William Hayley Collection, 1775-1819

Contents and Arrangement

Expanded View

Only show materials containing online content

Collection Overview

Creator:

Hayley, William (1745-1820)

Collector:

Princeton University. Library. Special Collections

Title:

William Hayley Collection

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/rv042t06p

Dates:

1775-1819

Size:

1 box and 0.2 linear feet

Storage Note:

ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1

Language:

English

Abstract: Consists of selected correspondence and poetical manuscripts of English poet William Hayley, the biographer and friend of William Cowper.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of selected correspondence, poems, and epitaphs of Hayley. Included are a letter (1789) from Charles Davy; one letter from Joseph Hill (1807) about William Cowper; one letter (1812) to Cadell and Davies, the London publishers, regarding books he did not receive and their response written on the same letter; one letter (1810) to a friend ("Clara"), with a long crisscrossed letter to Clara from Mrs. Hayley on the verso; one letter from A. Flaxman (1819) mentioning John Flaxman; one letter of thanks (1808) to William Hersee; one letter (1800) from Sir Francis Milman regarding Hayley's son's health; one letter (1811) to Tom Payne, bookseller in London, asking him to take over a failed transaction with another publisher; one letter (1806) to "Mrs. Rawlinson" thanking her for sending him a portrait of Darwin painted by his friend George Romney; two letters (1811, 1819) from John Singer Sargent; one letter (1806), with an epitaph, to Charlotte Mary Smith about the death of her mother; one letter (1797) to Lord Spencer asking him to consider offering a job to his friend Samuel Rose and informing him of the death of Mrs. Cowper; one letter (1775) by John B. Thornton; a letter of thanks (1801) to "Mr. Waldron"; one letter (1792) by Joseph Cooper Walker; one letter (1791) to "Sir" which includes a short poem beginnning with "Tho not a stranger ... "; and one letter (1799) to an unidentified recipient about Hayley's son's illness. Hayley signed several of his letters "Hermit."

In addition, there are several poetical manuscripts: an epitaph (1802?) on George Romney, a poem (1811) "To Clara," and a sonnet ("Let Exultation bless the hallow'd Hour . . . ") which is included in a letter (1808) to an unidentified friend about the health of the friend's father.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent and then chronologically.

Collection Creator Biography:

Hayley

William Hayley was an English writer, best known as the friend and biographer of William Cowper. Hayley won the fame he enjoyed among his contemporaries by his poetical essays and epistles, including a Poetical Epistle to an Eminent Painter (1778), addressed to his friend, the painter George Romney. In 1800 Hayley lost his natural son, Thomas Alphonso Hayley, to whom he was devotedly attached. He had been a pupil of John Flaxman, to whom Hayley's Essay on Sculpture (1800) is addressed. Flaxman introduced Hayley to William Blake who engraved the illustrations for the Life of Cowper. This, Hayley's best known work, was published in 1803-1804.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Letter to W. Hersee was a gift of Charles Ryskamp on Nov. 13, 1961 .

Letter dated 1799 concerning Hayley's son's illness was a gift of Charles Ryskamp in honor of Wanda Randall on. August 8, 1977 .

Letter to J. Thornton was a gift of A. D. Wainwright on June 16, 1984 .

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

This collection was processed by Dina Britain on August 11, 2006. Finding aid written by Dina Britain on August 11, 2006.

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: