| Description | Commonplace book, inscribed "Martha Blandford / 1815" on the front free endpaper and a pencil annotation "Mrs Blandford / Swallowcliff" . Annotated by William St Clair on the front pastedown in October 1988 "Commonplace book of Martha Blandford 1815-1816. Swallowscliff. Water? [?] 1814. Byron's Fare Thee Well and two replies at the end."
Contains mainly poetry, mostly unattributed, also some verses and prose addressed to named individuals e.g. on the occasion of marriage or a birthday. Subjects mostly relate to love, marriage, men, women and family. Begins with lines on the death of a favourite child, likely original. Includes Byron's 'Fare Thee Well' (Lord Byron's Fare well address to Lady B) and 'Now each tie of love is broken', response by Anne Isabella, Lady Byron. In a single hand (presumably Martha Blandford's) throughout.
Slim volume, covered in printed paper with marbling. |