John Bullar 1778-1864: ‘A Learned, Eloquent and Able Man’

This week we hand the reins over to Roger Ottewill for a blog on John Bullar, Southampton clergyman and historian. Much of Bullar’s library can now be found in the Hartley Library’s Special Collections, presented by his sons “as a lasting memorial of the interest which their father took in the Institution and of the earnest desire which he ever felt to promote by all means in his power the mental and spiritual improvement of his fellow-men.”

Among Southampton Historians John Bullar stands out as having received the ultimate accolade of an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography [ODNB]. Written by Barbara Spender this provides a succinct assessment of his life and works (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Part of John Bullar’s entry in the ODNB showing an engraving of him

She makes the point that his Christian ‘faith underpinned his diverse writings which ranged from a series of locally based historical and geographical tourist guides, to a collection of edifying poetry with which he sought to counter the anti-religious tide of popular culture epitomized by the poetry of Lord Byron.’ His very close links with Southampton, where he lived for the whole of his life, are also highlighted. In this vein, she concludes with words taken from his obituary in the Southampton Times: ‘The life of Mr Bullar is in fact the life of Southampton during the past fifty years.’ (ODNB, p.600). In another obituary, taken from the Salisbury and Winchester Journal, he is described as an ‘exemplary Christian, and a learned, eloquent and able man’ (21 May 1864, p.8).

Bullar is also memoralised by having one of the streets in Bitterne Park named after him (see Figure 2). As A.G.K.Leonard explains in Stories of Southampton Streets this was to serve ‘as a memorial to a man who was involved in many liberal and humane causes, working ceaselessly to promote the spiritual and material progress of his town’ (p.83).

Figure 2: Map showing location of Bullar Road

The principal aims of this blog are to provide some biographical information and summaries of his key historical works, which are held in Special Collections. It is hoped that this will inspire others to consider further Bullar’s contribution to the development of Southampton’s cultural life and the influences which shaped his personality and, what today would be called, his ‘world view’.

Biographical Overview

Born on 27 January 1778, John Bullar’s parents were John Bullar senior (1744-1836) ‘a peruke maker and hairdresser of Southampton High Street’ and Penelope, nee Rowsell (1755-1799). He was the eldest of eleven children, although only three survived into adulthood. Educated at King Edward VI Grammar School he was clearly an industrious scholar since he subsequently became a schoolmaster, teaching in ‘his schools in Bugle Street, Moira Place and Prospect Place’ (ODNB, p.599). As pointed out by Barbara Spender, many of the civic leaders of Southampton received their initial education from Bullar.

John and Penelope had six children, four sons and two daughters. Three of their sons became doctors, with two of them, Joseph and William, being closely involved with the Royal South Hants Infirmary. One of their daughters, Ann wrote a number of well received educational works mainly for the young.

A powerful influence throughout Bullar’s life was his religious affiliations and sensibilities. Although baptised an Anglican, his marriage in 1806 to Susannah Sarah Whatman Lobb brought him within the orbit of the prestigious Above Bar Independent (later Congregational) Chapel, where her parents were leading members (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Above Bar Congregational Church interior and exterior (Source: Avenue St Andrew’s URC Archive)

Subsequently, a member of the Chapel for the remainder of his life, Bullar served as a deacon for 43 years. Interestingly, however, his funeral service in 1864 was conducted by the Bishop of Rochester, with whom he had a close friendship. This led to the Birmingham Daily Post headlining its report, “A Dissenter Buried by a Bishop” (23 May 1864, p.3).

Historical Works

From the perspective of Southampton’s history, undoubtedly his most significant work was Historical Particulars relating to Southampton, published in 1820. However, in the foreword (or ‘advertisement’ as it is headed), Bullar makes the following ‘disclaimer’:

The following particulars which are presented to the public in the following pages, were collected at intervals, in the course of reading, many years ago. They were seen by the late ARTHUR HAMMOND, Esq. who urged the compiler of them to undertake a history of his native place; offering to use his influence with the Corporation, to obtain access to the sources of information in their archives. Want of leisure prevented him from availing himself of so liberal and important an offer; and the same cause is likely to continue to operate. His friend, Mr. THOMAS BAKER, however, unwilling that the few collections he had made, should be altogether lost, undertook to publish them. In this imperfect form, they bespeak the candour of the public: to which they are committed, with a hope that the publication of them may stimulate some able person to take up a subject, which might be made, it is probable, both instructive and entertaining.

Shortcomings notwithstanding, Bullar’s hope was certainly realised with this work serving to inspire later historians who used it as their starting point.

To provide a flavour of the accessible nature of the work, below are a couple of extracts. With respect to his beloved Above Bar Independent Church, he wrote that following the ejection of the Revd Nathanial Robinson from All Saints Church in 1662 and his remaining in Southampton:

At first on account of the persecution which then raged, they were under the necessity of assembling when and where they could. Afterwards, some houses were converted into a place of worship, in which, as the times would allow, they attended their Sabbaths and their monthly sacraments. They held also monthly fasts, at which they constantly made collections for the poor; thus assisting not only the needy of their own society, but even occasionally sending help to the persecuted Protestants of France … In 1727, a neat place of worship was erected, which was enlarged in 1802, and taken down and substituted with the present building in 1820 (pp.95-6).

On a different subject, namely ‘boundaries’, he had this to say:

Southampton being a county of itself, a procession round the boundaries is occasionally made (till lately the ceremony was annual) by the sheriff, court-leet, and as many of the housekeepers who chose to attend: all of them are summoned and a fine of one penny is demanded on their refusal. – This cavalcade, which has obtained the popular name of cut-thorn, from the season when it takes place, sets out on the morning of the second Tuesday after Easter Tuesday, from the Bar-Gate, and after having made a complete compass of the county, re-enters the town at the bridewell gate. At the various boundary marks on the road, several ludicrous ceremonies are performed by those who have never before attended the procession. In the course of their circuit, refreshment is provided for them; in a tent erected on the common; and the day frequently terminates with greater credit to the hospitality of the Sheriff, than to the moderation of his guests (pp.107-8).

As can be seen, in places Bullar sought to inject an element of humour and/or sarcasm into his narrative.

Another work, Bullar’s guide to Netley Abbey, was sufficiently popular to run to at least nine editions, the last being published in July 1844. Described as a ‘companion’, this provided visitors with not only details of the buildings but also the life of those for whom the Abbey was their home.

The preface to the fourth edition of a Tour Round Southampton (1810) provides a fair indication of its geographical and historical scope with it:

Comprehending various particulars, ancient & modern of the New Forest, Lymington, Christchurch, Ringwood, Romsey, Winchester, Bishop’s Waltham, Titchfield, Gosport, Portsmouth &c, with the notices of the Villages, Gentlemen’s seats, Curiosities, Antiquities &c occurring in the different roads described , and various Biographical Sketches.

Clearly this was intended to encourage those visiting Southampton to enjoy other delights within the county and not restrict themselves to the town and its immediate environs. Thus, Bullar could be said to serve as a historiographical muse for not only future Southampton historians but also those whose interests lay elsewhere within Hampshire.

Lastly, reference should be made to Bullar’s guide to the Isle of Wight which covered all parts of the island and again ran to nine editions. In the later editions, the text is supplemented with an increasing number of engravings which serve to add interest and illuminate his descriptions of many of the principal buildings and vistas (see Figures 4 a-d for some examples).

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  “Entrance to Carisbrooke Castle” from the Historical and Picturesque Guide to the Isle of Wight by John Bullar, 9th ed. (1840) [Rare Books Cope 98.035 1840]

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  “Arched Rock” in Freshwater bay from the Historical and Picturesque Guide to the Isle of Wight by John Bullar, 9th ed. (1840) [Rare Books Cope 98.035 1840]

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  “Appuldurcombe” from the Historical and Picturesque Guide to the Isle of Wight by John Bullar, 9th ed. (1840) [Rare Books Cope 98.035 1840]

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  “Niton” from the Historical and Picturesque Guide to the Isle of Wight by John Bullar, 9th ed. (1840) [Rare Books Cope 98.035 1840]

His coverage, however, is not restricted to the grand houses, but also includes references to Parkhurst Prison and the House of Industry (i.e. workhouse).

Other Publications

In view of his strong Christian faith it is unsurprising that among his published works are many of an overtly religious character. These include: The impartial testimony of a layman, against the errors of the present times, and in favour of the Holy Scriptures: being the substance of a speech delivered at the fifth anniversary of the Southampton Bible Society. Nov 10, 1819 and Harvest home and lord of all harvests: a lay lecture, published in 1854. A few years earlier, in 1846, he had published a collection of his lay lectures, under the title Lay Lectures on Christian Faith and Practice. This was described is one of his obituaries as being ‘marked with good sense, clear reasoning, much research and considerable eloquence and stamped the author as a man of learning and talent’ (Salisbury and Winchester Journal 21 May 1864, p.8). Many of his lectures were delivered at the Mechanic’s Institution and the Literary and Philosophical Institution. As indicated earlier, alongside history and religion, another of his interests was poetry. This was evidenced by the publication in 1822 of Selections from the British poets: … with select criticisms … and short biographical notices.

Conclusion

Without doubt, Bullar was a leading figure within Southampton’s intellectual elite during the first half of the nineteenth century. Judging by the tributes paid to him both during his life and following his death it would be difficult to overstate his reputation. A true son of Southampton he was strongly motivated to improve the welfare and sensibilities of his fellow townsmen. His final resting place is in the churchyard of St Nicholas’ Church, North Stoneham (see Figure 5).

Figure 5: St Nicholas Church North Stoneham

Spotlight on collections: the Cope illustrations

The Cope Collection is a rich trove of resources on the history of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and among its treasures are over a thousand printed illustrations, consisting mainly of engravings and lithographs. Compiled by Sir William Cope as part of his “Hampshire Collection”, they arrived at the Hartley Institution at his bequest in 1892 and have remained at the University of Southampton, in its various iterations, ever since. The range of subjects include portraits of local people of standing, landscapes and seascapes, country houses and family seats, churches, depictions of events, and more! Below are just a few examples of the illustrations; a full list can be found on the Cope illustrations libguide. If you’re familiar with Hampshire and/or the Isle of Wight, you’ll probably find illustrations of places you recognise!

Most of the illustrations are uncoloured, with a few exceptions, including this engraving of Freshwater and lithograph of the Undercliff on the Isle of Wight:

Rare Books Cope c 98.915 FRE (pr 227)

Rare Books Cope c 98.915 UND (pr 248)

The results obtained by the different printing methods are easily discernible in these two beautiful images. Engravers would cut the lines of the image into a metal plate; the lines would be filled with ink and then the paper would be pressed against the plate either by hand or with a roller. Lithographs were made using stone plates, with images created by the application of grease and oil-repellent ink. Lithography results in a “softer” image than an engraving, with fewer stark lines.

Staying on the Isle of Wight, here are two images that give a rare chance to see its lost or unusual aspects. Blackgang Chine as depicted in this lithograph no longer exists: ongoing coastal erosion and cliff collapse destroyed the coastal ravine by the early twentieth century. Scratchell’s Bay, on the south-west coast of the island, has always been accessible only by boat. It’s unlikely that many people in 1828, when this engraving was published, would have had the opportunity to see the Bay from this angle!

Rare Books Cope c 98.915 BLA (pr 208)

Rare Books Cope c 98.915 SCR (pr 242)

Before the use of photography became widespread, illustrations would have provided an important historic record of notable local events. This engraving of Southampton Audit House depicts the evening of 25th January 1842, when an impressive facade was erected to celebrate the christening of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VII (1841-1910). As well as providing an opportunity for people of the time to see the facade, this illustration gives the modern viewer chance to see the Audit House, which was completely destroyed in the Blitz in 1940.

Rare Books Cope c SOU 91.5 AUD (pr 927)

Looking at illustrations of since-disappeared buildings is fascinating and often quite poignant. Stratton Park, seat of the Baring family, was demolished in 1963. All that remains today is the portico, looking slightly incongruous next to the modern house that was built on the site. The house as depicted on this lithograph looks so solid and strong that it’s hard to imagine it being knocked down! What would Sir Thomas Baring have thought, if he’d known about the demolition of his home in the following century?

Rare Books Cope c STT 72 (pr 1003)

Another lost building is the Netley Abbey Hotel and Boarding House, later known as The Lake House. Its eventual fate is unclear; it certainly no longer stands, but this 19th century trade card depicts the House as thriving! Prints such as this were often used in local guidebooks, as advertisements. Netley Abbey had become a popular tourist attraction in the Victorian era, so a local hotel seems like an ideal business opportunity.

Rare Books Cope c NET 42 (pr 693)

The Abbey itself is particularly well-represented amongst the illustrations; understandably so, given the atmospheric and romantic nature of the ruins! The late medieval monastery was partly demolished in the early 18th century and became overgrown, providing inspiration to artists, poets and authors. There are around 50 prints of the Abbey in the Cope illustrations, showing many different aspects. This one shows the South Transept of the church.

Rare Books Cope c NET 26 (pr 647)

Another well-represented building, and one which hasn’t been demolished or ruined, is Winchester Cathedral. The figures shown walking in this print really add to the sense of the vastness of the nave.

Rare Books Cope c WIN 26 (pr 1039)

Southampton residents and visiting students are probably familiar with this building: the Cowherds Inn, on Southampton Common. This print is undated but it’s from a time when the Avenue was more of a track than the major roadway it is today, and isn’t recognisable at all! The Inn, however, retains many of the features depicted here, although it has undergone many alterations over the years. Some of the trees shown in this image may still be standing!

Rare Books Cope c SOU 63 (pr 877)

Finally, for something completely different: a plate depicting Anglo-Saxon antiquities discovered in Hampshire. This colour lithograph was published in Woodward, Wilks and Lockhart’s A general history of Hampshire (1861-69), a copy of which was also bequeathed by Sir William Cope to the Hartley Institution. The collection of Cope illustrations contain many other prints from this publication, which covers a wide breadth of Hampshire’s history.

Rare Books Cope c 93 (pr 74)

Sir William Cope’s bequest states, “I bequeath … all my books, pamphlets, papers, maps, prints and manuscripts relating to the County of Southampton … in trust for the Hartley Institution, Southampton there to be kept and carefully preserved and not to be removed therefrom.” We hope that he’d be very happy to know that the University safely keeps and preserves his “Hampshire Collection”, and adds to it, over 130 years after his death.

To find out more about Sir William Cope and the Cope Collection, please take a look at this blog post on Cope and another local historian, Thomas Shore…

Hampshire’s Local History Champions

…and to find out more about the conservation and preservation of the Cope illustrations, see this blog post about the 2016 illustrations rehousing project, which created a secure and stable environment for the prints:

Preserving and conserving illustrations from the Printed Collections

I is for Island

For the latest in the Special Collections A-Z, we look at I for islands. Special Collections holds a wide range of material relating to islands from the far flung to the very near to home. For this blog we will travel to a small selection represented in the collections to give a flavour of the range of material that can be explored. 

HMS Hecla and Fury in their “winter island” as they are frozen in for the winter [MS45 A0183/2 p359]

For the more distant islands you can view the journals of William Mogg in which he describes his journeys as part of Captain William Edward Parry’s second and third Arctic expeditions, on board HMS Hecla and HMS Fury, 1821-5, including being frozen in at ‘Winter Island’ for nine months when the ice closed in. And there is a further Mogg journal when he was on aboard HMS Beagle exploring the coastline and islands of South America. Such items as Prince Louis of Battenberg’s album of his circumnavigation of the world on board HMS Inconstant provide us with glimpses of life in Japan, New Zealand or the Fiji Islands in the 1880s, as well as visits to St Helena and Gibraltar.

Fiji Islands from the album of Prince Louis of Battenberg [MS62/MB2/A20]

St Helena from the album of Prince Louis of Battenberg [MS62/MB2/A20]

A new acquisition to the Special Collections dating from 1896 is an eleven-volume travelogue of the Hon. Louis Samuel Montagu, later second Baron Swaythling, of his world tour (MS461) which includes not just his observations on his travels and the people and places he saw but some wonderful photographs from Japan. And for the 20th century we have photograph albums of Lord and Lady Mountbatten, as well as tour diaries of Lord Mountbatten, relating to visits to islands from the Mediterranean, the South Seas and the Far East, as well as Australia and New Zealand (MS62).

Images of Madeira from a photograph album of a tour taken by Lady Mountbatten, 1931 [MS62/MB2/L6 page 5]

For nearer to home, quite a variety of material has found its way to the Special Collections relating to the Isle of Wight. This includes items collected by the University’s predecessor the Hartley Institution in the late nineteenth century such as a pardon from James I to Thomas Urrey of Thorley, Isle of Wight, 8 June 1604 (MS6/1).

Pardon from James I to Thomas Urrey, 1604 [MS6/1]

Other items include descriptions of walks around the island such Sarah Jane Gilham’s “journal of seven weeks peregrinations at the most beautiful place on earth, namely the Isle of Wight”, 1850 (MS6/8), or Thomas Flood’s description of his walking tour of the island in 1845 (MS450).

The island was the inspiration for poetry by James B.Fell (MS14) as well as the long manuscript poem “Elizabeth the fair prisoner of Carisbrook”, mid-nineteenth century (MS5/32).

Within the papers of the Gordon family, who resided at Northcourt on the island, are a series of watercolours by Lady Julia Gordon that feature the house and garden (MS80). Special Collections also holds a collection of watercolours by the Revd John Lewis Petit (MS283). Those for the Isle of Wight range from Alum Bay to Yaverland and includes seascapes and landscapes as well as churches, which are the focus of many of his paintings.

