Record Number: 10168
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
[Item transcribed into a commonplace book]: [Untitled]; [Text] 'Oh that I had the wings of a dove/ that I might flee away and be at rest/ So prayed the Psalmist to be free/ From mortal bond and earthly thrall/ And such, or soon, or late, shall be/ Full oft the heart breathed [?] prayer of all/ ?' [total = 4 x 8 lines verses follow the 2 line quote]
Century:1800-1849, 1850-1899
Date:Between 1 Jan 1810 and 31 Dec 1871
Country:n/a
Timen/a
Place:n/a
Type of Experience(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Female
Date of Birth:1787
Socio-Economic Group:Gentry
Occupation:Daughter of Scottish land owning family
Religion:Anglican
Country of Origin:Scotland
Country of Experience:n/a
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
Identity of reader is tentative
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:[untitled]
Genre:Poetry
Form of Text:Print: Unknown
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:10168
Source:Manuscript
Author:Magdalene Sharpe- Erskine
Title:Recueil
Location:Dunimarle Library at Duff House
Call No:DH LIB 2024
Page/Folio:Item 50
Citation:Magdalene Sharpe- Erskine, Recueil Dunimarle Library at Duff House, p. DH LIB 2024, p. Item 50, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=10168, accessed: 02 May 2024
Additional Comments:
A commonplace book containing 69 items, mainly in one hand. On the basis of writing style, nature of contents, dates of entries (1827-1871) and of the material selected (mainly poets from the late 18th to mid-19th century), and the watermark date (1810), the most likely identity of the main hand is Magdalene Sharpe-Erskine, the youngest child of the main generation who collected the Dunimarle Library. Fourteen of the items are exclusively or mainly prose, the rest are poetry. Most are in English. About half the items are given, by the complier, as anonymous and about a third have no title. In each case some 6 have been identified from other sources.