Manuscripts
John James Larpent, Baron de Hochepied papers
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John James Larpent, Baron de Hochepied papers
Manuscripts
Diplomatic correspondence accumulated by Larpent during his term as British consul in Belgium covers diplomatic relations between Great Britain, Netherlands, and Belgium, particularly at the time of the Insurrection of 1830 that brought Belgium its independence
mssFB Boxes 36-37
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Sir Francis Beaufort papers
Manuscripts
This collection is comprised of three sets of distinct papers concerning members of the Beaufort, Edgeworth, and Larpent families that were purchased from a shared descendant. The bulk of the collection consists of the papers of British hydrologist and admiral Sir Francis Beaufort and his family; in addition there are also papers of Beaufort's daughter Lady Strangford, Emily Ann Smythe (1826-1887), a travel writer and illustrator, and papers of English diplomat John James Larpent (1783-1860) and his family. Some organic material [dried plant specimens] is contained in the collection. Sir Francis Beaufort Papers (1,967 pieces in 35 boxes) The papers of Sir Francis Beaufort, dating from 1710-1953 (bulk 1780-1890), consist of diaries, journals, account books and correspondence of Beaufort and members of the Beaufort and Edgeworth families including his father Daniel Augustus Beaufort, first wife Alicia Magdalena Wilson Beaufort (died 1834). The collection includes information related to British naval history (especially during the Napoleonic Wars), Irish affairs, hydrography, scientific research in England in the early 19th century, and the Near East, including research for Sir Francis's work Karamania (1817). Emily Smythe, Viscountess Strangford Papers (78 pieces in 1 box) The papers of Emily Smythe, Viscountess Strangford, dating from 1836-1888, contain correspondence of Lady Strangford and her husband, Percy Ellen Frederick William Smythe, as well as Lady Strangford's travel journals (1876-1877) from Bulgaria, and various legal papers.John James Larpent, Baron de Hochepied, Papers (98 pieces in 3 boxes) The papers of John James Larpent, Baron de Hochepied papers, dating from 1814-1859 and consisting of diplomatic correspondence accumulated by Larpent during his term as British consul in Belgium. These items notably document diplomatic relationship between England and Belgium, particularly at the time of the French Revolution of 1830. In addition, there are letters from Larpent's sister-in-law Catherine Elizabeth Reeves, the diary (1853-1859) of his daughter Clarissa de Hochepied Larpent James, and the journal (1860-1876) of his wife, Georgiana Frances Reeves Larpent.
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Sir Francis Beaufort Papers
Manuscripts
This collection contains the papers of British admiral and hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort and members of the Beaufort and Edgeworth families dating from 1710-1953 (bulk 1780-1890) and consisting of diaries, journals, account books and correspondence. Subject matter includes the Beaufort and Edgeworth families; British naval history of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in particular the period of the Napoleonic Wars; geography and hydrography, particularly of the Eastern Mediterranean; Irish affair of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly related to economic and commercial issues; and the Royal Society and scientific affairs in England in the early 19th century. The bulk of the collection is comprised of the papers of Sir Francis and includes journals of his naval service (1791-1812); journals, notes, and working papers for his survey of Karamania (or Caramania), along the southern coast of Turkey (1813-1817); his professional diaries as hydrographer to the British Navy (1840-1857); and 854 letters by Sir Francis. Notable topics included in the correspondence of Sir Francis includes a letter-journal of his first sea-voyage, to Indonesia (1789, July 24); a description of the Battle of San Joseph, in which he was critically wounded (1800, Oct. 28); letters to Richard Lovell Edgeworth detailing the construction of the Dublin-Galway telegraph (1803) and later discussing various projects for navigation mensuration (1808, May 5); commentary at length on the death of Lord Nelson (1805, Nov. 9); a voyage to Cape of Good Hope (1806, May 16-22); Malta (1808, Oct. 21); Quebec and French Canada (1809, Oct.