Alum Bay: View from cliff top looking across to The Needles by J.L.Petit [MS283/55]

The working papers of the academic Lindsay Boynton includes considerable material on both Sir Richard Worsley and Appuldurcombe House (MS301). Special Collections also holds the editorial notes for the Victoria County History for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (MS29) providing an interesting counterpoint to the range of published histories of the island held as part of the Cope Collection.

For politics on the island in the 19^th and 20^th centuries you can find a range of material in the papers of the first Duke of Wellington and the Broadlands Archives including extensive files for Earl Mountbatten of Burma as the Governor of the Isle of Wight.

Letter sent by internee at the Aliens’ Detention Camp, Douglas, Isle of Man, to Rabbi Dr Victor Schonfeld, 19 June 1917 [MS192 AJ413/7 f3]

Another island of the UK coast for which we hold quite a number of items is the Isle of Man. This ranges from material on the harbour defence in the 19^th century in the Wellington Archive to material in quite a number of the Jewish archive collections relating to the use of the island in the 20^th century for internment. This latter material includes not just reports on an inspection of the internment camps in the Second World War which can be found in archive of Solomon Schonfeld, but correspondence of internees in both World Wars.

Sketch of Mooragh internment camp, Ramsay, Isle of Man, by K.Rothschild, c.1940 [MS297/A890/2/1]

Sketch of Ramsay, Isle of Man, by Manfred Steinhardt, 1940 [MS297/A890/2/1]

To complement the more recent material relating to islands in the Mediterranean found in the papers of Lord and Lady Mountbatten, there is 19th-century papers in both the archive of the first Duke of Wellington and those of third Viscount Palmerston relating to the Ionian Islands, the seven islands that include Corfu, Paxos and Cefalonia. This covers the period from the Treaty of Paris in 1815 when the islands were placed under British protectorship, to 1864 when they were officially reunified with Greece.

First page of synopsis for “Refugee island” a proposed TV play by Norman Crisp [MS199/101/1]

And we travel even further with a fictional island although potentially situated in the South Seas. Taken from the archive of the writer Norman Crisp (MS199), this is a synopsis and script for a proposed TV play “Refuge Island”. Written in the response to the threat of the H-bomb, the play follows the story of an individual, who may or may not be a confidence trickster, and his scheme to create a “refuge island”.

To find more islands, or to find out more about any of the items mentioned, do explore the Epexio Archive Catalogue which contains details of the archival collections that we hold.

And do join us next week when we will have reached J for Jewish archives.

Walking the Isle of Wight

This September Heritage Open Days, England’s largest festival of history and culture, will run 10-19 September. To mark this event, we feature in this blog a new manuscript accession that is one man’s appreciation of the history and culture of the Isle of Wight.

The manuscript was written by Luke Thomas Flood (1775-1860), who in 1845 travelled from his home in London to undertake a return tour of the Isle of Wight. The Flood family lived at 23 Cheyne Walk in Chelsea. Luke Thomas Flood was a Justice of the Peace and a significant landowner in Chelsea as well as a great benefactor to the parish, to which he left £3,000 when he died in 1860. He is celebrated by a service at the parish church annually on January 13th (called “Flood’s Day”) and Flood Street was named after him.

Flood recorded his reminiscences of his journey in a manuscript that he entitled “Tracings in a Pedestrian tour in the Isle of Wight in September 1845”. His intention was to write a short piece for publication in a weekly periodical, but, as he notes “as I went on I found so much pleasure in ‛treading my journey o’er again’ that I extended the paper beyond the appropriate limits.” [MS450 A4335/2/1]

Map of the Isle of Wight taken from J Sturch A view of the Isle of Wight (London, 1803) Rare Books Cope 98.03: Flood refers to an array of guidebooks and maps that he uses as he traverses the island.

Flood began his journey by train to Southampton from whence he caught the steam ferry to Cowes. In the first part of his reminiscences he recounts not only his arrival at Cowes but the arrival of a steamer conveying Queen Victoria:

[p2] “The surface of the water composing that beautiful estuary or rather arm of the sea, called Southampton Water, was beautifully calm and transparent. Three of the West India mail steamers quietly slept on its surface while here and there a pleasure yacht with its snow white sails half filled… just gave a semblance of life to the scene.

The steamers land their passengers at a wharf behind the Fountain Hotel, the largest in the town. There are several others of various degrees of excellence. Having observed in the cabin of the steam vessel a card of the Red Lion Inn, I went thither but found it not exactly to my taste, for instance I slept on a stump bedstead…. I walked out for half an hour on the Parade. I had just reached the walls of the castle when the guns suddenly commenced firing a salute, which was taken up by the RVS Schooner Ganymede. The Queen had just hove in sight or rather the steamer containing her and this was [p.3] her welcome home from Germany. What a curious instance this firing of salute is…”

West Cowes, Isle of Wight drawn by John Nixon, engraved by S.Rawle (London, 1806) Rare Books Cope c 98 COW 91.5 pr 355

Flood describes West Cowes as “a pretty town, so far as situation goes. Her streets are narrow, but being at the foot of wooded hills, this defect is lost sight of from the water. A very pleasant walk exists along the West Cliff (which by the bye is no cliff at all)… The views of the Solent and of the Hampshire coast are particularly pretty and much life is caused by the number of yachts usually at anchor off the town, the club house being situate on the Parade.” [p3]

Of Carisbrooke, to which he travelled by omnibus from Cowes, he noted “No village has all the signs of age. The church stands on an elevated round and the church yard is considerably above the road. This place in bygone times used to be considered the capital of the island, the castle being the great centre of strength and attraction….”

And it was to the Castle that Flood travelled, following the carriage road close to the grand entrance, which he described as “a really fine piece of antiquity often sketched and engraved, especially in guide books”.

Entrance to Carisbrooke (J. & F.Harwood, London, 1841) Rare Books Cope c 98 CAR 91.5 pr 296

“There is however a multitude of thoughts that rush through our mind when we behold such a relic actually before us…. Thoughts instead of glittering arms are now set in action by its towering and majestic form!”

