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Collection Overview

Creator:
Randolph, Mary, d. 1842.
Collector:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Title:
Mary Randolph Letters to Penelope Pennington
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dz010q132
Dates:
1813-1819
Size:
1 box and 0.2 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of seventeen letters of English socialite Mary Randolph to her literary friend Penelope Pennington.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of seventeen letters of Mary Randolph to her friend Penelope Pennington. Most of the letters were written at Amorbach, where Mary resided with her husband, the Rev. Dr. Francis Randolph; others were sent from Bologna, Frankfurt, Geneva, and Stuttgart. The subjects of the letters are varied and mundane. They describe life in Germany and Randolph's new house there. She writes about the British or European royalty that she has met, fashion in Germany, European customs, the high cost of everything, the evenings they spent with the Duke and Duchess and how she instructed the Duchess on Scottish music. She talks about the food and the wine, their new maid and cook, new acquaintances, mutual friends, including Gabriel Piozzi, the weather, their travels in Europe, and dinner parties they gave and ones they were invited to. In one of her letters, Randolph writes about the price of the black fabric and hat she had to buy in anticipation of the funeral for Queen Charlotte, mother of the Duke of Kent. She also mentions her servants back in their home in England, which she has offered to the Penningtons to live in while they are in Germany. Included are handwritten and typed transcripts of the letters, together with explanations of events, short biographies of the author, her husband, and some of the people mentioned in the letters. In addition, there are three letters (1913) from Charles Taylor to "Dear Sir" regarding the Hillhouse and Randolph families& genealogies, with ink drawings of coats of arms of the families. There is one letter (1913) from Frank Bright to Charles Taylor (?) regarding Rev. Randolph's letters, in response to questions about the Randolph family history.

Collection Creator Biography:

Randolph, Mary, d. 1842.

Mary Randolph was the daughter of William Hillhouse of Bristol, England, and the wife of Rev. Dr. Francis Randolph, D.D., Cannon of Bristol Rectory of Covent Garden, London. Mary Randolph traveled with her husband when he accompanied the Duke of Kent to live in Amorbach, Germany, in 1818, after he married Victoria Mary Louisa, Princess of Saxe-Coburg. Penelope Sophia Weston Pennington was married to William Pennington, an American colonist who returned to England. When the Randolphs went abroad, they offered the Penningtons their house on Lower Green, with the staff of servants which they left behind. Penelope Pennington was part of the literary world of Hester Lynch Piozzi, Anna Seward, and their circle.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Transcripts: Gift of Robert P. Metzdorf on December 12, 1961 .

Original letters: Purchased on December 12, 1964 .

Custodial History

The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

Folder inventory added by Nicholas Williams '2015 in 2012.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

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:

Mary Randolph Letters to Penelope Pennington; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dz010q132
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1