Common-place book of Harriet Holmes, 1818
- Reference:GB 237 Coll-1415
- Dates of Creation:1818-1820
- Name of Creator:
- Language of Material:English
- Physical Description:1 volume
Scope and Content
No place of origin recorded. 1818-1820 4to., 98 pages (approx. 14,000 words) pen and ink drawings, entirely Holograph neat sloping hand, in contemp. red straight grain morocco, marbled paper sides, light wear.
This Commonplace Book commenced at the very end of 1818 and continued only for a few months gives an interesting indication of the interests of a young woman in her early twenties. The subjects are mostly copied and mostly on topical subjects. They include articles on a variety of subjects including 'The Origin of English Counties', the 'Building of Waterloo Bridge', 'Scientific Subjects', Short Stories, the search for 'Longitude at Sea' etc. There are three articles on Musical Instruments illustrated with pen and ink drawings. viz. 'The Icelandic Instrument Lang-spiel', 'The Clarinet, and The French Horn. The final article on the Races of Persia ends abruptly in mid sentence, shortly after the birth of her son.
Unusually, this commonplace book contains articles not normally associated with the readings of a young lady of this period and might well be at least partially influenced by the interests of her husband during the first year or so of their marriage prior to the arrival of their son Herbert.
Administrative / Biographical History
Harriet Spencer (nee Holmes), daughter of John Holmes, married William George Spencer in early 1819 and gave birth to the author/philosopher/polymath Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) on 27 April 1820.
Access Information
Open to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance of visit.
Acquisition Information
Material acquired May 2012. Accession no: E2012.44
Archivist's Note
Catalogued by Graeme D. Eddie 16 January 2013
Subjects
Personal Names
Genre/Form
Geographical Names