Lithograph of an illustration of King Charles’s Window, Carisbrooke Castle by Joseph Barney, n.d. [19th century] Rare Books Cope c 98 CAR 93 pr 298

“We pass through the portal to a small wicket admits us within the walls. We are shewn on the left the window from which Charles I endeavoured to escape and on the right is the chapel which has been rebuilt by George 2nd. On the left is the famous well 500 feet deep… A path also to the left leads to a lofty flight of steps in not very good condition which conveys the explorer to the keep….”

The Keep, Carisbrooke Castle, drawn and engraved by Charles Tomkins (London, 1794) Rare Books Cope c 98 CAR 93 pr 321

Determined to walk around the island Flood took many coastal paths and describes at length in his account his walk to the Needles.

“The afternoon was beautiful. A light breeze from the eastward was barely felt in the valley and was just strong enough to keep me pretty cool in ascending the down. I decided on walking to the Needles’ Point past the beacon. The distance from the inn is about four miles and the path leads along a ridge which stretches out into the sea which has washed gaps in the wall of rock, then forming those isolated masses known as the Needles. Near the beacon which is placed on the highest point of the Down, the sea cliffs are more than 700 feet high above high water mark. Not a break or ledge to be seen in this stupendous wall…. Large flocks of birds also rest here in the summer season finding holes in which they rear their young…

The view from the beacon is magnificent. The mighty ocean appeared to rise like a lofty blue rampart, the horizon being distantly defined. Many vessels were in sight, some standing in towards the island gently and gracefully… In the opposite direction, the coast of Hampshire was very distinctly divided from the island by the silver Solent. Hurst Castle, or its bank of shingle, was a very prominent object, and near it on the mainland, Milford Church was seen. To the westward the Isle of Purbeck and St Alban’s Head formed the fullest objects in that direction… The town of Yarmouth, situate as the name denotes at the mouth of the Yar on its eastern bank, is very plainly discernible…” [pp. 8-9]

Alum Bay and the Needles (London, 1794) Rare Books Cope c 98.915 ALU pr 205

Flood was equally entranced by and lavish in his praise of the Undercliff which he described as a “rugged but most beautiful and picturesque district”. However, his pleasure in the beauties of the district were spoilt in his opinion by the development of properties along the route that did not blend with the environment. He described a “very pretty villa, with a large green veranda has been erected forming a most ridiculous contrast with the dark foaming ravine below”. And also noted that “the spring that flows down the Chine has been also monopolized… I was much disgusted with the artificial aspect so badly assimilating with the rude rough grandeur of the neighbourhood….” [p15]

His is nevertheless the account of an enthusiast for the pleasures of walking and exploring the history, culture and scenery of the Isle of Wight. Alongside his descriptions of the places he visits are observations on the pleasures in simple things, such as the uses for a stout stick or of a wash stand after a long walk.

“Allow me here especially to recommend a stick”, Flood wrote: “It may flourish very uselessly at the commencement of a walk, even to the severing of a few nettle tops and shattering two or three thistle blooms but as the day advances, its point will be found to make very close acquaintance with the dust and when this in its place, the staff will be found an exceedingly valuable help to the pedestrian…” [p5] And he paid homage “to that healthful shrine, the wash hand stand” at the end of a long walk along a dusty road. [p7]

We hope that you manage to visit some of the places that will be open or try out some of the immense range of activities on offer both in person and online for the Heritage Open Days. And perhaps like Flood you might be inspired to write your own account of your adventures.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Travels

After following intrepid travellers to far-flung places, in the last in our series of travel posts we look at those who stayed closer to home.

The south coast’s scenery and climate have attracted a range of visitors over the years – especially those in search of a picturesque view, a health cure or even a combination of the two.

Hampshire by John Cary (1793) Rare Books Cope c 90.5 1793

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the Isle of Wight became a magnet for artists keen to record its picturesque scenery, despite the fact that William Gilpin, the main proponent of the picturesque as an aesthetic ideal, found the Island sadly lacking in this this quality.

William Gilpin Observations on the Western Parts of England Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, to which are Added, A Few Remarks on the Picturesque Beauties of the Isle of Wight (1798)

Gilpin wrote that whilst there were elements of the picturesque in the shipwrecks and in the sea-fowl which darkened the air, the Isle of Wight was really “a large garden or rather a field, which in every part has been disfigured by the spade, the coulter and the harrow”, the coastal views being “much less beautiful than we had expected to find them”.  Naturally, there was some consternation at this description locally and in the Hampshire Repository’s review of his book in 1799, Gilpin’s views were strongly rebuffed, the reviewer going as far as to retrace his footsteps and provide an alternative opinion on the scenery.

Others who visited the Isle of Wight were more impressed with what they saw. John Hassell, a London based artist who illustrated his Tour of the Isle of Wight (1790) with aquatints of his drawings (many with unusual colour washes), wrote of Carisbrooke Castle “it affords a fund of delight to the traveller whose mind is susceptible to the transports which picturesque scenes excite”.

Carisbrooke Castle from: John Hassell Tour of the Isle of Wight v.2 (1790) Rare Books Cope 98.91

A few years later Charles Tomkins recorded both the architecture and the picturesque views of the Island in his Tour to the Isle of Wight (1796), describing how Blackgang Chine “strikes the mind with horror at its dark and sable aspect” .

Blackgang Chine from: Charles Tomkins A Tour to the Isle of Wight v.1 (1796) Rare Books Cope 98.91

In 1784 and again in 1791 the artist and satirist Thomas Rowlandson toured the Island and taking a different approach, made sketches of the various incidents that made up the journey.  The sketches were lost for many years, reappearing at the end of the nineteenth century when they were reproduced in an article in The Graphic (Summer 1891), by Joseph Grego, who added his own commentary on the journey.

