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Darwin Correspondence Project

To George Snow   8 May 1863

Down House

May 8th 1863

Sir

After twenty years experience of your character in various Offices in the parish of Down, including that of Surveyor of the Roads, I have pleasure in giving my testimonial that you are extremely well qualified for the office of Surveyor for the Bromley District.—1

Sir | Your obedt. servt | Ch. R. Darwin | J.P.

Footnotes

George Snow was the Down carrier (Post Office directory of the six home counties). He may also have been the parish highway surveyor or district highway surveyor under the administrative system prevailing before the introduction of the District Highway Boards under the 1862 Highways Act (Webb and Webb 1913, pp. 29–31). Snow was unsuccessful in his candidature for district surveyor; George Golding of Chislehurst was appointed on 27 May 1863 (London Borough of Bromley Archives, Bromley Highway Board, 847/HB/B/1). See also Correspondence vol. 11, letter to the chairman of the Bromley District Highway Board from the parishioners of Down, Kent, 3 April 1863. The chairman was John Farnaby Lennard.

Bibliography

Post Office directory of the six home counties: Post Office directory of the six home counties, viz., Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. London: W. Kelly & Co. 1845–78.

Webb, Sidney and Webb, Beatrice. 1913. English local government: the story of the king’s highway. Vol. 5 of English local government. By Sidney and Beatrice Webb. 9 vols. London: Longmans, Green & Co. 1906–29.

Summary

Has pleasure in giving GS a testimonial for the office of surveyor for the Bromley District.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-4147F
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
George Snow
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Lawrences Auctioneers (dealers) (30 April – 2 May 2019, Lot 207)
Physical description
ALS 1p

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4147F,” accessed on 5 June 2025, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/view/letters/DCP-LETT-4147F

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