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Anna Eliza Bray Collection
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. 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
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.
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."
Arranged by accession number.
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.
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.
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.
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.
No appraisal information is available.
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Date
- 2006
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Collection Inventory
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