From:The Graphic Summer Number 1891 Rare Books Cope folio 91.5

Many of the Isle of Wight visitors travelled via Southampton, which offered tourists excursions to the gothic ruins of Netley Abbey as well as a mineral spring and sea-water bathing to restore their health. Royal patronage had made Southampton a fashionable resort in the later years of the eighteenth century, the Hampshire Chronicle printing a weekly list of arrivals during the summer season.  Southampton’s reputation as a spa waned during the early part of the nineteenth century, as its commercial importance grew, but other resorts developed to cater for the ‘health tourists’ of the day.

 Hampshire Chronicle (17th August, 1778)

Favoured by their sheltered locations and warm temperatures, both Ventnor on the Isle of Wight and Bournemouth (then part of Hampshire) developed as resorts largely thanks to their promotion in prominent publications. In the second edition of The Influence of Climate in the Prevention and Cure of Chronic Diseases (1830), Sir James Clark wrote of his surprise that the Isle of Wight’s Undercliff had been so long overlooked, given its scenery, dry air and a climate which allowed myrtle and geraniums, to flourish even in the colder months. He recommended it as a location superior to any other on the south coast for invalids with pulmonary disease.

Ventnor, Isle of Wight, from: Thomas Roscoe Summer Tour to the Isle of Wight (1843) Rare Books Cope 98.91

Some years later Bournemouth was mentioned very favourably (especially in comparison with Ventnor) in A.B. Granvilles’s The Spas of England and Principal Sea-Bathing Places (1841) “no situation that I have had occasion to examine along the whole southern coast, possesses so many capabilities of being made the first invalid sea-watering place in England”.

Bournemouth from the water, from: Philip Brannon The Illustrated Historical and Picturesque Guide to Bournemouth and the Surrounding Scenery 7th ed. (1863)

Both resorts developed ‘Sanditon style’ in areas previously sparsely populated. At Ventnor, development was piecemeal, resulting in buildings of varying styles. In A few Remarks about Ventnor… (1877), William Spindler, a  German industrial chemist who retired to the Isle of Wight, wrote “We have hotels, churches, shops, cottages and villas in every conceivable style and every outrageous shape” adding that an assembly room, pleasure garden and more planting for shade would be beneficial.

In contrast, Granville thought Bournemouth safe from speculative ‘ brick and mortar contractors’ as fewer landowners were involved in its development. He saw it as having commodious and well-arranged dwellings amongst the pine trees, suitable for invalids “of that class who happen to be wealthy”, with hotels and boarding houses catering for a superior class of visitor.

Ventnor and Bournemouth succeeded in their ambitions to attract wealthy visitors seeking the benefits of a mild climate and sea air, but eventually both resorts had to balance catering for this market with the needs of new tourists holidaying purely for pleasure and amusement.

Bournemouth from the Pier [postmarked 1904] Rare Books Cope pc 326

As the holidays are behind us and we return to the normal routine, we hope you have enjoyed the travellers’ tales from Special Collections.

Geological Excursions in Special Collections

This week we take a look at some geological ‘finds’ amongst the rare books, focusing on the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries when the term ‘geology’ was first used and recognised as a subject in its own right. As canals were constructed and mines sunk, geology’s practical application was becoming increasingly important and its popular appeal can be seen in the many collections of fossils and minerals dating from this period.

Gustavus Brander Fossilia Hantoniensia collecta et in Museo Britannico deposita (1766) Rare Books Cope quarto 55

One keen collector was Gustavus Brander (1720-1787) a director of the Bank of England who collected fossils from Hordle Cliff whilst staying at his country house at Christchurch. These he presented to the British Museum in 1765, the collection being catalogued and illustrated by Daniel Solander (1736-1782). The catalogue attracted much interest as did Brander’s view that the shells could only have survived in a warmer climate. Another collector, on a larger scale, was James Parkinson (1755-1824) who had been collecting fossils for many years prior to publishing his three volume Organic Remains of a Former World (1808-1811). This was aimed at the general reader and became the standard textbook of palaeontology in England.

Plate V James Parkinson Organic Remains of a Former World v.1 (1808) Rare Books quarto QE 711

The interest in geology encouraged the botanical illustrator James Sowerby (1757-1822) to publish British Mineralogy, an illustrated topographical mineralogy of Great Britain which was issued in 78 parts between 1802 and 1817. Sowerby worked from specimens sent to him for identification by mineral collectors from around the country and in 1808 became a Fellow of the recently established Geological Society of London.

Such publications brought fossils and minerals to a wider audience, the illustrations enabling collectors to compare, identify and order their own finds and in turn to contribute to the national geological record. Often hand-coloured, the illustrations provided sufficient detail to act as a proxy for the specimens themselves.

Arsenate of Copper from James Sowerby British Mineralogy v.1 (1804) Rare Books QE 381.G7

The practical and economic significance of geology was evident in the network of canals and expansion of the mining industry in Britain during the eighteenth century. Whilst an understanding of the subject was required for these undertakings, the work itself brought further advances in geological knowledge – often supplying minerals for the collectors and illustrators.

Surveys of the soil and minerals of each county were included in the series of Board of Agriculture reports for Great Britain and Ireland published in the early years of the nineteenth century. That on Derbyshire by John Farey (1766-1826) ran to three volumes and was unusual for its extensive geological coverage. Farey’s interest in stratification stemmed from his association with the geologist, William Smith (1769-1839), creator of the first geological map of Britain, and in the report Farey published for the first time his own analysis of the geometry of faulting.

From: John Farey General View of the Agriculture and Minerals of Derbyshire v.1 (1811) Rare Books Perkins S 453

Descriptions of geological features such as landslips, cliffs and mountains appeared in many of the contemporary guidebooks, sometimes accompanied by illustrations, but it was unusual for such publications to explicitly include geological information. An exception to this was Sir Henry Englefield’s Description of the Principal Picturesque Beauties, Antiquities and Geological Phenomena of the Isle of Wight (1816). Englefield, an antiquarian with geological interests – he was a member of the Geological Society of London himself – commissioned Thomas Webster (1772-1844) a member and employee of the Society to research the geology of the Island and to contribute his findings to the book. Published as an impressive large folio with the subtitle ‘With additional observations on the strata of the island and their continuation in the adjacent parts of Dorsetshire’, the book contains illustrations of many of the geological features of the Isle of Wight and a geological map.

