£1680 has been awarded towards a commemorative programme on the bicentenary of the birth of Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823-1901). Charlotte Yonge was a significant figure in Victorian life and letters who is largely unknown today. The programme will include the publication of a booklet ‘Rediscovering Hampshire’s Overlooked author,
She was born into a religious family and was educated at home by her father William studying (the distinctly unusual for a girl) Latin, Greek, French, and algebra. Devoted to the Church she was much influenced by John Keble, Vicar of Hursley from 1835, a near neighbour and one of the leaders of the Oxford movement.
She remained in Otterbourne all her life and taught for 71 years in the village Sunday School. Her house, ‘Elderfield’, became a Grade II listed building in 1984
It is intended awareness of her life and its context will increase understanding of the Victorian age, especially in Hampshire. Hampshire Archives and Local Studies provide a wealth of information about her life in Hursley and Otterbourne which is not immediately obvious to the casual visitor or user of the catalogue, but which will feature in the booklet
This booklet has now been published and is available in pdf form at https://charlottemyonge.org.uk/bicentenary-celebration-booklet
