Sam Pope
@sampopewriter.bsky.social
Writer of gothic, ghostly tales. Polar history buff and devotee of Eleanor Anne Porden. Find out more at www.sampopewriter.com and www.eleanorporden.com
On 24 October 1812, Eleanor Porden wrote fascinating account of an evening spent with her family’s close friends, in which they discussed superstition and the supernatural, particularly the possibility of possessing the gift of Second Sight.
Killed by a white horse
Two hundred and eleven years ago, on 24 October 1812, Eleanor Porden wrote a fascinating account of an evening spent with her family’s close friends, in which they discussed superstition and the su…
wp.me
October 31, 2025 at 4:42 PM
On 24 October 1812, Eleanor Porden wrote fascinating account of an evening spent with her family’s close friends, in which they discussed superstition and the supernatural, particularly the possibility of possessing the gift of Second Sight.
Thank you so much, @oxonlibraries.bsky.social,
for displaying Lindy with these excellent scary stories for Halloween! It made my day seeing this!
@foxandinkbooks.bsky.social
for displaying Lindy with these excellent scary stories for Halloween! It made my day seeing this!
@foxandinkbooks.bsky.social
October 22, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Thank you so much, @oxonlibraries.bsky.social,
for displaying Lindy with these excellent scary stories for Halloween! It made my day seeing this!
@foxandinkbooks.bsky.social
for displaying Lindy with these excellent scary stories for Halloween! It made my day seeing this!
@foxandinkbooks.bsky.social
Night after night, something has been moving our mini-pumpkins in our garden. We set up a camera and caught the culprit! (S)He comes every night, multiple times a night, and either carries or noses them down to the other end of the garden!
September 2, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Night after night, something has been moving our mini-pumpkins in our garden. We set up a camera and caught the culprit! (S)He comes every night, multiple times a night, and either carries or noses them down to the other end of the garden!
Happy #WorldLetterWritingDay! To mark this occasion, here's a brief write-up of some of the letters I read @bodleian.ox.ac.uk today, between William and Eleanor Porden and various correspondents. Turnips make a very odd appearance! eleanorporden.com/2025/09/01/h...
Happy World Letter Writing Day!
It seems very appropriate that I spent a very fruitful half day in the Bodleian Library, reading the various letters between the Pordens (Eleanor and William) and Francis Douce (antiquary and museu…
eleanorporden.com
September 1, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Happy #WorldLetterWritingDay! To mark this occasion, here's a brief write-up of some of the letters I read @bodleian.ox.ac.uk today, between William and Eleanor Porden and various correspondents. Turnips make a very odd appearance! eleanorporden.com/2025/09/01/h...
Happy World Letter Writing Day!
It seems very appropriate that I spent a very fruitful half day in the Bodleian Library, reading the various letters between the Pordens (Eleanor and William) and Francis Douce (antiquary and museum curator) and Benjamin D'Israeli. Whenever I visit an archive, I can…
It seems very appropriate that I spent a very fruitful half day in the Bodleian Library, reading the various letters between the Pordens (Eleanor and William) and Francis Douce (antiquary and museum curator) and Benjamin D'Israeli. Whenever I visit an archive, I can…
Happy World Letter Writing Day!
It seems very appropriate that I spent a very fruitful half day in the Bodleian Library, reading the various letters between the Pordens (Eleanor and William) and Francis Douce (antiquary and museum curator) and Benjamin D'Israeli. Whenever I visit an archive, I can never quite believe my fortune. The fact that we have these invaluable places available to visit, for…
eleanorporden.com
September 1, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Happy World Letter Writing Day!
It seems very appropriate that I spent a very fruitful half day in the Bodleian Library, reading the various letters between the Pordens (Eleanor and William) and Francis Douce (antiquary and museum curator) and Benjamin D'Israeli. Whenever I visit an archive, I can…
It seems very appropriate that I spent a very fruitful half day in the Bodleian Library, reading the various letters between the Pordens (Eleanor and William) and Francis Douce (antiquary and museum curator) and Benjamin D'Israeli. Whenever I visit an archive, I can…
This cat is adorable. Used to live in a cat café til we adopted her two years ago (she'd been there the longest as black cats are unpopular). She's gorgeous and funny BUT she's a typical black cat: daft as a brush. She's started trying to haul herself out of windows and we found her on the ...
August 15, 2025 at 10:23 PM
This cat is adorable. Used to live in a cat café til we adopted her two years ago (she'd been there the longest as black cats are unpopular). She's gorgeous and funny BUT she's a typical black cat: daft as a brush. She's started trying to haul herself out of windows and we found her on the ...
