One hundred letters sent to Thomas Hardy made public for the first time

Thomas Hardy’s position as one of Britain’s preeminent writers meant he received thousands of letters from fans, friends and members of the public to express their admiration or enlist his support.

Hardy had thousands of correspondents from all round the world, from countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tasmania and the USA.

Writers including J.M. Barrie, Florence Henniker, T.E. Lawrence, Amy Levy, Ezra Pound, Siegfried Sassoon, H.G. Wells and Virginia Woolf wrote to seek his opinion and express their admiration. He also received letters from illustrators, musicians and actors, as well as charitable and political organisations.

The letters show Hardy’s modern views meant he played a key role in debates of the time – from women and suffrage to war and vivisection – and also how much he inspired other writers. Now, one hundred of these letters have been made publicly available for the first time.

Experts from the University of Exeter, using equipment from their Digital Humanities Lab, are digitising more than 5,000 of Hardy’s letters, which are housed at Dorset Museum. These letters form part of Dorset Museum’s Thomas Hardy Memorial Collection, the largest Hardy collection in the world, recently selected for the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.

A new website, created by the team at the Digital Humanities Lab, shows images and fully annotated transcriptions of 100 letters to Hardy, with more to be added in the future.

Project lead Professor Angelique Richardson, from the University of Exeter, said: “By looking at the letters Hardy received we can see how he had a central place in national and international conversations and networks. He was engaged in intellectual and political debates, and discussion of subjects ranging from science and war to education, feminism and suffrage. 

“Examining his correspondence also shows us how writers were seen in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, and about the practice of letter writing across class, gender, and geographical boundaries.”

Jon Murden, Director of Dorset Museum said “This has been a wonderful opportunity for the partnership of the Museum and the University to work together on this project, to ensure the accessibility and preservation of these stories behind this unique collection of letters, for future generations to study and enjoy.”