Anna Eliza Bray Collection, 1823-1852

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Creator:

Bray, Anna Eliza (1790-1883)

Title:

Anna Eliza Bray Collection

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/8s45q877j

Dates:

1823-1852

Size:

1 box and 0.2 linear feet

Storage Note:

ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1

Language:

English

Abstract: Consists of selected letters by Anna Eliza Bray, a nineteenth-century English novelist best known for fictionalizing the histories of prominent British families.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of fifteen letters of Anna Eliza Bray. There is one letter to "Mr. Planche" where she discusses her book Fritz and Fritz-Ford, and five letters to Edward Blore discussing her bad health, poor eyesight, and problems she was having with the illustrator for her novel. There are six letters to "Mr. Cunningham" (1846-1851), possibly her publisher, where she discusses additions or revisions to the text of her manuscripts. Included is a lengthy letter sent August 5, 1852, from Tavistock, to "Mr. Balmanno" expressing worries over her own health and that of Mr. Bray, and discussing logistical details for the delivery of a package of engravings by Bray's father-in-law, the English artist Thomas Stothard. Also included is a letter to the post office reformer Sir Francis Freeling, also from Tavistock, dated March 25, 1833, about the difficulties of sending her manuscripts to poet Robert Southey for her book about the history of the area. Southey was in Cumberland and Bray was in Devon, and postage between the two was not only expensive but also very time consuming. She asks Freeling if he would send her manuscripts with his personal mail for free using his "powerful frank."

Arrangement

Arranged by accession number.

Collection Creator Biography:

Bray

Anna Eliza Bray was an English novelist. In 1818 she married artist Charles Alfred Stothard, who died in 1821. Two years later she married Rev. Edward Atkyns Bray, the vicar of Tavistock. She then started writing, and from 1826 to 1874 she published several works of fiction. However, her most popular novels were those based on the history of the principal families of the counties of Devon and Cornwall where she lived, such as The Borders of the Tamar and Tavy (1836), which were written in the form of letters to her good friend, the poet Robert Southey. Among her other works are Branded, Fritz and Fritz-Ford: a Historical Romance, Good St. Louis and His Times, Trelawney, and The White Hoods: a Historical Romance.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Letter to Francis Freeling was purchase in July, 2006 .

Letter to Mr. Balmanno was purchase on April 22, 2004 .

Letter to Mr. Planche was purchased on July 23, 1970 .

Letters to E. Blore was purchase on January 3, 1967 .

Letters from Dixon, Stanhope, and Bray to Dixon and Cooke were purchased from David J. Holmes Autographs on December 6, 2006.

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.

Sponsorship:

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Dina Britain on August 3, 2006. Finding aid written by Tenley Eakin on August 4, 2006. Folder inventory added by James Clark '14 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.

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