Page 1 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 1 of 44 | Next |
|
This page
All
Subset |
Object Description
| Title | Finding aid for Papers of Dorothy Jordan, 1794-1852 (bulk1794-1812). |
| Creator | Jordan, Dorothy, 1761-1816. |
| Extent | 527 pieces. 12 boxes. |
| Biographical Note | Dorothy (Dora) Phillips Bland was born in London on November 22, 1761, into an acting family. She made her acting debut in Dublin, Ireland in November 1779, and her London acting debut at Drury Lane in October 1785. By this time she had received the stage name of "Mrs. Jordan" which she used for the remainder of her long stage career. Dorothy Jordan was the acknowledged greatest comedic actress of her time, just as Sarah Siddons, Jordan's not-so-friendly rival, was the acclaimed dramatic actress. By 1791, when Dora began her 20 year relationship with William, the Duke of Clarence, she already had one daughter with Richard Daly and two daughters with Richard Ford. Over the next two decades, Dora woud have 10 more children with the Duke before he ended their relationship in 1811. Theirs was, for many years, a happy, domestic relationship which helped William be the most settled of George III's oldest sons. After 1811, Dora acted for four more years in increasingly failing health and spirits. In 1815, she sailed to France, probably to escape the debts and creditors caused by her sons-in-law who fradulently signed her name to their debts. She took the name Mrs. James and finally settled in St. Cloud, France, where she died in July 5, 1816, attended only at a female companion. |
| Scope and Content | The Papers consist of letters, two manuscripts and ephemera; approximately 500 letters are from Dorothy Jordan to William IV (Duke of Clarence), covering the years 1794 to 1812. The letters deal with domestic matters: the health of their children, renovations to their principle home, Bushy House, and the lives of their family and friends. The letters also deal with Dora's working life as she performs in London and on tours throughout England and Ireland, her financial affairs, the Peninsular Wars, and the ill-health of George III and the coming Regency. There is also a small number of letters and two manuscripts by other family members: Sophia (Baroness De L'Isle and Dudley), Lord Frederick FitzClarence, Elizabeth (Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg), George FitzClarence (Earl of Munster), and William IV; also, business related letters from William Adam, John Philpot Curran, John Philip Kemble, Henry Siddons, and George Grey (Earl of Warrington). The ephemera consists of two folders containing misc. autograph notes, an envelope, printed material and misc. cover sheets. The Hair box is a hide-covered box originally used by Lord Frederick FitzClarence to store the letters of his parents. Please see the Finding Aid (DJ 6) for an explanation of this box and its use. The box is in very fragile condition and curator approval must be obtained before paging. |
| Notes | For any questions about the collection, including specific reproduction requests, please contact the Curator of Literary Manuscripts. |
| Date | 1794-1852. |
| Provenance | Purchased from William K. Bixby, 1918. |
| Subject |
Amelia, Princess, daughter of George III, King of Great Britain, 1783-1810. Barrington, Jonah, Sir, 1760-1834. Clarke, Mary Anne Thompson, 1776-1852. Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, 1771-1851. Fitzherbert, Maria Anne, 1756-1837. Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806. George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820. George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830. Jordan, Dorothy, 1761-1816, -- Archives. Kemble, John Philip, 1757-1823. Munster, George Augustus FitzClarence, Earl of, 1794-1842. Pitt, William, 1759-1806. Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816. Siddons, Henry, 1774-1815. Siddons, Sarah, 1755-1831. Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852. William IV, King of Great Britain, 1765-1837. Wroughton, Richard, 1748-1822. Actresses -- Great Britain. Methodists -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century. Peninsular War, 1807-1814. Regency -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century. Theater -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century -- Sources. Great Britain -- History -- 1789-1820. |
| Form/Genre |
Ephemera Great Britain 18th century. (aat) Ephemera Great Britain 19th century. (aat) Letters (correspondence Great Britain 18th century. (aat) Letters (correspondence Great Britain 19th century. (aat) Manuscripts Great Britain 18th century. (aat) Manuscripts Great Britain 19th century. (aat) Playbills Great Britain 18th century. (aat) Playbills Great Britain 19th century. (aat) |
| Contributors |
Adam, William, 1751-1839. Curran, John Philpot, 1750-1817. De L'Isle and Dudley, Sophia, Baroness, 1795-1837. FitzClarence, Frederick, Lord, 1799-1854. Hesse-Homburg, Elizabeth, Landgravine of, 1770-1840. Kemble, John Philip, 1757-1823. Munster, George Augustus FitzClarence, Earl of, 1794-1842. Siddons, Henry, 1774-1815. Warrington, George Harry Grey, Earl of, 1737-1819. William IV, King of Great Britain, 1765-1837, recipient. |
| Department | Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. Manuscripts Department. |
| Call Number | mssDJ 1-527 |
| Physical Collection | Dorothy Jordan Papers. |
| Digital Collection | Finding Aids, Huntington Digital Library |
| Physical Description | 44 p. |
| Digitization Specifications | Original finding aid converted into PDF document by B. Black, 2012-01-13. |
| Date Digital | 2012-01-13. |
| DCMI Type | text |
| Digital Format | |
| Original Finding Aid | Finding aid prepared by Gayle M. Richardson, January 13, 2012. |
| Citation Information | Finding aid for Dorothy Jordan Papers, Huntington Digital Library, San Marino, California. |
| Restrictions | Images in this collection are for scholarly research; please review the Huntington Library's copyright information: http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/about. For purchasing images for publication please review our permission to publish policy: http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=590. |
| Cataloging Notes | Organized in the following manner: 1. Correspondence (Boxes 1-12); 2. Ephemera (Box 12); 3. Hair Box (original storage for letters); arranged alphabetically. |