Followed by: A.N.S. by William Knight. Originally enclosed with: A.L.S. from William Knight to Katherine Frances Whelan, b. 1823, [ca. 1850?] (1 p.); now cataloged separately.
The majority of the collection consists of manuscripts, correspondence, documents, drawings and ephemera directly related to James Robinson Planché and his work in the theatre, antiquarian pursuits, and costume expertise. Among the authors and correspondents are: John Baldwin Buckstone, William E. Gladstone, Benjamin Robert Haydon, Leigh Hunt, Ellen Kean, Frances Maria Kelly,Charles Kemble, Albert Denison (Baron Londesborough), Rosina Bulwer Lytton (Baroness Lytton), William Charles Macready, Richard Brinsley Peake, Jane Porter, David Roberts, William Makepeace Thackeray, and Carl Maria von Weber. The other main part of the collection is material, including fragments and clipped signatures, which were collected for the autograph value only, and have no relation to Planché or his work. Among these authors and correspondents are: Adelaide, Queen consort of William IV, William Blanchard, Richard Daly, Thomas Frognall Dibdin, George III, Edwin Henry Landseer, Robert Peel, William Pitt, Lucia E.B. Vestris, and Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington). There is also a small group of letters written to Thomas Francis Dillon Croker, mainly regarding Planché and his work and family. The ephemera consists of printed material, including printed play texts, newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, and printed musical scores.
