James Henry Mangles Diary
Scope and Content
The James Henry Mangles diary was discovered at Mangle's estate Valewood in 1961, in the outbuilding once used as a laundry room. When found, the diary was soaking wet. Fortunately, after careful drying, the ink survived, and the text is still readable. The diary consists of approximately 50 pages and was recorded in a ledger previously used as a scrapbook for newspaper clippings from the 1790's. The clippings still remain today in the diary. Mangles recorded conversations between himself and Tennyson that took place during dinner and evening hours. The discussions deal with all aspects of life and reveal the whole range of Tennyson's exceptionally broad interests.
Dates
- Creation: 1870-1872
Language of Materials
The records are in English.
Biography of James Henry Mangles
James Henry Mangles was born in 1832, the eldest son of Charles Edward and Rose Mangles of Poyle Park, Surrey, England. Mangles was educated at Brighton College and East India College and served for seven years in the Bengal Civil Service. He returned to England in 1858. Trained in law, has real mark was, nevertheless, made in horticulture; he became famous in the horticultural world for the rhododendrons he grew. Mangles met and befriended Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in 1870. While Mangles resided at his Valewood estate in Sussex, England, Tennyson's strong desire to avoid the public eye and to maintain some privacy caused him to build and move to a neighboring estate called Aldworth. Mangles and Tennyson spent a lot of dinners together. After being elected to a fellow of the Linnean Society in 1874, he also served as an active member of the Royal Horticultural Society. He contributed some twenty-three notes and articles to gardening magazines between 1879 and 1884. Mangles died in August 1884 at the age of 52,
Extent
0.25 cubic feet
Abstract
Diary of James Henry Mangles recording conversations between himself and the poet Lord Tennyson.
Statement of Arrangement
This collection is a single item.
Description Note
Original, legacy collection inventories may contain inaccuracies or be incomplete. Collection descriptions may change or be updated as they are verified. Please contact Mahn Center staff if you note any errors or discrepancies.
Subject
- Mangles, James Henry, 1832-1884 (Person)
- Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Baron, 1809-1892 (Person)
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for the James Henry Mangles Diary
- Author
- Bo C. Hartford processed the diary in April 1990.
- Date
- 2020
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
- Sponsor
- The finding aid was converted into EAD with funding support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Revision Statements
- 5 January 2024: Subjects and other notes added from ALICE MARC records and Mahn Center Microsoft Office finding aids by Ohio University Libraries Metadata Services Department Python scripts.
Repository Details
Part of the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections Repository
