BSECS GPP Fellow 2024

Lorna Clark awarded 2024 BSECS King’s College London GPP Fellowship

Dr Clark edited two volumes of Court Journals and Letters of Frances Burney (OUP, 2014), those covering 1788, the year which marked the medical crisis (“madness”) of George III. Since then, the Georgian Papers Programme has made many more records accessible, some of which are highlighted in the virtual exhibition, ‘The Madness of George III Explored’. These include letters from the various physicians, medical reports of the King’s health, and the full diaries of one of his attendants during that time. The Fellowship will enable her to consult this material to explore the crisis more fully in tandem with Burney’s own account. 

While the illness of George III might be the most dramatic, it will not be the only focus of Clark’s research. Burney served in the Queen’s household for five years which was an important chapter in her life and in a biography Clark is working on. Other items made available will help round out the picture of her time there: for instance, the letters of Queen Charlotte, her account books, and the listing of her jewellery, which Burney carried on their travels. Documents concerning courtiers with whom Burney interacted behind the scenes will shed light on her milieu. Exploring these and other holdings will provide a full context for Burney’s experience and yield valuable insights in the nature of the royal household in Georgian times.