The Byron Study Centre - Resources
As part of the Centre's commitment to fostering research into the study of Byron and Romanticism, this section of the website is devoted to the provision of a range of resources for students and scholars. In addition to introductory essays and resources on Byron, women writers and European Romanticism, the Centre also publishes the Byron Foundation Lectures Online series and the Nottingham Byron Web Archive.
Resources published by the Centre:
Resources published elsewhere on the web:
Local Resources:
Because of the significance of Nottingham to Byron's life, the area holds significant resources for the study of Byron and his literary, political and cultural contexts.
Newstead Abbey
Byron's ancestral home, is located 12 miles north of Nottingham and south of Mansfield. Newstead holds significant Byron editions, manuscripts, ephemera, as well as materials relating to Byron and his circle, such as responses to and parodies of Byron's works, correspondence relating to Byron, portraits, and other personal materials. Scholars wishing to inquire about specific materials at Newstead should contact the Abbey directly, either through the Newstead web page linked above, or by writing to the Curator of Newstead, at Newstead Abbey Park, Nottingham, NG15 8GE, England.
City of Nottingham's Central Library
The Local Studies Library, part of the City of Nottingham's Central Library, holds an outstanding Byron Collection in its special collection department that includes:
- an extensive collection of early editions
- wide selection of criticism
- biographical information about Byron and wider family circle
- Newstead Abbey material
- journals
- engravings and illustrations
- newscuttings
- book reviews and related material ephemera
Not all the materials are kept on site. Materials published before 1990 are only on a card catalogue in the department. In order to examine this material, please contact the Local Studies Library in advance to make arrangements: Local Studies Library, Nottingham Central Library, Angel Row, Nottingham, NG1 6HP (telephone 0115- 915-2873, email: localstudies@notlib.demon.co.uk).
The University Special Collections
The University of Nottingham's Manuscripts and Special Collections on the King's Meadow Campus holds some rare material relating to the study of the Romantic period, although it does not have substantial holdings on Byron proper. The University Library recently purchased a large collection of the papers, letters, and printed books of the prolific nineteenth-century Quaker writer Mary Howitt and her husband, the journalist William Howitt. This large collection, including several hundred letters, is in the process of being catalogued and is an exciting resource, particularly for scholars interested in women writers. The majority of the letters are from Mary Howitt (1799-1888) to her sister Anna Harrison (1797-1882). The letters and journals of Mary's sister Emma Botham Alderson (1806-1847), who emigrated to the United States, also form a substantial portion of this large collection. Mary Howitt lived in Nottingham from 1822-1836, and travelled widely throughout Britain and Europe; thus these manuscripts and rare books provide an important resource for the study of writers in the Romantic period, particularly for literary and history scholars interested in the Nottingham area. For more information on this collection, contact the Manuscript Librarian in the Department of Special Collections.
The Library also houses important political and historical materials relating to the Romantic period. A collection of Luddite ballads, as well as the Portland Literary Manuscripts and political papers relating to the Duke of Portland, are available in the department of Special Collections. The Cambridge Drama Collection spans the Romantic period, dating from 1750 to 1850; it contains the works of both well-known and neglected authors, and also contains a substantial number of works by women writers. A large French Revolution Collection (part of the library of the 25th Earl of Crawford and Balcarres) is also in the process of being catalogued.
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