Hodgkin's mother, née Hood, was a remarkable woman. Born into a comfortable country family in 1877, she received no formal education. By her own talent and determination, however, her family connections and especially her marriage in 1909 to John Crowfoot and consequent residence in Cairo, the Sudan and the Middle East, she made herself an authority on flowering plants, weaving and dyeing techniques, pottery and glass-making. She published extensively on these topics. Her letters are exceptionally difficult to date, since she and her husband spent several months each year on archaeological digs (where one or more of their daughters might join them), returning to their Geldeston home between expeditions. The expeditions - to Nablus, Jerash and Samaria - the finds and the camp life are described in lively terms, and often result in requests to Hodgkin for help in identifying mosaics, crystals, plants and herbs. During her parents' frequent absences, Hodgkin was responsible for her younger sisters and for domestic arrangements. Several of her parents' letters refer to modest sums sent for Christmas and birthday presents and for household bills.