File NLW MS 4963E - Lady Guest's Mabinogion

Identity area

Reference code

NLW MS 4963E

Title

Lady Guest's Mabinogion

Date(s)

  • [19 cent., second ¼] (Creation)

Level of description

File

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Name of creator

Biographical history

Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Bertie (1812-1895) was born at Uffington House, Lincolnshire, on 19 May 1812, the daughter of Albermarle Bertie, 9th earl of Lindsey, and his wife Charlotte Susanna Elizabeth. In 1833 she married the Dowlais ironmaster Josiah John Guest (1785-1852), MP for Merthyr Tydfil. They had ten children. In 1846 the Guests purchased Canford Manor in Dorset.
Already an accomplished linguist, at Dowlais she studied Welsh and went on to translate into English the eleven Middle Welsh tales from the Red Book of Hergest collectively known (by her) as the Mabinogion. These were published in seven parts from 1838 to 1849 and collected as The Mabinogion, from the Llyfr Coch o Hergest, and other ancient Welsh Manuscripts…, 3 vols (London and Llandovery, 1849).
Following her husband's death in 1852 Lady Charlotte took on the running of the Dowlais ironworks, until April 1855 when she married her eldest son's tutor Charles Schreiber (1826-1884), a classicist and later a Tory MP. They spent much of their time travelling and collecting English and European china. She also collected fans and playing cards; in her last years, following Charles's death, she published five volumes describing and reproducing these collections.
Lady Charlotte Schreiber died 15 January 1895 at Canford Manor and was buried at Canford Church.

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Scope and content

Material relating to the production of Lady Charlotte Guest's English translation of the 'Mabinogion' (London, 1838-49), including facsimiles, a letter from Joseph Fisher, engraver, to Guest, 1838, a modernized (Welsh) version of the tales of 'Branwen ferch Llŷr' and 'Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed', possibly made by John Jones ('Tegid'), original sketches, proofs of illustrations, etc.

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Language of material

  • English
  • Welsh

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English, Welsh

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Note

Preferred citation: NLW MS 4963E

Note

Title based on contents.

Alternative identifier(s)

Virtua system control number

vtls004369340

GEAC system control number

(WlAbNL)0000369340

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  • Text: NLW MS 4963E.