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4
the peculiar prob lems of those orphan and destitute children who were herded
ogether in lrge numbers, and realized the importance of diet and nutrition
in relation to health.
Yet Liverpool was not to be the setti.ng for his life's work.
Wavertree, on June 8, 1831, Hall married Mary Latham, born February 21, 1807,
the eldest of the seventeen chi ldren of Dr John Latham whom he described as
a fine, old gentleman, a venerab le specimen of the medical
professional gentleman of old times, with his powdered hair,
a Latham of ' the ancient and notab le Lancashire fami ly of tha}
name. 6
It \oJas a doub le weddiṇg, Richard Hall marryi_ng
Frances.
Little is known of Mary Hall, who was described by Harold Latham
as 11a typical, beautiful, E_nglish. gentlewoma ". 7
undoubtedly a happy one:
Golden Weddng Anniversary, Hall said:
The marri .
age was
fifty years later, on the occasion of their
Few can look back to half a century of wedded life with more
satisfaction than we can do . From the commencement, on the
8th June, 1831, every object of professional or other ambition,
fame and worldly success was made subordinate to domestic happiness .
Home, sweet home has been ever the centre of attraction to us both . 8
However, time and fate did not always treat the Halls kindly .
In the first two years of their marri_age, two sons were born;
eginald, died when nine days old, the second was stillborn . 9
the elder,
At
Hall, too,
while travellng near Liverpool, was held up by ighwaymen and robbed;
in the ensuing
hearng for the rest of his life.l D
But more disturbi?g still, Mary 's
health, delicate for many years previous ly, b .
egan to fai l alarmingly,
causi_1:1g her husband and her father to agree that, unless she left Liverpool,
one of the most unheal tby towns in E .
ngland, at once, she would die of
tuberculosis.
Faced with a desperate situation, the Hal ls decided to
eigrate to Van Diemen1s Land to a climate more favourable to health and
life, altho . ugh Mary 's fami ly thught that she would not survive the long
journey to the other side of the world.
his future home .
Hall did not give his reasons for se lecti.ng Van Diemen ' s Land as
However, there was much discussion at the time of the
6
Hall, Reply.
7
Hall Papers, 308/4/20/3 .
8
Hall, Reply.
9
Hall Papers, NS 308/1/3.
10 Hal l, Reply.