-Nov.); and an explanation of a naval cause celebre in which he opposed the Admiralty by asserting that an escaped slave that had served 2 years on his ship was by definition enfranchised (1814, Feb. 3); a visit with Sir Walter Scott (1821, Apr. 23); the intellectual community in Paris (Laplace, Cuvier, etc.) (1825, Nov. 4); an eyewitness description of the Coronation of William IV (1831, Sep. 9); Sir Francis's knighthood ceremony (1848, May 7); and attempts to locate Sir John Franklin by balloon (1850, Jan. 9). Notable correspondence about science written to Beaufort includes: Brinkley, John. Letters describing astronomical research 1824-1829. Dalrymple, Alexander. Series of letters concerning activities of the Hydrographical office, etc. 1805-1808. Franklin, Sir John. Two letters from northern Canada describing his explorations. 1825, Apr. 21; 1826, Feb. 6 Hall, Basil. Series of letters to Sir Francis Beaufort describing efforts to salvage the Royal George using a diving bell. 1839, Sep.-Oct. Herschel, Sir John Frederick William. Letter discussing his career, his election as president of the Royal Society, and issues facing the Society. 1830, Nov. 26. Parry, Sir William. Letter from Davis Strait describing problems of mensuration in polar regions. 1824, July 1. Ussher, Henry. Letter discussing astronomical research. 1789, Nov. 6. In addition to the papers of Sir Francis, the collection also includes the papers of other members of the Beaufort family including thirty-seven letters and four diaries of Sir Francis's father, Daniel Augustus Beaufort; seventeen letters and a journal of family history by Sir Francis's first wife, Alicia Magdalena Wilson Beaufort (d. 1834); a volume of original botanical watercolor paintings by Frances Anne Beaufort Edgeworth (1769-1865); and correspondence with and about writer Maria Edgeworth, including a series of letters from her to Sir Francis discussing literary maters and the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, dating from 1814-1827. There are also two letters by Sir Francis describing in detail the critical response to Maria Edgeworth's Patronage (1814, Feb. 3), and a letter discussing details of the publication of Edgeworth's novel Ormond (1817, June 12). Additional family correspondents include: William Lewis Beaufort (21 letters); Frances Anne Beaufort Edgeworth (3 letters); and Richard Lovell Edgeworth (7 letters). The oldest item in the collection is a grant of nobility to Francis de Beaufort (Sir Francis's ancestor) from Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I Hapsburg, dated March 4, 1710. Some interesting or important items include: Allott, Anna Maria. Memoirs of Edward Gibbon's residence in Switzerland [fragment]. c. 1794. Beaufort, Emily Anne and Beaufort, Rosalind Elizabeth. Manuscript entitled Anecdotes of Captain Beaufort, R.N., compiled by his daughters. 1840-42. Blennerhasset, Jeanne. Series of letters giving fascinating insight into the early life of Daniel Augustus Beaufort. 1764-1775. Hillyar, Mary Taylor. Letter describing last days of Sir James Hillyar. 1843, Oct. 29. Accompanied by three letters of Sir James Hillyar. Lennon, Maria. Series of letters chronicling her dramatic rescue by Sir Francis Beaufort and her loyalty to his memory decades afterwards. 1809-1843. Melville, Sir Peter Melville (also spelled Melvill). Series of letters describing his travels from India to Egypt, Turkey, Vienna. 1832, Jan. 5-Aug. 23. Some additional significant persons represented in the collection include: Sir Thomas Dyke Acland (2 letters); Thomas Arnold (7 letters); Sir Joseph Banks (3 letters); Sir John Barrow (9 letters); William Bligh (1 letter); Robert Cadell (3 letters); Stratford Canning (7 letters); Charles Robert Cockerell (4 letters); Cuthbert Collingwood (2 letters); John Wilson Croker (12 letters); Sir Roger Curtis (2 letters); Sir Humphrey Davy (1 letter); James Gambier, Baron Gambier (1 letter); Davies Gilbert (5 letters); Sir Charles Hamilton (4 letters); Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1 letter); Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1 letter); John Jervis, Earl of St. Vincent (1 letter); Alicia Le Fanu (1 letter); Edward Hawke Locker (2 letters); Sir Thomas Erskine May (2 letters); Sir James Nicoll Morris (2 letters); Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (1 letter); Horatio Nelson (1 letter); Sir William Edward Parry (2 letters); Sir Edward Pellew (7 letters); Lady Jane Spencer-Wilson Perceval (2 letters); Sir Henry Prescott (2 letters); James Rennell (29 letters); George Cecil Renouard (4 letters); Elisabeth-Paul-Edouard, Chevalier de Rossel (3 letters); Sir James South (4 letters); Thomas Spring-Rice (1 letter); Leslie Stephen (1 letter); Sir Robert Stopford (4 letters); Victoria, Queen of Great Britain (2 letters); Robert Walpole (7 letters); Sir John Borlase Warren (2 letters); John Washington (4 letters); William Wellesley-Pole, 1st Baron Maryborough (2 letters); Joseph Blanco White (1 letter); Lestock Wilson (12 letters).