Alum Bay from: H.C. Englefield and T. Webster Description of the Principal Picturesque Beauties, Antiquities and Geological Phenomena of the Isle of Wight (1816) Rare Books Cope quarto 98.55

Map from: H.C. Englefield and T. Webster Description of the Principal Picturesque Beauties, Antiquities and Geological Phenomena of the Isle of Wight (1816) Rare Books Cope quarto 98.55

As well as the copies of Englefield’s book, Special Collections also holds a small collection of correspondence between Webster and Englefield (MS47). This deals mainly with the geology of the Isle of Wight, as do Webster’s notes on what Englefield described in his introduction as ‘that part of natural science lately called Geology’.

 

 

The notable art of watercolours

Redhill, August 1876, by Julia Matilda Cohen [MS 363 A3006/3/5/4 page 37 number 1]

For any young woman to consider herself accomplished, according to the snobbish Caroline Bingley in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, she required the following skills:

“…a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages….; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions…”

Such accomplishments marked out women as belonging to a certain class and were part of what made them marriageable. Drawing and embroidery were part of a conventional education for young women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and manuals such as Bowles’s Drawing Book for Ladies were produced to provide images for copying.  It has been suggested by some critics that encouraging women to copy from already-existing works of art was a way of constraining originality, thus ensuring that women artists remained amateurs rather than professionals.

View in the garden at Northcourt, 18–, by Lady Gordon [MS 80 A276/17/5]

As July is World Watercolour Month, we look at some examples of watercolours produced by women held within Special Collections.

Garden at Northcourt, 1843 [MS 80 A276/17/3]

The Gordon family collection (MS 80) contains some fine examples of watercolours of the family home and garden, Northcote on the Isle of Wight. These are the work of Julia Isabella Louisa Bennett, Lady Gordon (1775-1867) and possibly also by her daughter Julia Gordon. Lady Gordon was an accomplished artist, remembered as one of J.M.W.Turner’s few known pupils, who also studied with David Cox and took lessons from Thomas Girtin. Other examples of her work are held at the Tate in London and in National Trust collections.

Pride of India, Cape Province, 1932, by Charlotte Chamberlain [MS 100/1/3]

Charlotte Chamberlain was a member of the Chamberlain family of Birmingham, one of seven daughters of the industrialist Arthur Chamberlain. She was a graduate of Newham College, Cambridge, and of the University of Birmingham, the foundation of which her uncle, the politician Joseph Chamberlain, had played a leading role. On the death of their father in 1913, Charlotte and her sister Mary moved to the New Forest and they both became closely involved with the development of and notable benefactors of what was later to become the University of Southampton.

Red gum, Cape Province, 1932, by Mary Chamberlain [MS100/1/3]

A member of one of the prominent Anglo-Jewish families, Julia Matilda Cohen née Waley (1853-1917) married Nathaniel Louis Cohen in 1873 when she was 20 years of age. The Waley Cohen collection (MS 363) includes Julia’s sketchbooks for the period 1874-81 and 1895.

View from Beddgelert, June 1875, by Julia Matilda Cohen [MS363 A3006/3/5/4 page 37 number 2]

The earlier sketchbook was an album given to her as a repository for her sketches by her Aunt (Elizabeth) and Uncle (Jacob Quixano Henriques) in September 1874 to mark her reaching her majority. It contains sketches of places she visited around Britain and Europe including: Perthshire, Scotland; Windsor Castle, Chichester and Bournemouth, England; North Wales; and Simplon, The Tyrol, Domodossola, Venice, Verona and Lake Como, Italy.

View from Cricceth Castle, 1878, by Julia Matilda Cohen [MS 363 A3006/3/5/4 page 45 number 2]

‘Hampshire people and places’ event

On Monday 31 July 2017, the Special Collections, Hartley Library, University of Southampton, will host the latest in its “explore the collections” events.

Why not join us between 15:30 and 17:00 to discover more about the resources we hold for Hampshire ranging from topography to details of everyday life.

On show in the Archives and Manuscripts reading room will be an array of printed sources from the Cope Collection, as well as material from our manuscript collections. There will also be an opportunity to investigate the Cope Collection in Open Access Special Collections.

Space is limited. To reserve a place, please go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hampshire-people-and-places-tickets-35816201222

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Visitors to the Special Collections, summer 2017

From June to late September the access route to Special Collections will be altered owing to the Hartley Library Refurbishment Project. Access will be up the main stairs to Level 3, following the signs across this floor to the fire stairs at the back of the building and then up to Level 4.

Please note that access to the lifts in the Hartley Library will be restricted for the period of the refurbishment project: please contact staff about access arrangements.

All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints and All Souls

31 October marks the annual celebration of Hallowe’en – or All Hallows’ Eve– now pretty much obsolete: in the middle ages, a hallow (n) meant a holy person or saint.  In the Western Christian tradition, this time of year is dedicated to remembering the dead, and in particular saints and martyrs on All Saints’ Day (1 November) and deceased family members on All Souls’ Day (2 November).   Many Hallowe’en traditions, however, are likely to have had earlier pagan roots, originating, for example, from Celtic harvest festivals.  In modern times, activities like trick-or-treating, costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns and watching horror films seem to grow more popular year-on-year.

King Charles’s window at Carisbrooke Castle from which he made his first attempt to escape, 1839 [cq 98 CAR 93]

Carisbrooke, is a historic castle overlooking the village of the same name, near Newport on the Isle of Wight.  Over 350 years ago, it hosted an important prisoner Charles I, defeated by Cromwell in the English Civil War, incarcerated prior to his execution. Charles, having escaped from Hampton Court sought refuge at Carisbrooke but was detained by Colonel Robert Hammond, governor of the island.  Later, Charles’s two youngest children were also confined in the castle – Princess Elizabeth died there – and it continued to be used as a prison throughout the seventeenth century.

