Collection Lane, J. MSS - Jenny Lane Collection

Journal 1 - first half Journal 1 - second half Journal 2 Journal 3
Original Digital object not accessible

Identity area

Reference code

Lane, J. MSS

Title

Jenny Lane Collection

Date(s)

  • c. 1876-1887 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

1 box, 1 oversize box, 4 parcels

Context area

Name of creator

(1835-?)

Biographical history

Eldest daughter of George Lane, a market gardener in Pulborough, Sussex. Lady's maid to Lucy Renshaw, travelling companion of Amelia A. B. Edwards. She married twice, firstly in 1879 to George Collins and then in 1885 to William Norton Western; this explains her married names Collins and Western in official records.

Archival history

Previously in the hands of Jenny Lane's family (great-nephew Mr J. Martin of Broadstairs, and later his widow Mrs Patricia Martin).

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

  • J. Lane MSS 1-3: Bonhams, London. Travel and Exploration, Sale 25106, 6 February 2019, lot 115. Acquired by the Griffith Institute at auction thanks to grants from the Friends of the National Libraries (50%), the Friends of the Petrie Museum (25%) and a number of donations to the Griffith Institute Archive (25%).
  • J. Lane MSS 4-5: Mrs Patricia Martin in October 2019.
  • J. Lane MSS 6: Mrs Patricia Martin in February 2020.
  • J. Lane MSS 7-8: Mrs Patricia Martin in August 2020.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

  • J. Lane MSS 1-3: Journals of Jenny Lane, lady's maid to Lucy Renshaw, travelling companion of Amelia A. B. Edwards, describing in detail their various trips including the 1873-1874 journey through France and Italy, crossing from Brindisi to Alexandria on the Simla, thence up the Nile to Dendara, Karnak, Luxor, Aswan, Philae and Abu Simbel, and the return journey via Port Said, through Lebanon to Damascus, Baalbek and Beirut, Constantinople, Athens, and the Rhine. They contain vivid descriptions of the landscape, weather and peoples, and anecdotes and observations of fellow travellers and places visited. They cover the period from 4 September 1873 to 6 March 1876. 286 pages in three volumes, calf, worn, 8vo.
  • J. Lane MSS 4: Photograph album put together following Miss Lane's two trips to Egypt and the Near East between 1873 and 1876.
  • J. Lane MSS 5: Collection of antiquities and miscellanea collected by Miss Lane during her trips.
  • J. Lane MSS 6: Three framed portraits (Jane Collins, née Jane Lane, George Collins [first husband], and George Lane [father]).
  • J. Lane MSS 7: Photocopy of marriage certificate for George Collins and Jane Lane (20 October 1879).
  • J. Lane MSS 8: Related documentation (three letters to the Martin family and two papers) by Brenda Moon.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Kept as received.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Property of the Griffith Institute. No restrictions.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

J. Lane MSS 1 accessioned with some loss at spine and some loose pages at the beginning; J. Lane MSS 2-3 are in good condition.

Finding aids

None.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

This is an original.

Existence and location of copies

Not known.

Related units of description

  • Several shabtis bought by Miss Lane and one painting cut from photograph album (not by Amelia A. B. Edwards) sold by family in early 2000s.
  • Two watercolours and one ink sketch by Amelia A. B. Edwards associated with photograph album now in private possession.

Publication note

  • Excerpts from journals quoted in B. Moon, More Usefully Employed: Amelia B. Edwards, writer, traveler and campaigner for ancient Egypt (2006).
  • Full web publication of the journals on this website.

Notes area

Note

Portrait = J. Lane MSS 6.1.

Note

Cultural warning: Users of this material are warned that some records document observations of people and cultures using scientific research models and language from the late nineteenth century in ways that may be considered offensive today.

Note

Web publication of journals:
• Coordination, editing and web presentation: Francisco Bosch-Puche, assisted by Elizabeth Fleming and Cat Warsi.
• Transcription: Susan Biddle, Elizabeth Fleming, Cyprian Fong, Hazel Gray, Hebatallah Ibrahim, William Joy, Jordan Miller, Jan Picton, Ivor Pridden, Anne-Claire Salmas, Manon Schutz and Cat Warsi.
• Scanning and image editing: Jenni Navratil.

Note

If you spot any mistakes or can improve on the transcription, please email us at griffith.institute@ames.ox.ac.uk.

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Physical storage

  • Shelf: 2102