Reposted by Sam Pope
A fine S. T. Coleridge letter up for auction at £10,000. A bit depressed. Longing for greatness. Pantisocracy. Infatuated with Mary Evans. Hits all the right notes, really. 😉
Samuel Taylor Coleridge wanted to ‘bid farewell’ to writing at 22, letter reveals
Young poet details low mood and disappointment in love in 1795 letter, written not long before he met Wordsworth
www.theguardian.com
August 12, 2025 at 12:00 PM
A fine S. T. Coleridge letter up for auction at £10,000. A bit depressed. Longing for greatness. Pantisocracy. Infatuated with Mary Evans. Hits all the right notes, really. 😉
Not the biggest fan of the named Coke bottles as I always feel I'm stealing someone else's but in France it's been fun to pretend I'm Anaïs.
August 12, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Not the biggest fan of the named Coke bottles as I always feel I'm stealing someone else's but in France it's been fun to pretend I'm Anaïs.
Reposted by Sam Pope
An alert to all creatives using #WeTransfer. Basically, stop immediately! As of August, they will begin scraping everything you send for AI purposes (see the new paragraph in their Terms and Conditions below).
If, like me, you’re a voice artist, they’ll clone your voice. Avoid at all costs.
If, like me, you’re a voice artist, they’ll clone your voice. Avoid at all costs.
July 15, 2025 at 7:52 AM
An alert to all creatives using #WeTransfer. Basically, stop immediately! As of August, they will begin scraping everything you send for AI purposes (see the new paragraph in their Terms and Conditions below).
If, like me, you’re a voice artist, they’ll clone your voice. Avoid at all costs.
If, like me, you’re a voice artist, they’ll clone your voice. Avoid at all costs.
If you're a member of the Maritime Museum, please come to my talk tomorrow night, at 6.30pm, on the life of Eleanor Anne Porden! She's done much more than *just* being married to John Franklin - she was an acclaimed poet and fascinating person. Hope to see you there! www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/nat...
Members' Lecture: Eleanor Anne Porden
Uncover the often-forgotten life of John Franklin's first wife, Eleanor Anne Porden, with author Sam Pope
www.rmg.co.uk
July 13, 2025 at 1:40 PM
If you're a member of the Maritime Museum, please come to my talk tomorrow night, at 6.30pm, on the life of Eleanor Anne Porden! She's done much more than *just* being married to John Franklin - she was an acclaimed poet and fascinating person. Hope to see you there! www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/nat...
My beloved Captain is visiting us for a couple of days while he has dental work done and my lovely Anise is not thrilled. AT ALL.
April 24, 2025 at 3:51 PM
My beloved Captain is visiting us for a couple of days while he has dental work done and my lovely Anise is not thrilled. AT ALL.
I'm giving a masterclass on Revenge in Hamlet for visiting students next week and am creating a Powerpoint presentation. On the slide about Francis Bacon's essay on revenge, the design function has suggested, as an illustration, a picture of - you guessed it - bacon. 🤦♂️ #teaching #hamlet #bacon
April 17, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Someone's happy it's the weekend. #cats #crazycats
April 11, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Someone's happy it's the weekend. #cats #crazycats
Reposted by Sam Pope
We are indebted to @nuitsdeyoung.bsky.social for sharing this fascinating piece with us.
Passport photos are unflattering for most of us mortals. Perhaps a better form of identification is thro' written description. See how the French described William Porden in his passport in my latest post: eleanorporden.com/2025/04/10/w... & compare this to his portrait! @derbyshiredro.bsky.social
William Porden’s passport identity revealed!
While transcribing William Porden’s 1818 travel journal, I came across some details, in which he revealed how the officials at the customs house in Calais described him in his passport. I found it …
eleanorporden.com
April 10, 2025 at 3:45 PM
We are indebted to @nuitsdeyoung.bsky.social for sharing this fascinating piece with us.
Passport photos are unflattering for most of us mortals. Perhaps a better form of identification is thro' written description. See how the French described William Porden in his passport in my latest post: eleanorporden.com/2025/04/10/w... & compare this to his portrait! @derbyshiredro.bsky.social
William Porden’s passport identity revealed!
While transcribing William Porden’s 1818 travel journal, I came across some details, in which he revealed how the officials at the customs house in Calais described him in his passport. I found it …
eleanorporden.com
April 10, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Passport photos are unflattering for most of us mortals. Perhaps a better form of identification is thro' written description. See how the French described William Porden in his passport in my latest post: eleanorporden.com/2025/04/10/w... & compare this to his portrait! @derbyshiredro.bsky.social
William Porden’s passport identity revealed!
While transcribing William Porden’s 1818 travel journal, I came across some details, in which he revealed how the officials at the customs house in Calais described him in his passport. I found it intriguing, not only because I gained a better idea of…
While transcribing William Porden’s 1818 travel journal, I came across some details, in which he revealed how the officials at the customs house in Calais described him in his passport. I found it intriguing, not only because I gained a better idea of…
William Porden’s passport identity revealed!
