author
Matthew Weld Hartstonge
b. 1772
An Irish poet and novelist of the Romantic era, he is best remembered for historical fiction shaped by a love of legend, atmosphere, and the past. His surviving work suggests a writer drawn to literary society as much as to storytelling.
3 Audiobooks
The Eve of All-Hallows; Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, v. 2 of 3
by Matthew Weld Hartstonge
The Eve of All-Hallows; Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, v. 3 of 3
by Matthew Weld Hartstonge
The Eve of All-Hallows; Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, v. 1 of 3
by Matthew Weld Hartstonge
About the author
Born in Dublin in 1772 or 1773, Matthew Weld Hartstonge was an Irish writer associated with both poetry and fiction. Reference sources describe him as a member of the Royal Irish Academy, and library records show that he moved in literary circles connected with figures such as Thomas Moore, Maria Edgeworth, and Sir Walter Scott.
He is best known now for The Eve of All-Hallows; Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, a historical romance published in three volumes, as well as for his poems. Catalog and manuscript records also point to a wider body of writing, including literary anecdotes and manuscripts that reflect his interest in conversation, culture, and the social world of authors.
Although he is much less widely read today than some of his contemporaries, Hartstonge remains an interesting figure in early 19th-century Irish literature: a writer working where poetry, antiquarian taste, and the historical novel met. The record around his birth year varies slightly, so some sources list 1772 and others 1773.