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Ursula Banfield commonplace book of poetry and prose

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MS-0898

Scope and Contents

The handwritten manuscript contains approximately 220 pages. The spine reads "Album" at the top and "Ursula" at the bottom. On the third page, the book is signed, "Miss U. Banfield." The book begins with verses by William Cowper: "The Solitude of Alexander Selkirk," "Ode to Peace," and "The Lily and the Rose"; followed by Robert Burns: "Afton Water," "Thine Am I, My Faithful Fair," "The Song of Death," and "Farewell to Eliza." Writers and works include Anne Hunter, "Despair"; Lord Byron, "On Parting," "Farewell," "Napoleon’s Farewell," "I Saw Thee Weep," "Oh! Weep for Those," "My Thirty-Sixth Year," "The Tear"; Laetitia Elizabeth Landon, "The Foresaken"; John Lee Stevens, "To Melancholy"; Robert Shorter, "On Seeing in a List of New Music, The Waterloo Waltz"; Mary Wood Forten, "Good Wives"; Thomas Moore, "The Castilian Maid," "Hark! The Vesper Hymn is Stealing," "Fly Not Yet," "She Is Far from the Land"; Thomas Campbell, "The Exile of Erin"; Laura Sophia Smith (Temple), "The Mansion of Rest"; Thomas Haynes Bayly, "Isle of Beauty"; Henry Neele, "Such Things Were"; Bryan Waller Procter, "The Sea"; the Ettrick Shepherd (James Hogg), "Mora Campbell"; Jane Taylor, "The Shipwrecked Lascar"; Hannah F. Gould, "The Snow Flake"; and John Moultrie, "Forget Thee!" Other entries include: "To Hope," "Lady Jane Grey to Lord Guildford Dudley," "Lord Guildford Dudley to Lady Jane Grey," "Hints to a Young Lady by a Female Friend," "Advice to Ladies Seeking Husbands," "The Mourner," and the ballad, "The Wreck."

Dates

  • Creation: 1833 - 1838

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

The paper is watermarked 1825 and stamped "Bally, Ellen, and Steart, Bath Vellum, De Montalt Mills." A limited number of dates appear in the book between 1 May 1833 and 10 March 1838. Sources date to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Additional information on the creator, Miss Ursula Banfield, could not be found.

Extent

0.09 Cubic Feet (1 flat box (11 x 9 x 1.5 inches))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The collection consists of a commonplace book of poetry, prose, and song compiled by Ursula Banfield between 1833 and 1838. Sources date to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Ken Spelman Rare Books in January 2020.

Physical Description

The book measures 22.5cm x 18.5cm and is bound in dark red morocco with gilt floral decoration. One out of every few pages is tinted green, yellow, orange, or pink.

Processing Information

Processed by Brooke Shilling in March 2022.

Title
Guide to the Ursula Banfield commonplace book of poetry and prose
Author
Brooke Shilling
Date
2022 March
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA