{"id":2547,"date":"2021-08-13T08:30:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T08:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/?p=2547"},"modified":"2021-08-11T13:07:08","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T13:07:08","slug":"thomas-hardy-exploring-a-new-collection-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2021\/08\/13\/thomas-hardy-exploring-a-new-collection-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas Hardy \u2013 exploring a new collection (part 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The collection of Hardy-related material acquired in late 2020<\/a> offers some fascinating insights into Hardy\u2019s world and the eclectic range of contacts and correspondents he maintained links with and the wider perspective on Hardy\u2019s life that this important purchase provides.\u00a0 Below, we look at a few of the stories to have emerged.<\/p>\n

Hardy the son<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hardy\u2019s annotated copy of the service sheet for the burial of his father at Stinsford Church on 31 July 1892 is included in the collection.\u00a0 A note in Hardy\u2019s hand references the fact that the psalm to be sung on the day was \u2018the graveside hymn of this parish down to about 1840\u2019.\u00a0 The document carries a Latin inscription that anticipates a brass memorial funded by Hardy in memory of his family and their musical contributions to church life at Stinsford.\u00a0 The latter is of course the church where Hardy\u2019s own heart was interred following his death in 1928 whilst his ashes were placed at Poets\u2019 Corner, Westminster Abbey.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hardy the landlord<\/h2>\n

A letter dated 26 Many 1897 and addressed to a Mr Prideaux, who appears to be a tenant of the author, finds Hardy in apologetic mood<\/p>\n

\u2018I am sorry that you should feel neglected\u2026I gave directions immediately after seeing you that the repairs you mentioned should be executed\u2019.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Alongside literary life, Hardy clearly had to keep on top of his duties as a landlord and property owner.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hardy and \u2018fake news\u2019<\/h2>\n

In another piece of correspondence Hardy writes (undated) to the editor of the Dorset Chronicle<\/em>, to complain that various quotations attributed to him and published by a London paper and repeated elsewhere were<\/p>\n

\u2018unauthorised\u2026being in some places \u2018faked\u2019\u2019.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hardy\u2019s accusation has echoes of very modern media controversies.\u00a0 Such events where opinions or reported speech are later contested are clearly scarcely new.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hardy, advocate for the compassionate treatment of animals<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hardy writes to the editor of the Dorset County Chronicle<\/em> in November 1913 to express his support for the \u2018excellent movement for the painless slaughtering of animals for food\u2019 and criticises any attempts to obstruct its (the Council of Justice to Animals) work.\u00a0 Hardy was a member of the committee of the latter body which (now merged and known as the Humane Slaughter Association) still exists today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hardy the Poet<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Included within the collection is a manuscript of a Hardy poem, November 1899 The Going of the Battery<\/em> which describes the departure of the 73rd<\/sup> Battery of the Royal Field Artillery embarking from Dorchester station for service in the Boer War:<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat guns were gleaming there, living<\/p>\n

Things seeming there,<\/p>\n

Cloaked in their tar-cloths, upmouthed to<\/p>\n

the night\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Numbers of that unit died in the South African conflict and there is a memorial to the 73rd<\/sup> in Exeter Cathedral<\/a> \u2018erected by their comrades\u2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hardy the author-collaborator<\/h2>\n

Within the collection is a proof copy with manuscript corrections of a short story Blue Jimmy: the Horse Stealer<\/em>.\u00a0 The acknowledged author is Florence Dugdale (later the second Mrs Hardy) but it appears that the question of authorship has been a matter of debate with one biographer suggesting that Hardy wrote the entire story himself.\u00a0 Hardy\u2019s annotations were all included in the final published version (in The Cornhill Magazine<\/em>, February 1911) and it seems reasonable to deduce that Hardy collaborated on the story rather than wrote it all himself.\u00a0 Jimmy, who in the story seemingly evaded the law with ease, was ultimately brought to justice at Ilchester and hanged there in 1827.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This collection provides many lines of enquiry and research for anyone interested in either Hardy himself or the social, economic and political context in which he lived.\u00a0 We are delighted to be able to make it available to the wider world thanks to the generosity of those who supported its purchase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The collection of Hardy-related material acquired in late 2020 offers some fascinating insights into Hardy\u2019s world and the eclectic range of contacts and correspondents he maintained links with and the wider perspective on Hardy\u2019s life that this important purchase provides.\u00a0 Below, we look at a few of the stories to have emerged. Hardy the son… Read more Thomas Hardy \u2013 exploring a new collection (part 3)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[82,109,187],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2547"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2547"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2551,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2547\/revisions\/2551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}