Author Topic: Matilda Mead 1842 letter - start of last page.  (Read 588 times)

Offline Peter L. Mitchell

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Re: Matilda Mead 1842 letter - start of last page.
« Reply #9 on: Saturday 22 August 20 12:10 BST (UK) »
Agreed. I will hold off until I'm satisfied it's been thoroughly checked by everyone who has commented.

Thanks,
            Peter

Offline Peter L. Mitchell

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Re: Matilda Mead 1842 letter - start of last page.
« Reply #10 on: Sunday 30 August 20 11:35 BST (UK) »
Hi folks.

Attached is a dedication to Marion Menere from a book of hand-written (copied) poetry. The writing at the bottom reads, "Written on the day of her departure from London to Melbourne. May 13th 1879.

Above this is "_____________ to Marion" The first letter matches the M in Marion's name but I just can't work out the rest. All I am sure of is that it's not another name. All help gratefully received.

Many thanks,
                   Peter

Offline Bookbox

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Re: Matilda Mead 1842 letter - start of last page.
« Reply #11 on: Sunday 30 August 20 12:15 BST (UK) »
No attachment, Peter.

Offline Peter L. Mitchell

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Re: Matilda Mead 1842 letter - start of last page.
« Reply #12 on: Sunday 30 August 20 12:20 BST (UK) »
Sorry! Brainfade on my part!


Offline Bookbox

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Re: Matilda Mead 1842 letter - start of last page.
« Reply #13 on: Sunday 30 August 20 13:30 BST (UK) »
Attached is a dedication to Marion Menere from a book of hand-written (copied) poetry. The writing at the bottom reads, "Written on the day of her departure from London to Melbourne. May 13th 1879.

Above this is "_____________ to Marion" The first letter matches the M in Marion's name but I just can't work out the rest. All I am sure of is that it's not another name. All help gratefully received.

I think this is the last verse of the poem as shown. I realise you already have this, but it may help the rest of us to identify the letter-forms in what follows:

     When Suns have waned & worlds sublime
     Their final Revolutions told,
     This Soul will triumph over time,
     As though such Orbs had never ^rolled.^


So I think it may be Ma[...]t to Marion, but I can’t identify any more.

Below that, I can’t read it as 'London to Melbourne'. Perhaps ...

     Written on the Eve[?] of her Departure from
     Lowood[?] to Kea...ts[?]
     May 13th 1879


Was she in Australia in 1879?

Offline Peter L. Mitchell

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Re: Matilda Mead 1842 letter - start of last page.
« Reply #14 on: Sunday 30 August 20 14:22 BST (UK) »
Hi Bookbox.

Yes, I see what you mean about it probably not being London to Melbourne. That also casts some doubt on my idea that Marion was in England in 1879. Some background:

This dedication comes from a book of poems started by Marion's aunt, Elisabeth Mead, in 1842 when she was 12 years old. An inscription in the front of the book has Elisabeth's name and that year on one page, and on the opposite page is Marion's name and the date 13 May 1879. It appears that Elisabeth probably gave the book to Marion for her to continue writing poems in it, though exactly why she chose that time I don't know.

Marion was born in Keilor (outer Melbourne suburb) in 1857 or 1858 (birth certificate is not in Victorian records), and she would have been 21 in 1879. I've assumed that because they were a wealthy family Marion might have done a "grand tour" to the Mother country but I'm probably wrong.

There is some evidence that Elisabeth (who came out with Marion's family) was in England in 1871 (Ancestry information, which I'm not 100% sure is accurate), although it would (to me) seem odd that she would return to Australia some years later as she evidently died in New South Wales in 1911.

Given your clearly correct observation that it's not "from London to Melbourne", I'm going to have to re-think Marion's movements and precisely where and when the book was given to her.

Many thanks for your response.

Peter