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Ann Harris and Richard Chandler correspondence
MS 265
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Title: Ann Harris and Richard Chandler correspondence
Date (inclusive): 1804-1807
Collection Number: MS 265
Creator:
Chandler, Richard
Creator:
Harris, Ann
Extent:
1.73 linear feet
(1 box)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Riverside, CA 92517-5900
Abstract: This collection is primarily composed of autograph letters and drafts written by Ann Harris and Richard Chandler between October
1804 and September 1807. The bulk of the material is finished letters written from Harris to Chandler. Material attributed
to Chandler consists of nine draft letters to Harris. This collection also includes a small selection of letters written by
friends and family of the main correspondents. Topics include local society gossip, working-class social conditions, courtship,
love and marriage, and financial concerns.
Languages: The collection is in English.
The collection is open for research.
Material is in the public domain. No restrictions on use.
[identification of item], [date if possible]. Ann Harris and Richard Chandler correspondence (MS 265). Special Collections
& University Archives, University of California, Riverside.
Provenance unknown.
Processed by Sara Seltzer, Student Processing Assistant, 2009.
While nothing is known about Ann Harris or Richard Chandler apart from the contents of this collection, their three-year correspondence
provides tremendous insight into the history of working-class women in early nineteenth-century England. The finished letters
of Ann Harris tell a story of a woman constantly searching for independence and self-worth in a social class without privilege
and only limited freedom. The drafts of Richard Chandler, though minimal both in extent and information, present a man in
pursuit of love and happiness struggling to attain what he most wants. The words of Harris and Chandler reveal a deeply loving
and troubled relationship that echoes the difficult realities of working-class life at this time.
From 1804 to 1805, Harris was employed as a governess, and briefly a nurse, in the English town of Hereford, County Herefordshire.
The fall of 1804 marked the beginning of her aquaintance with Richard Chandler, a young man from the country village of Prestbury,
County Gloucestershire. In her correspondence, Harris confided the hardships and frustrations of working-class life to her
new friend. Her letters are often filled with descriptions of exhausting work days and the lack of freedom associated with
such a lifestyle. Ann's day-to-day existence was significantly circumscribed by the obligations owed to her employers, duties
that limited both her social life and her privacy. Indeed, Harris' relationship with Chandler was greatly affected by her
situation, her letters pointing to meetings arranged clandestinely, the risk of discovery never entirely eliminated or avoided.
Despite such obstacles, Harris and Chandler perpetuated a promising romance that led to an engagement in October, 1805. In
November of that year, however, Ann was given the opportunity to work for her brother in London, a position she eagerly wished
to take. With Richard's blessing, she took up residence with her brother, working in his newly purchased public house as a
barmaid. Harris' tenure in London, rather than granting her the liberation and independence she desperately craved, was plagued
with additional unhappiness. Her letters of this period speak of dashed hopes and continued feelings of imprisonment, sentiments
that fueled her decision to break all ties with Chandler in August, 1806.
Though Ann's silence was not permanent, communication with Chandler resuming by February, 1807, the prospect of one day marrying
is notably absent from her subsequent correspondence. Harris' remaining letters for the year 1807 emphasize her loyal friendship
to Richard and her ever-present desire to find and secure a better opportunity for herself. Richard's drafts, on the other
hand, point to a renewed desire on his part to not only correspond with Ann, but still fulfill the dream of a happy marriage
with her.
The abrupt termination of their correspondence in September, 1807 thus provokes many unanswered questions. In her last letter
to Chandler, Harris' decision to again stop all communication is credited to Richard's ignoring a loan request made by her
in August. However, the absence of further responsive drafts by Chandler leaves the couple's tumultuous correspondence without
closure. Though financial troubles appear to be responsible, attributing the split to a single cause would be simplistic.
The sudden end to the documented relationship between Ann Harris and Richard Chandler must be viewed against the broad social
context which defines the collection.
| 1804: | Harris moved to Hereford, County Herefordshire in November to work as a governess. |
| Ann Harris began corresponding with Richard Chandler in October. | |
| Harris moved from Cheltenham, County Gloucestershire to Newnham, County Gloucestershire in October. | |
| 1805: | Harris and Richard Chandler became engaged in October. |
| Harris departed for London in December. | |
| Harris was employed as a nurse from July to September. | |
| 1806: | Harris broke her engagement and all correspondence with Richard Chandler in August. |
| Harris arrived in London in January to work for her brother. | |
| 1807: | Harris asked Richard Chandler to lend her money in August. |
| Harris decided to again terminate correspondence with Richard Chandler in September. | |
| Harris resumed correspondence with Richard Chandler in February. |
This collection is primarily composed of autograph letters and drafts written by Ann Harris and Richard Chandler between October
1804 and September 1807. The bulk of the material is finished letters written from Harris to Chandler. Material attributed
to Chandler consists of nine draft letters to Harris. This collection also includes a small selection of letters written by
friends and family of the main correspondents. Topics include local society gossip, working-class social conditions, courtship,
love and marriage, and financial concerns.
This collection is arranged into four series as follows:
- Series 1. Correspondence, 1804
- Series 2. Correspondence, 1805
- Series 3. Correspondence, 1806
- Series 4. Correspondence, 1807
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Great Britain
Hereford (England)
London (England)
Manners and Customs
Prestbury (England)
Correspondence