Finding aid for the James Henry Mangles Diary

Biography of James Henry Mangles

James Henry Mangles was born in 1832, the eldest son of Charles Edward and Rose Mangles of Poyle Park, Surrey, England. Mangles was educated at Brighton College and East India College and served for seven years in the Bengal Civil Service. He returned to England in 1858. Trained in law, has real mark was, nevertheless, made in horticulture; he became famous in the horticultural world for the rhododendrons he grew. Mangles met and befriended Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in 1870. While Mangles resided at his Valewood estate in Sussex, England, Tennyson's strong desire to avoid the public eye and to maintain some privacy caused him to build and move to a neighboring estate called Aldworth. Mangles and Tennyson spent a lot of dinners together. After being elected to a fellow of the Linnean Society in 1874, he also served as an active member of the Royal Horticultural Society. He contributed some twenty-three notes and articles to gardening magazines between 1879 and 1884. Mangles died in August 1884 at the age of 52,

Scope and Content

The James Henry Mangles diary was discovered at Mangle's estate Valewood in 1961, in the outbuilding once used as a laundry room. When found, the diary was soaking wet. Fortunately, after careful drying, the ink survived, and the text is still readable. The diary consists of approximately 50 pages and was recorded in a ledger previously used as a scrapbook for newspaper clippings from the 1790's. The clippings still remain today in the diary. Mangles recorded conversations between himself and Tennyson that took place during dinner and evening hours. The discussions deal with all aspects of life and reveal the whole range of Tennyson's exceptionally broad interests.

Statement of Arrangement

Subject Terms

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Preferred Citation

Researchers are requested to cite collection name, collection number, and Ohio University, Athens, Ohio in all footnotes and bibliographical references.