Letters from Francis Osborne to his father, Thomas Osborne, 4th Duke of Leeds, with related literary material

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 206 Brotherton Collection MS Misc. Letters 1 Osborne (4)
  • Dates of Creation
      1769-1783
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
      English
  • Physical Description
      17 letters and 4 literary pieces, held in 2 envelopes, manuscript. The material was formerly bound into a volume containing also transcripts of the letters, which is now shelved in a separate author/alphabetical sequence following the main sequence of Miscellaneous Letters.

Scope and Content

Comprises 17 autograph letters from Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds, to his father, Thomas Osborne, 4th Duke of Leeds, dated 6 August 1769 - 1 November 1783 (with transcripts), and 4 separate English literary manuscripts, three of them being his autograph transcripts of scenes from Cymbeline and The Beaux' Stratagem. These comprise: (1) Cymbeline, Act 3, Scene 3, lines 1-26 and 44-78, entitled 'Bellarius' (sic); (2) Many of Archer's lines in The Beaux' Stratagem, Act 1 (with cues); (3) Many of Aimwell's lines in the same play and act (with cues); (4) An unidentified literary piece entitled 'The Peasants, & the Amtmann' concerning the appointment of a new parson to an unnamed country village church.

Administrative / Biographical History

Francis Godolphin Osborne (1751-1799), a politician, became 5th Duke of Leeds and was very conversant with English dramatic literature. His father, Thomas Osborne (1713-1789), was the 4th Duke of Leeds.

Access Information

Access is unrestricted.

Acquisition Information

From the library of Lord Brotherton.

Note

In English.