid's letter, 6 October - 34:00

Frances reads extracts from Budget letters from 1907-1910, where the siblings describe their many bicycling expeditions.The siblings discuss the 1907 Bicycling Tour and their favourite bits;Edmund is sorry that he didn't snapshot a spill; Vera and Bernard shock people by cycling on a Sunday; Cuthbert punctures, a lot, in Branscombe, Devon; Enid and Cyril cycle to Enville; Vera annoys a sailor by cycling faster than him; Neville describes cycling in Pretoria, South Africa; Avice and Cecil go cycling in County Down, Northern Ireland and Cuthbert punctures, a lot, again, this time at Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight.You can contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.com or Twitter - @CoxLettersIntro - 00:00Bicycling expeditions - 00:40Notes on letters - 13:581908 Bicycling expeditions - 16:581909 expeditions - 35:221910 expeditions - 42:20Bernard's Alum Bay poem - 51:18

Frances reads Neville's letter, written for the Machell Cox family Budget; a second instalment, continuing the description of the Bicycling Tour of 1907.Edmund, Neville, Bernard, Cuthbert, Avice and Vera are cycling 186 miles/300km around  England and Neville's letter includes a variety of rich detail. They have leather Gladstone bags, which travelled by train in the Guard's van, whilst the siblings cycled between each town, carrying a minimal amount on their bicycles. Dr Beeching's station closures in the 1960s means the 1907 cycling trip would not have been possible today. Neville describes his Toura and Lucas canvas bicycle bags, and gives a detailed description of what he carries inside them. Stratford's Memorial Theatre is described as "a regular eyesore" and the trees of the Wyre Forest are "very fine".You can contact Frances by email – machellcoxletters@gmail.com or Twitter - @CoxLettersIntro - 00:00Bicycles - 00:34Neville's second letter 8 September - 7:26Notes on Neville's letter - 13:28The Talbot Inn - 21:50Notes on letter - 27:50