A collection of 14 letters written by the Anglo-Irish novelist Maria Edgeworth, £8000 at Halls.
They sold for £8000, ten times the low estimate, in the Shrewsbury saleroom.
Although Edgeworth is not really a household name today, in the period from 1800-14 she was the most famous and successful novelist in England, male or female. Her best known novel is probably Castle Rackrent, published in 1800.
The letters were mostly to Stephen Lushington (1782-1873), judge and MP and fervent anti-slavery campaigner. Some were addressed to Miss Sarah Carr, who married Lushington in 1821.
Sir Walter Scott was a great admirer of Edgeworth, and one letter was written from Abbotsford, his magnificent home on the banks of the River Tweed, where she was staying as Sir Walter’s guest. Dated July 28, 1823, and addressed to Mrs Lushington, in a very long letter Edgeworth describes her impressions of her host, his wonderful castle, and of outings and visits they have enjoyed.
Other stand-out results at Halls included a manuscript record of the British Chapel in Danzig beginning in 1706, which realised £2100 (estimate £500-800), and Frederick Schoberl, Picturesque Tour from Geneva to Milan and Picturesque Tour Through the Oberland, both with fine hand-coloured plates, sold together for £2100 (guide £500-800).
