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Collection Overview

Creator:
Ponsonby, Sarah, 1755-1831
Title:
Sarah Ponsonby Collection
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/np193920s
Dates:
1801-1822
Size:
1 box and 0.2 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of selected letters of Sarah Ponsonby, one of the famous "Ladies of Llangollen."

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collections consists of selected letters written by Sarah Ponsonby to Richard Lloyd Williams, Mrs. Jones, or Lady Glyndwr of Wrexham, and others. Ponsonby's letters (14) to Williams, an architect in Denbigh, Wales, mainly deal with health problems which affect her friend and companion, Lady Eleanor Butler, and a problem with her eyes and eyesight. They all date from 1822. Letters (1801-1804) to Mrs. Jones are about information that Mrs. Jones had asked Ponsonby to obtain. The letters also discuss the health of Ponsonby's sister, Mrs. Lowther; her friend Mrs. Myddleton Biddulph and her husband, owners of Chirk Castle in Wrexham, North East Wales; and about friends or events in their hometown of Llangollen Vale in North East Wales, from where all the letters are addressed. Also included is a postcard of a lithograph of Ponsonby and Butler in their unusual clothes, and newspaper clippings of stories about their lives.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged by accession number.

Collection Creator Biography:

Ponsonby, Sarah, 1755-1831

Sarah Ponsonby was the orphaned daughter of Chambre Brabazon Ponsonby. She lived an unhappy life with relatives in Woodstock, Ireland. She met Lady Eleanor Butler in 1768. Since both women shared a mutual love of the arts and were both unhappy with their lives, they decided to live a quiet rural life. They left Ireland and they set up home in "Plas Newydd," in Llangollen, North East Wales, in 1780. Because they led an unusual and secluded life, Ponsonby and Buttler became known as the Ladies of Llangollen. Their relationship scandalized and fascinated their contemporaries, and they became famous all over Great Britain. Eventually, they attracted the interest of the outside world. Their new Gothic residence became a magnet for writers, intellectuals, and artists, such as Robert Southey, William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and Sir Walter Scott, as well as the Duke of Wellington, Caroline Lamb, and Josiah Wedgwood. Ponsonby and Butler lived together for the rest of their lives, over 50 years.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Purchased on October 8, 1970 .

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

Folder inventory added by Nicholas Williams '2015 in 2012.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Sarah Ponsonby Collection; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/np193920s
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1