"A Traveller's Set of Books on Language and Geography from a Famous Family of 19th Century Women Travellers - The Stanhopes"

"A Traveller's Set of Books on Language and Geography from a Famous Family of 19th Century Female Travellers - The Stanhopes"

Three books housed in a contemporary travel case:

1) "The Royal Pocket Dictionary, French And English, And English And French"

London: G.G and J. Robinson, 1795.

Signed "Catherine Wilhelmine Stanhope - Vienna"

2)"A Dictionary of the English Language..."

London, W Peacock, 1797, 5th Edition.

With the signature of "Catherine Lucy Stanhope of Mahon"

3)"A Compendious Geographical Dictionary"

2nd Edition, London, W. Peacock 1795. Including coloured maps of the World and 5 Continents

Inscription to inside of travel case: " These books were taken to Sicily in 1811 by my grandmother Catherine Lucy Countess Stanhope’"

All books 12mo bound in lovely red roan bindings, housed in a contemporary matching red roan covered wooden travel box (16 x 12x 9cm approx) with red cover. Wear to case and to bindings with some losses to the case at lower edge and base of spine.

These books are documented to have been owned by women of the Stanhope family for at least three generations. With the inscriptions of Catherine Lucy Stanhope (1785-1843) (wife of Philip Henry, 4th Earl Stanhope (1781-1855), her daughter Catherine Wilhelmine Stanhope (1819-1901), and her granddaughter stating that the books were taken to Sicily in 1811 by her grandmother (Catherine Lucy Stanhope).

The Stanhope family were a well travelled and eccentric family of the early 19th Century. Philip, 4th Earl Stanhope, was an MP and a fellow of the Royal Society and Society of Arts. His half-sister, Lady Hester Stanhope, was the most famous female traveller of her age and an early archaeologist, excavating the Philistine city of Ascalon and living out the rest of her life in the Middle East. Her name was celebrated after her death and she is mentioned in Joyce's novel Ulysses and late 19th Century novels by George Eliot and Louisa May Alcott. 

According to the inscription on the travel case, Philip's wife, Catherine Lucy Stanhope (nee Smith), took these books to Sicily in 1811.  The Napoleonic wars were raging at this time and the politics of Sicily were unstable. The Bourbon King Ferdinand IV and his Queen, Maria Carolina (Marie Antoinette's sister), were on the Sicilian throne and the British envoys were sent to establish a constitution to increase rights of the Sicilians. 

After returning from Sicily, the books passed to Catherine Lucy Stanhope's daughter, Catherine Wilhemine Stanhope at some time. One of the books is inscribed "Catherine Wilhelmine - Vienne" suggesting they travelled with her to Vienna. Catherine Wilhelmine's father, Philip 4th Earl Stanhope was a frequent traveller to Germany and Vienna and it is likely she travelled with him on one occasion. Catherine Wilhemine was, according to her obituary in the Times, "an indefatigable traveller" and in 1914 wrote and published the definitive history of her half-aunt:  "The Life and Letters of Lady Hester Stanhope".

An beautiful early 19th Century travel set owned by three generation of celebrated female globetrotters. The books have documented travel histories to Sicily and Vienna in the early 19th Century with the Stanhope family.