Mosley, Paget, 1838-ca. 1915, Hunting ballads compiled by Paget Mosley, 1874-1882
- Title(s):
- Hunting ballads compiled by Paget Mosley.
- Published/Created:
- England, 1874-1882.
- Physical Description:
- 1 v. ([85] p.) : ill. ; 23 cm.
- Holdings:
- Rare Books and ManuscriptsSK185.M67 H86 1874Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection[Request]
- Copyright Status:
- Copyright Not Evaluated
- Full Orbis Record:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/9573217
- Classification:
- Archives & Manuscripts
- Notes:
- Paget Mosley (1838-ca. 1915) was a Captain in the 11th Hussars, a cavalry regiment once captained by Prince Albert (possibly during Mosley's service). He was born in Staffordshire, and hailed from a landed family that had established itself in Staffordshire and Lancashire some time before. Mosley appears to have become an engineer after his military service, as there are a few books and other articles about industrial and mining topics attributed to him. Mosley's passion for hunting, and the friendships that thrived on the hunting culture he prized, inspired his collection of hunting ballads.
Armorial bookplate of Paget Mosley, 11th Hussars.
Bound in gilt-tooled red morocco, by Bickers & Son, London. Title stamped in gilt on front cover: Hunting ballads, etc., P.M.
Manuscript collection of hunting ballads, compiled by Paget Mosley, from 1874 to 1882. The verse, apparently original, includes anonymous contributions by Mosely, his family, and friends and acquaintances. It is written in multiple hands, presumably (in some cases) by the original authors. Writing is in pen and dark brown ink throughout and occupies the first half of an unruled notebook, with paper watermarked 1874. The final poem is dated February 1882.
Mosley's preface to the volume notes, "These verses were written for the amusement of a few friends, and in the space of a couple of hours--This is the excuse they have for errors of hastiness of composition ... The author for obvious reasons wishes to remain unknown. He can derive no advantage from censuring characters that are little cared about, and the only gratification would be to mortify the vanity of some of his acquaintance who think him incapable of producing a stanza or an essay good, bad, or indifferent." The verses within the volume are, naturally, mostly on the topic of hunting, with occasional forays into satire, sometimes veiled but personal (at least one work pokes fun at one of the contributors, and is described as a retaliation to another verse written previously in the book). For the most part, the verses about hunting emphasize the thrill of the chase, the bonds between hunters, their horses and dogs, and the friendships between the circle of amateur poets who contribute to Mosley's collection. At least some of the verses appear to have been penned at hunts or at hunting lodges, as many are dated and labeled with the names of such hunts as the Meynells, the Lichfield Races, and Atherstone.
The verses likely penned by Mosley himself are in an anapest (short-short-long) meter, giving them a galloping rhythm that seems to echo and evoke riding culture (both military and hunting). Towards the end of the book, the verse becomes quite sentimental, with one example using the hunt as a metaphor for life, and discussing the prospect of friends meeting again after death.
The volume is accompanied by four loose leaves of additional balads ("The days gone by" and "Love's lesson"). These are now housed in a separate binder (Suppl.). - Subject Terms:
- Fox hunting -- Poetry -- Great Britain.Horsemanship -- Poetry -- Great Britain.Hunt riding -- Poetry -- Great Britain.Hunting -- Poetry -- Great Britain.Hunting dogs -- Poetry -- Great Britain.Hunting songs -- Great Britain.Mosley, Paget, 1838-ca. 1915 -- Bookplate.Mosley, Paget, 1838-ca. 1915.Mosley, Peploe Paget, 1793-1868.
- Form/Genre:
- Ballads.
- Export:
- XML