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"Bernard Barton, Quaker Poet"

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Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Bernard Barton (1784-1849) was a birthright Quaker and poet. He was born on January 31, 1784, in Carlisle, England, the son of John and Maria (Done) Barton. His mother died shortly after his birth, and his father died when Barton was a child, leaving Barton to be raised by his father's second wife. Barton was educated at Friend's School, in Ipswich, and was apprenticed to Samuel Jesup in 1798. In 1807, Barton married Lucy Jesup, who died in 1808, while giving birth to the couple's only child, Lucy Barton. Barton then worked as a clerk for Messrs. Alexander's bank, where he worked for the remainder of his life. In 1812, Barton published his first volume of poetry, 'Metrical Effusions,' and in 1818, he published the 'Convict's Appeal,' a protest against the criminal code of the time, written in verse. Later publications included 'Poems by an Amateur' (1818), 'Poems' (1820), 'Napoleon and other poems' (1822), and 'Verses on the death of P.B. Shelley' (1822). Barton became the friend and correspondent of many other writers and literary men, including Charles Lamb, Robert Southey, and William Wordsworth. He lodged with Anne Knight, a Quaker children's author, and provided her with poems for a few of her books. Bernard Barton died February 19, 1849, in Woodbridge, England.

Photocopy of a typed manuscript written by Mildred Ayars Purnell, submitted as partial fulfillment for her master's in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.

"Bernard Barton, Quaker Poet" was donated to Special Collections, Haverford College by Mildred A. Purnell.

Processed by Kara Flynn; completed April, 2016.

Publisher
Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
Finding Aid Author
Kara Flynn
Finding Aid Date
April, 2016
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Collection Inventory

Manuscript Part 1, 1941.
Box 13
Manuscript Part 2, 1941.
Box 13

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