The Alliance of Literary Societies Fair

 

Join us at the Birmingham & Midland Institute on Saturday 3rd October 2026 from 10am-4pm for the Alliance of Literary Societies Fair, a free day celebrating books, authors, readers and literary societies.

Jefferies' Swindon leaflet

 

A brief look at Jefferies' Farm, Coate

 

The Jefferies' family had left the old farm at Coate by 1886, but the map for that year still holds true. 

Helen Thomas’s letter to Samuel J. Looker dated 20 June 1948

 

This letter was found amongst Samuel J. Looker's papers that were acquired by the RJS and is now part of the Looker Archives held at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Chippenham. Helen Thomas wishes to express her thanks to Looker for his address to the audience celebrating the Richard Jefferies Centenary event on Saturday 19 June 1948. The party had walked from the Corn Exchange in Old Town, Swindon, leaving  at 2pm, to Dayhouse Farm, Coate (the birthplace of Jessie (Baden) Jefferies. At around 3pm, Looker gave his talk to the assembled crowd. It is interesting to note in the letter that Edward Thomas’s biography of Richard Jefferies “received hardly any notice” when it was first published in 1909.  

 

 REFLECTIONS is the title Richard Jefferies gave to his undated thoughts (purchased by Samuel Looker on two sheets of paper) written in his own hand. It is likely that Jefferies wrote the following whilst living in the bleak cottage called 'The Downs' in Crowborough (Sussex). The family lived there from July 1885 to November 1886.

 Oil painting of 'The Downs' by Cyril Wright, July 1976 with owner Delcy Field-Buss at the gate.

Dedication plaque above front door.

Richard Jefferies' Notebooks

 

Hawthorn leaves from Notebook VII, circa March 1880

The British Library archives include Richard Jefferies' pocket notebooks that start in 1876 and finish 3 months before his death. 

Richard's drawing for his brother aged 8

 This pencil drawing by Richard Jefferies is dated 2 September 1860. He would have been 12 years old at the time. The drawing is dedicated to his younger brother Harry (Henry) aged 8. 

It reveals some of young Richard's interests at that time: trains, weapons and thumb-screws!