Call Number:

C0136

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 1 box
• 0.45 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Kenneth Povey Collection of William Cowper, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1727-1845 (inclusive)

Creator:

Cowper, William, 1731-1800

Form:

Legal documents -- England --19th century. and Drawings -- 19th century

Abstract:

The Kenneth Povey Collection of William Cowper consists of materials from the life of Cowper, collected by Kenneth Povey, a scholar of eighteenth-century poetry.

William Cowper was an English poet. Born in 1731 in Great Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, Cowper was schooled in Markyate and Winchester and trained for a career in law. However, he found himself ill-suited for the profession and instead was appointed a commissioner in bankruptcy. He suffered from severe mental instability and was institutionalized on several occasions. A true romantic, Cowper wrote much of his poetry in honor of the women in his life. Among his most famous compositions are The Task and The Journey of John Gilpin. Cowper died in 1800.

Joseph Hill was a close friend of Cowper who served as his mentor in matters of business.

Consists of letters, manuscripts, documents, and memorabilia relating to Cowper, collected by Kenneth Povey. Correspondents include John Johnson, William Hayley, and John Newton. The collection includes one signed, autograph letter of Cowper; a document signed by Cowper in 1758 as Commissioner of Bankrupts; a copy by John Johnson of a fragment of a diary by Cowper, published in the London Mercury, 1927, as "Cowper's Spiritual Diary"; and a volume containing 20 watercolor "Illustrations from Cowper's TASK" (1837) by "NN".