1872-83 
MADE A C.B. 
223 
On his arrival in England (March 15), he 
found his wife seriously ill, and throughout that 
month and those following he records in his diary 
the various stages of her illness. She made no 
improvement, but on May 7 passed away, and 
Owen lost one who had been his fitting helpmate 
for nearly forty years, and who had, in her younger 
days especially, assisted his work in no small 
degree both by her acute powers of observation 
and by her artistic skill. After the severe blow of 
her death, Owen’s letters became far less numerous. 
On May 10 he wrote to his sister : ‘We 
have just returned from my dear Caroline’s last 
resting-place on earth, in the quiet, peaceful 
churchyard of Ham ; a sweet summer’s day. 
Should I be called away here, I should desire tO' 
rest by her side.’ 
On May 15, 1873, he received a letter from 
the Prime Minister, Mr. Gladstone, saying that 
he remembered ‘ with dissatisfaction that a name 
so distinguished in the history of research remains 
without a note of honour from the State,’ and so 
offering him a choice of distinctions. In reply 
to this letter. Professor Owen intimated that 
he would prefer the C.B., and on June 17 of the 
same year he received the official announcement 
from the College of Arms. 
Considerations for the completeness of the 
new Museum were always present in Owen’s mind, 
and it is interesting to note from the following 
