Ashley MS 2468

''The History Of The Young Men From Their First Settlement To The Present Time'': a volume contributed by Patrick Branwell Brontë to the imaginary history written between 1829 and 1839 principally by Branwell and Charlotte Brontë; 1830-1831. Autograph fair copy, with revisions and deletions, written on both sides of seven quarto leaves of white wove paper (ff. 4-10), and on one side only of an eighth (f. 3). Watermark ''TRURO / 1827''. The leaves are each conjoined with another, and are arranged as a quire. Preceding these leaves are a quarto leaf of white wove paper (f. 2) which with a conjoined stub (f. 11) is bound outside ff. 3-10, and a folio leaf of white wove paper (f. 1) bound sideways outside ff. 2-11 so that a small portion of it forms a stub at the end (f. 12). The folio leaf is watermarked ''J L & Co / 1828''. On the recto of the quarto leaf (f. 2a) is the title page of the work written in imitation of print, the verso being blank, while the folio leaf, which is folded so as to fit inside the original brown paper wrapper in which the volume is bound, bears on the recto (f. 1a) a series of pencil drawings by Branwell of triumphal arches, landscapes, a church etc., and on the verso (f. 1b) a map by him, tinted and with the boundaries outlined in colour, of the imaginary land which was to be known as Verdopolis, or Glass Town. The map is captioned ''MAP OF THE GLASS T ''. Branwell may have intended to draw a map on the recto as well or instead, as lines of latitude and longitude, one marked ''EQUATOR'', have been marked on it.

The history consists of an introduction in which Branwell gives an account of the toy soldiers which gave rise to the Brontë children''s game, signed and dated ''PB Bronte / Haworth December 15th 1830'' (f. 3a), and six chapters. The introduction and the summaries at the head of each chapter are in Branwell''s normal hand, but the body of the text is written in minute characters in imitation of print. There are footnotes by Branwell giving further details about the toy soldiers and other explanatory matter on ff. 6b, 7b, 8, 8b and 10b. The notes, which were clearly written at the same time as the text, are dated and signed by Branwell, the dates being ''January AD 1831'', ''April 28 AD 1831'', ''April 29 AD 1831'', ''April 30 AD 1831'', and ''May 7 1831''. The history ends ''Here ends / The I, VOLUMN of, / The History of the Young Men / Begun December 15th AD 1830 / Ended May 7th AD 1831 = / John Bud''.

Also included is that part of the galleys of Ashley Library Catalogue which bears the description of this MS. (f. ii). For an account of this history and its sources see Winifred Gérin, Branwell Brontë, 1961, pp. 27-39. The present MS. is printed in The Shakespeare Head Brontë, Miscellaneous and Unpublished Writings of Charlotte and Patrick Branwell Brontë, vol. i, 1936, pp. 62-95. Other MSS. concerning the history of the Glass Town and of Angria are 157, 159, 2469 and Additional MS. 34255. Ashley Library Catalogue, ix, p. 28.

Quarto; ff. ii+12.

Patrick Branwell Brontë, brother of Charlotte Brontë: ''The History of the Young Men from their First Settlement to the Present Time'' by Patrick Branwell Brontë: 1830-1831: Autogr. fair copy.