Orlebar, Frederica St. John, 1838-1928, Left in trust , late 19th century
- Title(s):
- Left in trust : a story of the agricultural depression / by F.St.J. Orlebar, late 19th century.
- Physical Description:
- 1 v. ([1], 86 leaves) ; 37 cm.
- Holdings:
- Rare Books and ManuscriptsFolio A 2011 18Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Fund[Request]
- Copyright Status:
- Copyright Not Evaluated
- Full Orbis Record:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/9801130
- Classification:
- Archives & Manuscripts
- Notes:
- Frederica St. John Orlebar was the author of a family history, The Orlebar chronicles in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, 1553-1733 (London, 1930), and a children's book, The adventures of her serene limpness, the Moonfaced Princess, dulcet and débonaire (London, 1888). She is a descendent of Mary Orlebar (1730-1821), and a member of the Orlebar family of Hinwick Hall, Bedfordshire.
Bound in plain brown paper wrappers, stitched.
Autograph manuscript of a fictional story by Frederica St. John Orlebar, written in the late 19th century, and never published. Writing is in pen and black ink throughout, on the rectos only of each leaf.
The story chronicles the youth of a woman named Philippa, whom Orlebar describes as being intelligent, sophisticated, and mature beyond her years. The novel is set during the agricultural depression, and the poor finances of the family farm provide some catalyst for the events of the story. However, the work is mostly a sentimental one, about the trials and tribulations faced by a young, intelligent, woman who feels deeply beholden to her family, even as they sometimes disappoint her in their behavior or choices, and who is obliged to live in the family home while many changes take place due to events out of her own control. At the close of the novel, the status of the farm has improved and Philippa's brother is able to marry the woman of his choice, after money left for his father's widow is turned over to him upon her remarriage. Former tenants return to the farm, and the happy conclusion is crowned with Philippa's marriage to a young parson, Henry Stanley.
It is not clear what might have inspired Frederica Orlebar to write this particular story, and to set it during the agricultural depression in Britain. There is no evidence that she or her family were directly affected by the agricultural depression, and given the story's generalized treatment of the depression, personal experience of it does not seem to have informed Orlebar's writing. - Subject Terms:
- Agriculture -- Great Britain -- Fiction.Depressions -- 1873 -- Great Britain -- Fiction.Orlebar, Frederica St. John, 1838–1928.
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