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John Larpent Plays
Manuscripts
This collection consists of official manuscript copies of plays submitted for licensing between 1737 and 1824 that were in the possession of John Larpent, the examiner of plays, at the time of his death in 1824. These copies were later owned by John Payne Collier before being purchased by the Bridgewater House Library. The collection includes 2,399 identified plays as well as an additional 104 unidentified pieces including addresses, prologues, epilogues, etc. These copies of plays, generally, were clearly written by professional copyists attached to the theaters, though some are partly, or entirely, in the authors' handwriting. Most copies are accompanied by a formal application for license to perform, signed by the manager of the theater. The name of the author only rarely appears upon the play, except on title-pages of printed copies, submitted instead of manuscripts. Presumably, all new plays performed between June 24, 1737, and January 18, 1824, were licensed as the law required, but Larpent's collection is not entirely complete. The most conspicuous of the plays not now in the Huntington's collection (e.g., The Clandestine Marriage and The School for Scandal) are also not listed in the manuscript Alphabetical Catalogue with Notes of Theatrical representations &ca Submitted for Licensing From The Year 1737, to the Year 1787 inclusive in the handwriting of Larpent and of his second wife (now held by the New York Public Library). Their omission in Larpent's list suggest that these plays were removed from the Examiners' papers before Larpent took office. Others appear to have been either returned to the managers or given away by Larpent or by Collier. Note though that the Alphabetical Catalogue is incomplete and lacks a large number of titles held in this collection. A manuscript catalogue, Larpent dramatic manuscripts catalogue, 1737-1824 (call number: EL 26/B/11), was presumably made under Collier's direction, and it sometimes conveys information not found upon the copy itself, though the catalogue is incomplete and at times inaccurate. Originally, the manuscripts were bound in a rough whity-brown paper covers, upon which the Examiner often made notes. Before Larpent took office, the mark of an "X" on the paper cover seems to have indicated that the play had been examined; but Larpent usually entered the name of the theater submitting the play and a date, presumably when Larpent licensed the play and generally a day or two after the date of the application. Sometimes, though, the date is considerably after the first performance. On some copies, the marks of the Examiners indicate objectionable passages, and most suppressed plays bear endorsements stating that the license was not granted. While Collier had access to the collection, he inscribed many of the copies with notes, most of them partly in shorthand, recording his opinions on matters such as authorship, handwriting, or date. Though many of these notes are correct, others are mistaken or unintelligible. The fact that these plays are official copies sent to the office of the Examiner by the managers of the theaters, not the authors, places them in a different category from that of most literary texts. Their relation on the one hand to the acted version and on the other to the published work raises complicated problems that can be solved only individually. What liberties actors took with the text after it had been approved, one cannot say, but it seems likely that in general the licensed text was presented on the stage. The printed play, however, was generally set from copy provided by the author; and in it he had the opportunity to restore what the manager had eliminated, or to revise the piece in the light of its reception. The Larpent text, thus, may represent a state of composition either later or earlier than the first acted version. An examination of the manuscripts will show that the Examiner's copy seldom conforms entirely to the published text.
mssLA 1-2503
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Emily Smythe, Viscountess Strangford papers
Manuscripts
Consists of correspondence, documents, and various legal papers of Lady Strangford and her husband, Percy Ellen Frederick William Smythe, the 8th Viscount Strangford, as well as three travel journals kept by Lady Strangford from October 1876 to March 1877 documenting her life and travels in Bulgaria during the Turko-Bulgarian war, and her efforts in establishing military hospitals. Some items in the collection are in French and Arabic. Correspondence includes two letters from Mary Ann Evans Cross (George Eliot), dated 1874; a letter from Edward Lear, discussing his literary activities in Italy, etc. in June 1886; a June 9, 1867, letter from Harriet Martineau containing long discussion and analysis of Maria Edgeworth and her edition of Richard Lovell Edgeworth's autobiography; and an April 28, 1871, letter from Anna Eliot Ticknor discussing her life with George Ticknor. Alexander I, King of Bulgaria (1 letter); Frederick Temple Blackwood, 1st Marquis of Dufferin (6 letters); Sir Stafford Northcote (1 letter); and William Henry Smith (2 letters). There is also a November 17, 1886, letter from Alexander of Battenberg, Prince of Bulgaria, and an invitation to the May 8, 1838, coronation of Queen Victoria.
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Papers
Manuscripts
Diaries, journals, account books and correspondence of Sir Francis Beaufort and members of the Beaufort family: his father Daniel Augustus Beaufort, first wife Alicia Magdalena Wilson Beaufort (d. 1834), and others.
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