Jonathan Hill

Elizabeth 'Eliza' Giffard was born at Nerquis Hall, Flintshire, in 1766 and died its chatelaine in 1842. She was thus truly a child of 'The new age of the Book'. Eliza developed the family library at Nerquis Hall into a place of wonder, and Jonathan Hill  has dedicated himself to assiduous research in order to explore Eliza's  literary exploits, and their importance. In his own words Jonathan explains:

'Eliza Giffard: family, home, library, and novels' falls into two parts. The first deals with the family, home, and library. The second examines more closely what I take to be the most significant constituent of the library, its assembly of contemporary, mainly Regency, novels. In method the first part is variously historical, cultural and bibliographical. The second is literary critical, practical rather than theoretical. It has always been my intention, given its mixed character, and (in its second part) a certain stylistic expansiveness, that my piece should appear online rather than in conventional hard-copy form.

What follows are excerpts from both parts of Jonathan's work.

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23rd August 2025