Pettigrew Family Ephemera

The left side of this page gives an index of letters and other related ephemera. The index is ordered alphabetically by surname of the writer and then in date order with the earliest listed first. Click on an item to view a summary of contents. You can then choose to view the original document, view a transcript, or return to this index page.

This selection of letters and documents (a small selection of the total), ranging in date from 1853 to 1933, were written by members of the Pettigrew and Windsor-Clive families. Of the Pettigrews the writers include Andrew Pettigrew (1833-1903) his wife Agnes (1833-1905) and their three sons William Wallace Pettigrew (1867-1947), Hugh Allan Pettigrew (1871-1947), and Andrew Alexander Pettigrew (1875-1936). They give a fascinating insight into the family life of the Pettigrews at that time.

Highlights include the earliest preserved letter of Andrew Pettigrew written to his future wife Agnes Allan on the 23^rd January 1853.
Then there are Andrew Pettigrew's handwritten notes for the 1891 lecture delivered to the Royal Horticultural Society relating to the vineyards he created near Castle Coch (Vale of Glamorgan) for John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute.
On a more domestic note, another letter, written in January 1889 to William Wallace Pettigrew from his mother Agnes Pettigrew, expresses the concerns of a mother for her 22 year-old student son who is lodging, far away from his Cardiff home, in Kew whilst studying at the Botanic Gardens.
Finally there is a fascinating letter from Hugh Allan Pettigrew writing to his father Andrew Pettigrew in October 1897 about his first impressions after being appointed to the position of head gardener to Lord Plymouth (the Windsor-Clive family) at St Fagan's Castle - a job he would occupy for almost 40 years until his retirement in 1936.

Additional letters between the Windsor-Clive family and their employees, the Pettigrews, illustrate the close relationship that developed between them. The letter of the 7^th October 1911 from Alberta Windsor-Clive to Hugh Allan Pettigrew is a typical message of instruction tempered with thanks and an enquiry after the health of Hugh's wife Alice.
Especially of note is the letter from Andrew Alexander Pettigrew written in 1921 to Countess Walburga Ehrengarde Helena Paget. This contains Andrew's affectionate reminiscences relating to Lady Paget's grandsons; Other Robert Windsor-Clive (who died of fever in India in 1908), Archer Windsor-Clive (who was killed in action during WW1, France, 1914), and Ivor Miles Windsor-Clive.