5 SEPTEMBER 1947, Page 17

Sitt,—In The Spectator of August 22nd in the review of

A ffectionatgly Yours, Fanny, by Mr. Gibbs, some inaccuracies are noted in this book. I should like to correct a mis-statement also. Fanny Kemble's grandfather was not a "hairdresser," but a fully qualified doctor, called in those days a "barber-surgeon." When wigs were worn it was necessary to have the head shaved and the wigs ventilated as well as frequent blood-letting, and these matters were attended to by the "barber-surgeons." When wigs were discarded and people wore their own hair, the surgeons separated from the barbers, who became "hair-dressers," while the surgeons formed the Royal College of Surgeons. Fanny Kemble was my great-aunt, and I am well acquainted with the Kemble pedigree.—Yours faithfully, 28 Christ Church Road. Norwich. CATHARINE B. JOHNSON.