Ashley MS 1482, 1486

Letters (21) from William Bell Scott to various correspondents; 14 Feb. 1865-25 Aug. 1887.

1. Eight letters to A. C. Swinburne, 14 Feb. 1865-22 April 1882. Among the subjects are Swinburne's Atalanta in Calydon, 1865 (1482, ff. 1-2), William Blake (published 1868) (1482, ff. 5-6), Songs before Sunrise (published 1871) (1486, f. 4), Studies in Song, 1880 (1482, ff. 7, 8), Mary Stuart, 1881 (1482, ff. 9-10) and Tristram of Lyonesse (published 1882) (1482, ff. 10, 10b), Scott's Year of the World, 1846 (1486, f. 2), Gems of French Art (published 1871) (1486, f. 4b), and A Poet's Harvest Home (published 1882) (1482, f. 10b), the death of Pauline, Lady Trevelyan (1482, ff. 3-4), a feud between Sir Alfred and Sir Charles Trevelyan (1482, ff. 7, 8), the Franco-Prussian War (1486, ff. 3-4), and the death and character of D. G. Rossetti (1486, ff. 5, 6). 1482, ff. 1-10b (14 Feb. 1865-29 Nov. 1881); 1486, ff. 1-6 (24 May [1867?], 9 Sept. 1870, 22 April 1882).

2. Twelve letters to W. T. Watts[-Dunton], 30 Nov. 1878-25 Aug. 1887. Among the subjects are R. H. Shepherd's edition of the poems of Ebenezer Jones, with recollections of Jones by W. J. Linton, published in 1879 (1482, ff. 11-16), W. M. Rossetti's review in the Athenæum for 14 Sept. 1878 of books edited by Shepherd, whom he described as a 'literary vampire', and who subsequently successfully sued for libel (1482, f. 15b), the dedication of Linton's dramatization of Charles Wells' 'Claribel', and the republishing by Linton of Wells' Stories after Nature (1482, f. 17), the gift to the British Museum by Scott of two leaves of William Wager, The Cruell Debtter, 1566 (1482, f. 18), now Department of Printed Books, press-mark C. 34. g. 34 (S.T.C. 24934), various literary articles by Watts-Dunton (1482, ff. 21, 22, 31-32b; 1486, f. 7b), Scott's A Poet's Harvest Home (published 1882) (1482, f. 23), D. G. Rossetti's life and work (1482, f. 29; 1486, ff. 8b, 9b), Swinburne's poem 'The Question', printed in the Daily Telegraph for 29 April 1887 (1482, ff. 29b, 30), the poetry of Keats (1482, ff. 31-32; 1486, ff. 8-9b), and Matthew Arnold (1482, ff. 32, 32b). Several passages reveal Scott's bitterness towards critics and more successful poets (1482, ff. 23, 24, 29, 30; 1486, ff. 7b, 8). 1482, ff. 11-32b (30 Nov. [1878]-25 Aug. 1887); 1486, ff. 7-9b (5 July 1887).

3. Letter to D. G. Rossetti, concerning Rossetti's Ballads and Sonnets, 1881, Scott's A Poet's Harvest Home, published in 1882, and Miss Losh, a cousin of Scott's friend Alice Boyd, and a benefactor of Rossetti (see O. Doughty, A Victorian Romantic, 1960, pp. 364-365); 17 Oct. [1881]. 1482, ff. 33-34b.

Also included are a letter from Alice Boyd to Swinburne, 4 Dec. 1885, sending a copy of an etching by Scott of a portrait of her by Rossetti (1482, ff. 35-36), and an announcement of the death of Scott, 22 Nov. [1890] (1482, f. 37). For a further letter from Scott to Swinburne see A4999. Ashley Library Catalogue, iv, p. 206; xi, pp. 101-102.