In the year of Thomas’ 60th birthday, a milestone not mentioned in the journal, Thomas’ attention was mainly on family matters. For the first time since his arrival at Palé he does not mention any geological expeditions and there are hints that his energies are diminishing. A number of significant family circumstances are of note.
Henry, the eldest son of his second marriage, attained his BA in mathematics from Aberystwyth, and received an Exhibition grant of £50 enabling him to continue his studies at Jesus College Oxford. The younger children continued to do well in school as well as helping their sister Francie in the house. Millie captained her school’s hockey team.
On April 23rd Willie, younger son of Thomas’ first marriage brought his fiancée May Morris to meet the family. Willie and May married on May 20th, Thomas does not appear to have attended the ceremony.
Thomas continued to write his nature notes for the Oswestry Advertiser. He continued to have visitors to his collections of fossils and birds’ eggs. In November theHon. C.H. Wynne, a member of a local family of gentry visited, bringing with him ‘Mr. Gladstone’, presumably one of W.E .Gladstone’s younger sons: the eldest son had succeeded to the politician’s title and the second son was a clergyman. They took much interest in his collections and lingered for some time with Thomas, mentioning that they read his Oswestry Adverser articles with interest, and enquiring where similar fossils could be found in rocks locally.
Thomas Ruddy (1842-1912) 