Augustine Henry and Evelyn Gleeson Papers,

1857-1930

Collection of letters sent between Dr. Augustine Henry and Evelyn Gleeson, founder of the Dun Emer Press. Also includes some additional correspondence from acquaintances to Evelyn Gleeson, 1879-1930.


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Bibliographic Details
Main Creator: Gleeson, Evelyn, 1855–1944
Contributors: Henry, Augustine, 1857-1930
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
Subjects:
Notes:Box 1: 1879, 1896-1903 and index. (59 folders.)

Box 2: 1904-1913, 1921, 1924 and 1926-1930. (43 folders.)

Henry, Augustine (1857–1930), botanical collector and dendrologist, was born in Dundee, the first of six children of Bernard Henry (c.1825–1891) and Mary MacNamee. The family returned to Cookstown, Co. Tyrone. Henry was educated at Cookstown Academy and in Queen's College, Galway. He studied medicine at Queen's College, Belfast, in 1879. He then transferred his studies to University of Edinburgh and qualified as a doctor. He entered the Imperial Customs Service in Shanghai in 1881 as Assistant Medical Officer and Customs Assistant. He was sent to the remote posting of Yichang (Ichanh) in 1882 in Hubei Province, Central China, to investigate plants used in Chinese medicine. While at Yichang and in other parts of China he collected plants, seeds and specimens, many of which had not been known until then. In 1888 he published a list of Chinese plants for the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. In 1900 he went to France to study at the French National School of Forestry at Nancy and became joint author with Henry John Elwes of 'Trees of Great Britain and Ireland' (1907-1913). He had an interest in the Arts and Crafts movement and in the Celtic Revival. He took up the Chair of Forestry at the Royal College of Science (Later UCD) in 1913 and assisted in the setting up of a National Forestry Service. He married Alice Brunton in 1908.

Evelyn Gleeson (1855-1944) was born in Knutsford, Cheshire, the daughter of an Irish doctor, Edward Moloney Gleeson, and Harriet Simpson. Her father established the Athlone Woollen Mills in 1859 and the family moved to Athlone in 1863. Eveyln attended school in England and then studied portraiture in London from 1890-1892. She was interested in Irish affairs, through her membership of the Gaelic League and the Irish Literary Society. On her advice of her friend Augustine Henry, she moved to Ireland to improve her health. Henry offered her the finances to establish her own craft centre. In 1902 Gleeson found a suitable studio in Dundrum, Dublin, called Runnymede and then renamed Dun Emer. Lily Yeats ran the embroidery section. Lolly Yeats led the printing section and Gleeson was in charge of the weaving and tapestry section. She also managed the studios finances. In 1908 Lily and Lolly Yeats left Dun Emer and set up Cuala Industries. Gleeson continued to work in Dun Emer with her niece Katherine (Kitty)MacCormack and Augustine Henry's niece May Kerley. The workshops moved to Hardwicke Street, Dublin in 1912. Gleeson died on 20 February 1944 at Dun Emer, with Kitty MacCormack carrying on the Guild after her death.

Physical description: 2 boxes

Finding Aid Available: NLI Collection List No. A19

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