The Poetical Works of Miss Susanna Blamire (1842) - Gredos ...

The Salamanca Corpus: The Poetical Works of Miss Susanna Blamire (1842)
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PREFACE.
of which Anderson was in possession of; for in it were thirteen songs and one poem, only
one short of the number he said he possessed.
Still pursuing my inquiries whenever and wherever there appeared to be a chance of
obtaining any information, in 1835 I had the happiness of becoming acquainted with my
excellent and talented friend Henry Lonsdale, Esq. M.D., Edinburgh, a native of Carlisle,
who was then pursuing his medical studies at our University. Dr Lonsdale entered into my
views with the ardour of an enthusiast; and it is to him that I am indebted for all my
success. Having obtained his degree of Doctor in Medicine, he went to pursue his
profession for a short time at Raughton-Head, near Thackwood, where he made the
valuable acquaintance of Miss Jane Christian Blamire, niece of the Poetess, who showed
him her aunt’s MSS.; after which he was not long in informing me of the treasure he had
found;and thus very agreeably confirmed an opinion I had long entertained, that one who
had written so well must have written a great deal more than what had hitherto met my
sight, or what was generally known to the world. Ultimately Dr Lonsdale obtained the
consent of Miss Blamire and her excellent brother William Blamire, Esquire, of
Thackwood, chief Tithe Commissioner, that the MSS. should be placed in our hands
preparatively to publication; and my friend and myself feel much indebted to the various
members of the Poetess’s family at Thackwood, Carlisle, and Newcastle, for the facilities
they have afforded us in the prosecution
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of our labours. From a notice which appeared in the Carlisle Journal concerning the
recovery of the MSS., and the intention of presenting them to the world, Miss Susanna
Brown of Newcastle, niece of the Poetess, kindly and promptly gave us the use of her
mother s papers, among which were many MSS. in the author s handwriting. It was
delightful to see the affectionate manner in which they had been preserved and valued,
many of them being indorsed, “ My dear sister Susan’s MSS.,” “ My dear sister s poetry.”
These have been of important service to us.
Our acknowledgments are also due to Mrs Lowthian of Kellington, and to Miss
Graham of Carlisle, daughter of the late venerable Rector of Arthuret, for the very liberal
way in which we have been favoured with the use of the MSS., and copies of Miss
Blamire’s writings in their possession, which have forwarded our labours in no
inconsiderable degree.
It is with extreme regret that, notwithstanding all my diligence, I have been able to
glean so few materials for illustrating the life and writings of Miss Susanna Blamire. All
her kindred now living were children at the period of their accomplished relative’s death,
and therefore remember little of her; those still alive, resident near Thackwood and the
Oaks, of an age contemporary with the Poetess, are, from circumstances and situation, but