Fellowships at the Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University (Julie Gammon and Maria Hayward)

Professor Maria Hayward and Dr Julie Gammon were awarded prestigious Fellowships at the Lewis Walpole Library in Farmington, Connecticut which is part of Yale University this year, so they spent a very exciting couple of weeks this October immersed in the library’s fabulous collection of eighteenth-century materials. The Library is so named, not after an individual person, but because its founders, W. S. Lewis and Annie Burr Lewis in the twentieth century amassed an amazing archive of materials related to the eighteenth-century writer and politician Horace Walpole and his associates and housed it in a collection of beautiful eighteenth-century houses in the historic town of Farmington for researchers to use. Fellows get to spend the days utilising the amazing archives and are then housed on site to be able to discuss all things long eighteenth century together in convivial surroundings during the evenings.

The extensive grounds of the library attract a range of wildlife, Maria and Julie were disappointed not to see a bear, although one was very much in evidence (loudly) investigating the bins outside the accommodation in the early hours of the morning. But they did see a lot of ‘Tom’ – the library’s resident and very cute groundhog, pictured here.

Maria and Julie are working on an exciting joint research project examining ‘Fashion and Nightlife in Eighteenth-Century Hampshire’ so were able to dive into an eclectic mix of sources at the Lewis Walpole: including letters where writers commented on their evening social activities, records of expenditure linked to nightlife, drawings of costumes worn at particular events, accounts of crimes and disorder after dark and satirical images of the ‘dangers’ associated with going out at night. It appears that Southampton was certainly a popular location for its varied nightlife in the eighteenth century and the visitors it attracted, including royalty, although contemporaries were less impressed by the crowded streets, threats to safety, and poor standard of the accommodation! Towards the end of their stay Julie and Maria presented their findings in the oak-panelled surroundings of the ‘new’ library to the staff and other Fellows and answered questions. Some of the outcomes of their research at the Lewis Walpole and other archives will be on display at a major exhibition they are co-curating at Chawton House Library, Alton, Hampshire in Autumn 2026 so do keep a look out for publicity about the exhibition and try to go along if you can!