While transcribing William Porden’s 1818 travel journal, I came across some details, in which he revealed how the officials at the customs house in Calais described him in his passport. I found it intriguing, not only because I gained a better idea of his appearance (as separate to the one portrait of him) but also because it showed how people’s identity had to be secured via written description rather than one of the awful, unsmiling photographs we have to suffer through in our current iterations.
eleanorporden.com
April 10, 2025 at 1:34 PM
William Porden’s passport identity revealed!
While transcribing William Porden’s 1818 travel journal, I came across some details, in which he revealed how the officials at the customs house in Calais described him in his passport. I found it intriguing, not only because I gained a better idea of…
While transcribing William Porden’s 1818 travel journal, I came across some details, in which he revealed how the officials at the customs house in Calais described him in his passport. I found it intriguing, not only because I gained a better idea of…
William Porden's #wotd: 'voiturier' - a coachman or driver. Porden describes being "besieged by Voituriers from the moment we entered Lausanne" - one of whom became such a wretched pest that "I was compelled the first night to drive him out of my Bed Room..." @derbyshiredro.bsky.social
April 10, 2025 at 12:34 PM
William Porden's #wotd: 'voiturier' - a coachman or driver. Porden describes being "besieged by Voituriers from the moment we entered Lausanne" - one of whom became such a wretched pest that "I was compelled the first night to drive him out of my Bed Room..." @derbyshiredro.bsky.social
William Porden #wotd - Camera Lucida: "a special device...which projects an optical superimposition of the subject being viewed onto the surface upon which the artist is drawing. The artist sees both scene and drawing surface simultaneously, as in a photographic double exposure" (Wikipedia)
April 8, 2025 at 5:18 PM
William Porden #wotd - Camera Lucida: "a special device...which projects an optical superimposition of the subject being viewed onto the surface upon which the artist is drawing. The artist sees both scene and drawing surface simultaneously, as in a photographic double exposure" (Wikipedia)
Reposted by Sam Pope
Nice morning commute
March 26, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Nice morning commute
William Porden's #WOTD: 'riant', from the French verb 'rire' - 'to laugh'; thus here - "cheerful, smiling." He uses it to describe scenery near the French Alps: "The valley... soon changed to a riant foreground, of green turf and shrubs and wild flowers..." @derbyshiredro.bsky.social
March 24, 2025 at 3:21 PM
William Porden's #WOTD: 'riant', from the French verb 'rire' - 'to laugh'; thus here - "cheerful, smiling." He uses it to describe scenery near the French Alps: "The valley... soon changed to a riant foreground, of green turf and shrubs and wild flowers..." @derbyshiredro.bsky.social
My cat has just been sick on one of the books I've written. I wonder what score that would equate to on Goodreads? 🧐
March 24, 2025 at 8:05 AM
My cat has just been sick on one of the books I've written. I wonder what score that would equate to on Goodreads? 🧐
Am dreading trying to get up off my nice, comfy sofa after running the #OX5 today @blenheimpalace.bsky.social to raise money for @oxhospitalscharity.bsky.social! Stiffening up rapidly now but all for an excellent cause, and beautiful weather for the day. We were part of The Runner Genes team!
March 23, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Am dreading trying to get up off my nice, comfy sofa after running the #OX5 today @blenheimpalace.bsky.social to raise money for @oxhospitalscharity.bsky.social! Stiffening up rapidly now but all for an excellent cause, and beautiful weather for the day. We were part of The Runner Genes team!
For #Franklin fans, John Franklin lived at 60 Frith Street when he returned from his first overland expedition in 1822. He stayed there while writing his "Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea." Looked different then to this lovely painting but the houses are similar!
March 18, 2025 at 3:08 PM
For #Franklin fans, John Franklin lived at 60 Frith Street when he returned from his first overland expedition in 1822. He stayed there while writing his "Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea." Looked different then to this lovely painting but the houses are similar!
William Porden's #WOTD (actually 3) in 1818: "a la fourchette", literally meaning 'at/to the fork". Oxford English Dictionary says: "The earliest known use of... à la fourchette is in the 1810s. OED's earliest evidence for à la fourchette is from 1817, in Quarterly Journal of Science & Arts."
March 18, 2025 at 2:43 PM
William Porden's #WOTD (actually 3) in 1818: "a la fourchette", literally meaning 'at/to the fork". Oxford English Dictionary says: "The earliest known use of... à la fourchette is in the 1810s. OED's earliest evidence for à la fourchette is from 1817, in Quarterly Journal of Science & Arts."