Overview
Letters from Hester Lynch Thrale (later Hester Lynch Piozzi) and Henry Thrale concerning the elopement of John Rice and Frances Plumbe in 1773, with other papers.
Dates
- Creation: 1758-1958
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1773-1776
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.
Extent
.2 linear feet (1 volume)This collection consists primarily of letters written by Hester Lynch Thrale (later Piozzi) to Frances, John, and Morgan Rice from 1773 to 1776. The correspondence does not mention Samuel Johnson or his involvement in the matter. Other papers include a letter to John Morgan Rice dated 1813; two items relating to the Lade family; a small collection of prints relating to Hester Thrale; and later research notes.
Biographical / Historical
In May of 1773, John Rice (ca. 1751-1801) of Tooting, London, eloped with Frances Plumbe (1758-1790), aged fifteen. Frances was the daughter of alderman Samuel Plumbe (1717-1784) and Frances Thrale Plumbe (1726-1811?), who were outraged. However, the marriage was supported by John's father Morgan Rice (High Sheriff of Surrey), by Frances's aunt Hester Lynch Thrale (1741-1821), and even by Mrs. Thrale's friend, the great moralist Samuel Johnson (1709-1784). The young couple traveled in Europe until a financial settlement was arrived at between the parents. Meanwhile, Mrs. Thrale served as a liaison in England.
John and Frances Rice soon settled in Chislehurst, England, and had thirteen children before Frances's early death. The eldest was the Rev. John Morgan Rice (1774-1833), who married Elizabeth Holmes, daughter of William Holmes.
Physical Location
Hyde Case 9
Custodial History
These papers apparently passed from John Rice to his son, the Rev. John Morgan Rice. The entire lot was offered for sale by Myers & Co. of London in their 1941 catalog. Myers & Co. sold them to Maj. J.H. Busby in 1944, who was still in possession in 1955. On 1970 Oct. 27, the papers were auctioned by Sotheby's to Mary Hyde.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
*2003JM-95
Bequest of Mary Hyde Eccles, Four Oaks Farm, Somerville, New Jersey; received: 2004.
Bibliography
Some Inedited Letters of Mrs. Thrale,in Fortnightly Review, 1903 Aug., 268-276. Some of the letters published in Ellis are not part of the present collection.
Processing Information
Processed by: Rick Stattler
- Title
- Rice family. Rice family papers: Guide.
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou00256
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
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