Letters from Walter de la Mare to Rosemary Sisson
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of eleven letters from Walter de la Mare to Rosemary Sisson, dated 1935-1959, and one letter from Rosemary Sisson to Walter de la Mare, undated.
Letters from Walter de la Mare to Rosemary Sisson
- 11 October 1935: autograph letter signed, mentioning a previous letter from Rosemary Sisson, as well as a "Daphne" and a "Cottage". "Next time I come I would like to do two things - ride like a Centaur & swim like a Sea", "I am not a bit surprised the poems have left off for a while, & I am sure when you thought (I hope knew) they were getting bad it was best to stop. Mark my words they may begin again..."
- 3 May 1937: typed letter with autograph amendments, signed. De la Mare thanks Rosemary Sisson for her letter, mentions his visit to Cheltenham for a lecture, talks about his spotting cuckoos, and makes a comment about the poet Wordsworth.
- 15 March 1950: typed letter with autograph amendments, signed. De la Mare mentions the "Dilettante Club", gives news of "Nic" and "Shirley", discusses the poet Wordsworth that Sisson had mentioned in her previous letter, and her writings, including Ambrose and her novel about Anne Hathaway.
- 3 April 1950: typed letter with autograph amendments, signed. De la Mare regrets he cannot accept Sisson's mother's invitation due to his health, and he proposes a date for Sisson's visit to his house.
- 19 April 1950: typed letter with autograph amendments, signed. De la Mare proposes other dates for Sisson's father's visit (the same visit as in his previous letter). He also mentions his love for "Montana Cowboys" films.
- 11 May 1950: autograph letter signed, in which de la Mare talks about how much he enjoyed the visit of Rosemary Sisson and her father.
- 15 June 1950: autograph letter signed, in which de la Mare says he has been "entertaining Ambrose - but nothing like the same degree that he has been entertaining [him] - for weeks". By "Ambrose", he means a copy of Sisson's novel The Adventures of Ambrose, which he then praises in his letter. The story was published in 1951.
- 15 September 1950: autograph letter signed, in which de la Mare keeps talking about Ambrose, and mentions he is in Canford Cliffs, Dorset.
- 23 October 1950: typed letter with autograph amendments, signed. De la Mare regretfully declines to write an introduction for The Adventures of Ambrose, citing his health and his doctor's orders. He proposes that she uses quotes from his letter instead.
- 30 October 1950: typed letter with autograph amendments, signed. De la Mare says he is glad Sisson will use a quote of his for her book. In another paragraph, he mentions his "little pocket book" here he keeps locks of his children's hair from when they were young. He also mentions Robert Frost, "a very old friend".
- 15 October 1951: typed letter with autograph amendments, signed. De la Mare regretfully declines to go to "Ambrose's party" to Chelsea, London because of his health.
There is also an autograph letter signed from Rosemary Sisson to Walter de la Mare, undated but probably 1951 (publication date of The Adventures of Ambrose), saying "since the day in 1931 when you sent me your Peacock's Pie, I have always longed to be able to send you something in return, - however poor and slight..." the next sentence has been crossed through "I used to send you ridiculous rhymes in exchange for your magic poetry, but now all my poetry has...", continuing "It is the child whom you delighted with the magic of your poetry who now sends you this children's story which you have already seen, and to which you have already given your blessing, and which is already partly yours - I wonder how much? In the cobweb of this child's mind, the most silver threads were yours..." with a postscript "To Ambrose's literary godfather, and mine, with all grateful respect and affection". Written on the back of a typescript.
Dates
- Creation: 1935-1951
Creator
- Mare, Walter de la, 1873-1956 (poet and writer) (Author, Person)
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Open. Please contact the repository in advance.
Biographical / Historical
The poet, novelist, and anthologist Walter de La Mare was born in Charleton, Kent, on 25 April 1873. He was educated at St. Paul's Cathedral Choristers' School in London. From 1890 until 1908, de La Mare worked for the Anglo-American Oil Company in London. However, after the appearance in 1902 of his Songs of childhood, under the pseudonym of Walter Ramal, he spent more and more time writing and his first novel Henry Brocken was published in 1904. A large output of poems, stories, novels, books for children and anthologies continued throughout the rest of his life. His production includes Poems (1906), The return (1910), The listeners (1912), Peacock pie (1913), Memoirs of a midget (1921), Come hither (1923), Behold, this dreamer (1939), The Burning Glass (1945), The Traveller (1946), Inward Companion (1950), and O Lovely England (1953). He was made Companion of Honour in 1948, and received the Order of Merit in 1953. Walter de La Mare died in Twickenham on 22 June 1956. He was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.
Rosemary Sisson was an English television dramatist and novelist. She contributed to scripts for Upstairs Downstairs, The Duchess of Duke Street and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. She also wrote books for children, including The Adventures of Ambrose in 1951 and The Impractical Chimney Sweep in 1956.
Full Extent
12 letters (1 folder)
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased in February 2025. Accession no. SC-Acc-2025-0033.
Processing Information
Catalogued by Aline Brodin in November 2025.
Subject
- Sisson, Rosemary Anne, 1923-2017 (English television dramatist and novelist) (Recipient, Person)
Genre / Form
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Letters from Walter de la Mare to Rosemary Sisson, 1935-1951
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk