Harvey

JANE HARVEY (1776 - 1842)

Jane Harvey was baptised in Gateshead. In 1794 she published by subscription in Newcastle a Sentimental Tour of that city as by 'A Young Lady', with sections like 'The Theatre Royal', 'Merchant's Court' and 'Tea', with lively talk on politics and women. 'The Assembly Rooms, though smaller than those at York or Bath are not inferior... striking proof of the taste and judgment of Mr Newton, architect'. At the Hospital for Lunatics 'the patients are treated with all the humanity and attention their unhappy situation can possibly admit.'

The Tyne Bridge which was described by Celia Fiennes and Daniel Defoe, had been swept away in the great flood of 1771. The new bridge, seen by Jane Harvey, had been built in 1780, five arches on the north side belonging to Newcastle and three to the south belonging to the See of Durham: 'It is rather narrow, being only 22 feet and a half broad; it was the wish of the Corporation to have made it seven feet broader, but the Bishop of Durham would not allow it.'

Jane's Poems on Various Subjects (1797) was followed by some dozen anonymous novels, mostly, though not all, published in London. They are competent works, rich in unusual detail. The Castle of Tynemouth (1806) is a tale of alleged witchcraft set in the 15th century. Jane Harvey also wrote verse and tales for children, ending her career in 1841 with Fugitive Pieces, an intriguing mixture of charming poetry, political support for striking Tyneside keelmen and exploited female tailors, a witty welcome to 'the railroad', and an elegiac 'Conclusion'.

Jane ran a circulating library in Tynemouth for some years and was probably related to the Margaret Harvey who ran a boarding school in Bishopwearmouth and published a long poem and melodrama (1814, 1822) on the history of the Percy family in the 16th century.

Myers Literary Guide:	The North-East
JANE HARVEY (1776 - 1842) Jane Harvey was baptised in Gateshead. In 1794 she published by subscription in Newcastle a Sentimental Tour of that city as by 'A Young Lady', with sections like 'The Theatre Royal', 'Merchant's Court' and 'Tea', with lively talk on politics and women. 'The Assembly Rooms, though smaller than those at York or Bath are not inferior... striking proof of the taste and judgment of Mr Newton, architect'. At the Hospital for Lunatics 'the patients are treated with all the humanity and attention their unhappy situation can possibly admit.' The Tyne Bridge which was described by Celia Fiennes and Daniel Defoe, had been swept away in the great flood of 1771. The new bridge, seen by Jane Harvey, had been built in 1780, five arches on the north side belonging to Newcastle and three to the south belonging to the See of Durham: 'It is rather narrow, being only 22 feet and a half broad; it was the wish of the Corporation to have made it seven feet broader, but the Bishop of Durham would not allow it.' Jane's Poems on Various Subjects (1797) was followed by some dozen anonymous novels, mostly, though not all, published in London. They are competent works, rich in unusual detail. The Castle of Tynemouth (1806) is a tale of alleged witchcraft set in the 15th century. Jane Harvey also wrote verse and tales for children, ending her career in 1841 with Fugitive Pieces, an intriguing mixture of charming poetry, political support for striking Tyneside keelmen and exploited female tailors, a witty welcome to 'the railroad', and an elegiac 'Conclusion'. Jane ran a circulating library in Tynemouth for some years and was probably related to the Margaret Harvey who ran a boarding school in Bishopwearmouth and published a long poem and melodrama (1814, 1822) on the history of the Percy family in the 16th century.
Return to Index	On to next Author