I was working on a history paper today and found a book from 1826 that seemed promising (though dull) for my topic, on an English Catholic familyās experience moving to France.
And it ended up not really being suitable for my purposes, as it goes. But part of the book is actually devoted to Kenelm, the authorās oldest sonā¦and man, his dad loved him.
Kenelm seems to have had a fairly typical upbringing for a young English gentleman, although he is a bit slow to read. At twelve heās sent to board at Stoneyhurst Collegeāoften the big step towards independence in a boyās life, as heāll most likely only see his parents sporadically from now on, and then leave for university.
When heās sixteen, however, his father moves the whole family to France, so Kenelm gets pulled out of school to be with them again. Shortly after the move, his dad notices that he seems depressed. Kenelm confides in him that heās been suffering from āscruplesā for the last eighteen monthsāmost likely what weād now call an anxiety disorder.
And his dad is pissedāat the school, because apparently Kenelm had been seeking help there and received none, despite obviously struggling with mental health issues. So his dad takes it seriously. He sets him up to be counseled by a priestāthere were no therapists back thenāand doesnāt send him away to be boarded again, instead teaching him at home himself.
And his mental health does improve. His dad describes him as well-liked, gentle, pious, kind and eager to please others; at twenty heās thinking about a career in diplomacy or going into the militaryāwhich his dad thinks he is not particularly suited for, considering his favorite pastimes are drawing and reading. Heās excited about his familyās upcoming move to Italy, and heās been busy learning Italian and teaching it to his siblings.
Henry Kenelm Beste dies of typhus at twenty years, four months, and twenty-five days. Thatās how his dad records it. Thatās why his dad is telling this story. Itās not an extraordinary storyāKenelmās story struck me because he sounds soā¦ordinary, like so many kids today. And he was so, so loved. His dad tried hard to help him compassionately with his mental health at a time where our current knowledge and support systems didnāt exist. You can feel how badly he wanted his son to be remembered and loved, to impress how dearly beloved he was to the people who knew him in life.
I hope heād be glad to know someone is still thinking of Kenelm over 200 years later.
Anyway, thatās why Iām crying today.
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