Letters of Robert Ward to Sara and to Benjamin Austen; with a catalogue of the letters compiled by Sara Austen., 1824-1846.
Scope and Contents
Robert Plumer Ward, a politician and novelist, was a long-time friend of Benjamin and Sara Austen. Sara Austen was influential in the publication of his first novel, 'Tremaine' in 1825. This novel is credited as being one of the first of the 'silver fork' genre and had a great impact on the production of 'Vivien Grey' by Benjamin Disraeli, another good friend and protégé of Sara Austen.
The letters of Ward cover many topics of interest, including information relating to his publications, his family, mutual acquaintances (including numerous mentions of the D'Israeli family), opinions of other published works, business, politics and general gossip. Included in the letters to Sara Austen there are also some letters of Julia Ward, the daughter of Robert.
In addition to the letters, there is a handwritten catalogue detailing the letters of Robert Plumer Ward to Sara and Benjamin Austen. This was compiled by Sara Austen and gives a useful overview of the content of the letters in this sequence.
Dates
- Creation: 1824-1846.
Creator
- Austen, Benjamin, solicitor, uncle of Austen Henry Layard, d 1861 (Recipient, Person)
- Austen, Sara, wife of Benjamin, solicitor, aunt of Austen Henry Layard, d 1881 (Recipient, Person)
- Ward, Robert Plumer (novelist and politician) (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Normal access conditions apply.
Conditions Governing Use
Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.
Extent
5 Folders
Arrangement
The letters have been divided into each year of correspondence and then subdivided by recipient i.e. letters to Sara Austen placed before those to Benjamin Austen. The catalogue has been placed at the end of the sequence.
Genre / Form
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk