Helen Maria Williams letters, 1798-1820 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Williams, Helen Maria, 1762-1827, Barlow, Rurh, 1755-1818, and Coquerel, Athanase, 1795-1868
Abstract:
Helen Maria Williams was a British novelist, poet, and translator of French-language works. Collection comprises four letters written by Helen Maria Williams, two to her nephew, Athanase Laurent Charles Coquerel, one to Mrs. Joel [Ruth] Barlow, and one to an unidentified recipient.
Extent:
0.1 Linear Feet (7 items)
Language:
Materials in English
Collection ID:
RL.11571

Background

Scope and content:

Collection comprises four letters written by Helen Maria Williams, two to her nephew, Athanase Laurent Charles Coquerel, one to Mrs. Joel [Ruth] Barlow, and one to an unidentified recipient. Williams provided aid for fellow republican radicals. On 22 August 1798, she wrote to her American expatriate friend Ruth Barlow. Williams hoped that Ruth's husband, the diplomat Joel Barlow, would assist James Wollstonecraft (Mary's brother), who was then in prison in Paris as a suspected spy. The letter notes Thomas Payne's [Paine's] ineffective efforts on James' behalf. Other topics in the letters include Coquerel's position, her income, the health and situation of friends and family members, and an unnamed woman she wishes to avoid. Three letters are accompanied by partial or full transcription.

Biographical / historical:

Helen Maria Williams was a British novelist, poet, and translator of French-language works. A religious dissenter, she was a supporter of abolitionism and of the ideals of the French Revolution; she was imprisoned in Paris during the Reign of Terror, but nonetheless spent much of the rest of her life in France.

Acquisition information:
The Helen Maria Williams Letters were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2015.
Processing information:

Processed by Alice L. Poffinberger, January, 2018

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2015-0050-LUBMSS511, 2015-0050-LUBMSS512, 2015-0050-LUBMSS513, 2015-0050-LUBMSS514

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Helen Maria Williams Letters, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1vm88