Scope and Contents
The collection contains correspondence, literary manuscripts, printed ephemera, photographs, drawings and watercolors, scrapbooks, and other papers documenting the life and career of English author and actress Florence Marryat. Visual materials include a wide selection of portraits of Marryat, and drawings and photographs from her time living in South Asia with her first husband; among those are a watercolor portrait of the martyred Sergeant-Major John Lilley (died while imprisioned in Mhow, 1862). Many of Marryat's correspondents were figures in the British literary and theater communities, including Charles Dickens and George Augustus Sala; a scrapbook of letters holds several portrait photographs of those who wrote to her. Also present is material related to Marryat's father, novelist Frederick Marryat, and some third-party correspondence of the London publisher Richard Bentley (1794-1871) and Florence Marryat's writing partner Herbert McPherson.
Dates
- 1833-1905
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Florence Marryat Collection is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Arrangement
Organized into four series: I. Correspondence, 1833-1905. II. Writings, 1837-1898. III. Performances, 1889-1890. IV. Personal Papers, 1858-1902.
Extent
1.25 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
The collection contains correspondence, literary manuscripts, printed ephemera, photographs, drawings and watercolors, scrapbooks, and other papers documenting the life and career of English author and actress Florence Marryat. Visual materials include a wide selection of portraits of Marryat, and drawings and photographs from her time living in South Asia with her first husband; among those are a watercolor portrait of the martyred Sergeant-Major John Lilley (died while imprisioned in Mhow, 1862). Many of Marryat's correspondents were figures in the British literary and theater communities, including Charles Dickens and George Augustus Sala; a scrapbook of letters holds several portrait photographs of those who wrote to her. Also present is material related to Marryat's father, novelist Frederick Marryat, and some third-party correspondence of the London publisher Richard Bentley (1794-1871) and Florence Marryat's writing partner Herbert McPherson.
Florence Marryat (1833-1899)
Florence Marryat, English author and actress, was born in Brighton on July 9, 1833, the youngest of the eleven children of English naval officer and novelist Frederick Marryat (1792-1848) and his wife Catherine Shairp (1791-1883). She was married twice, first to Thomas Ross Church (1831-1926), with whom she lived in India for six years, and later to Colonel Francis Lean (1832-1902). Marryat published her first novel in 1865 and produced more than seventy-five titles before her death; most of her books were popular romances featuring strong-minded professional women, including teachers, nurses, and actresses, as their heroines. She also edited the monthly periodical London Society from 1872 to 1876 and published a two-volume biography of her father (1872). Late in life Marryat took to the stage, appearing in roles she created for herself and giving dramatic readings of works by other authors. She died in London on October 27, 1899.
Processing Information
Former call numbers: Uncat MSS 104, Uncat MSS 538, Uncat MS Vault File
- Authors -- Great Britain -- 19th century
- Authors, English -- 19th century
- Bentley, Richard, 1794-1871
- Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870
- Drawings (visual works) -- Great Britain -- 19th century
- English literature -- 19th century
- Lilley, John, -1862 -- Portraits
- Marryat, Florence, 1833-1899
- Marryat, Florence, 1833-1899 -- Portraits
- Marryat, Frederick, 1792-1848
- McPherson, Herbert
- Photographs -- Great Britain -- 19th century
- Rangoon (Burma) -- Pictorial works
- Sala, George Augustus, 1828-1895
- Scrapbooks -- Great Britain -- 19th century
- Scripts (documents) -- Great Britain -- 19th century
- Singapore -- Pictorial works
- Tirunelveli (India) -- Pictorial works
- Watercolors (paintings) -- Great Britain -- 19th century
- Title
- Guide to the Florence Marryat Collection
- Author
- by Beinecke Staff
- Date
- 2007-05-16
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.