The Castle is reputed to have a number of ghosts although we haven’t come across anything specifically relating to King Charles or his daughter. Elizabeth Ruffin tragically drowned in the deep well and reports claim her disembodied face can still be seen in the well water. A “Grey Lady” wearing a long cloak and accompanied by four dogs is claimed to haunt the castle and the ghost of a man in a brown jerkin and trousers has been seen near the moat.

Captain John Burleigh, executed at Winchester in January 1648 for attempting the rescue of Charles I while prisoner at Carisbrooke [cq 98 CRA 92 pr 297]

The Special Collections hold several books relating to King Charles’s imprisonment in Carisbrooke castle including The pourtraicture of his sacred majesty Charles I : in his solitude in Carisbrook-Castle, A.D.1648 : containing his meditations on death, prayers.

The strongroom also houses a length manuscript poem, “Elizabeth the fair prisoner of Carisbrook”, dating from the mid-nineteenth century.  It’s preface recounts the affair:

After the murder of King Charles by Cromwell and his myrmidons, his second daughter was, by order of the regicides, incarcerated in the Castle of Carisbrook, and subjected to much harshness and indignity.  Pious, learned affectionate and accomplished in a high degree, her sensitive mind soon sunk under the accumulation of misery: she pined, sickened, died, was buried and forgotten… [MS 5/32 AO205]

Princess Elizabeth was buried at St. Thomas’s Church, Newport, on the Isle of Wight.  The preface goes on to recount how Queen Victoria later erected a “beautiful and lifelike” sculpture at the church which apparently “attracts thousands to see and admire it, and few leave the hallowed spot without shedding a tear in memory of The Fair Prisoner of Carisbrook”.

Ghosts in the Strongroom

As Halloween draws closers we delve into some of the ghoulish tales to be found lurking among the shelves of Special Collections…

The Wallop Latch
Thomas Gatehouse’s manuscript history of Hampshire (MS 5/15) is dated 31 December 1778 and is the earliest history of the county recorded. The history, largely a compilation from printed sources but containing some original materials, concludes with the ghost story ‘The Wallop Latch’. Described as being “for the amusement of the Wit or the Sceptic”, it provides an apparently true account of a Miss G___ who moves into a house in the village of Nether Wallop in Hampshire after the death of her father. One evening while sitting in her parlour, she is suddenly disturbed by a great noise produced by the violent rattling of the heavy iron latch on the back door. While initially startled, she disregards the incident as most likely being the product of an idle farmhand looking to frighten her. However, the disturbance recurs on numerous occasions and soon begins to draws the attention of the whole neighbourhood, with the noise being described as “violent and loud enough to be heard in distant quarters of the parish.”

The Square, Nether Wallop c.1939 (pc998)

In order to solve the mystery, members of the local community arm themselves and surround the house while others wait inside for the rattling to commence. As soon as the latch begins to move, the door is swiftly thrown open only to reveal there is no one there. The narrative then continues by considering and disproving a number of possible tricks or explanations and claims that no imaginable natural cause could have produced the effect. The account is testified and signed by a number of honourable witnesses and it remains for the sceptic to explain the occurrence.

A Ghost in the Isle of Wight
The Isle of the Wight has a long tradition of ghost stories and hauntings, many associated with places such as Billingham House, Carisbrooke Castle, and Knighton Gorges Manor. Sir John Randolph Leslie, 3rd Baronet of Glaslough (1885–1971), more generally known as Shane Leslie, was an Irish born diplomat and writer. He had a lifelong interest in the supernatural which influenced a number of his writings. His novelette A Ghost in the Isle of Wight was published in 1929, in a limited signed edition of 500 copies for sale, and a copy can be found among the Cope Collection on Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The 14th century gate at Carisbrooke Castle (pc115), one of the many sites associated with hauntings on the Isle of Wight

As with The Wallop Latch, the story appears to report the true account of an actual haunting. It is told from the perspective of a narrator who stayed at the isolated Jacobean manor at Killington during the previous autumn. Having been delayed in London, he travels to the island a week after his companions and their maidservants. On his first evening in the manor he is informed that the place is haunted and that sounds have been heard at night resembling the treading of feet and the clinking of swords accompanied by the smell of lilies. Nearly a fortnight passes before the narrator himself is woken by a series of clear metallic sounds on the stairs. The following morning the whole house is investigated and the property agent questioned. The agent eventually admits that the manor was regarded as the most haunted human abode on the island. As the narrator proceeds to piece the mystery together, the incidents are revealed to be connected with an escaped fugitive, the execution of Charles I, and the story of a murdered lover…

Death on the Line
Eric Jones-Evans was a medical practitioner and actor. He maintained a medical practice in Fawley, near Southampton, and closed his surgery on matinee days to perform at the Grand Theatre in Southampton. In 1928 he formed his own company and both wrote and appeared in a number of his own melodramas, chiefly adapted from the novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot.

A performance of Death on the Line: A Ghost Story in One Act

Among the papers of Dr Eric Jones-Evans (MS 91) is a typescript of Death on the Line: A Ghost Story in One Act, dated 21 December 1952. Based on Dickens’ short story The Signal Man, the play is set in a signal-box in a deep cutting near a tunnel entrance on a lonely stretch of the railway line. The author describes it as a play of “atmosphere and tension”, with the wailing of the wind in the telegraph wires introduced judicially to provide an eerie background to the narrative. It tells the story of a railway signalman who is haunted by a recurring apparition, with each appearance of the spectre preceding a tragic event on the railway. The first is followed by a terrible collision between two trains in the tunnel (likely based on the Clayton Tunnel crash of 1861) and the second by the mysterious death of a young woman on a passing train. The third and final warning of “death on the line” causes the signalman to rush onto the track in an attempt to stop an oncoming train where he is struck and killed. As the driver and other characters stand over his body a telegram is received warning of fallen rocks on the line up ahead. The play ends as they ponder how he could have known and how many lives might have been lost if not for his intervention.

At this time it remains uncertain whether these tales represent the only cases of ghostly encounters to be found within the walls of the Hartley Library or whether further apparitions are yet to appear…