• Name: Boinville, Harriet
• Gender: Female
• Birth Date:
• Death Date:

The Boinville family had a long association with the Godwins. The father of Harriet Boinville had been involved in Godwin's and Marshall's ventures in the West Indies in the 1780s (see the exchange of letters in 1784). Harriet became an enthusiastic disciple of the New Philosophy and the families became close in the 1800s. She married Chastel de Boinville and later wore a red sash and practised naturism in order to display her revolutionary credentials. The Boinvilles were close friends of the Newtons, another family of fervent Godwinians. Thomas Turner, Godwin's pupil, married Cornelia Boinville.

Harriet Boinville is described as either Mrs Boinville or H Boinville. That they are the same person is confirmed by a note on p.175 of Peacock's letters, ed. Joukovsky and also by Bonca's Shelley's Mirrors of Love, p.125.

'Two Boinvilles' has been taken to mean Chastel and Harriet; '3 Boinvilles' has included the same with no speculation as to who the third may be. Miss Boinville has been read as Cornelia, although they may have had other daughters. 'C T' has also been coded as Cornelia, when associated with other Boinvilles after 1812. Howevr, 'C Turner' has been left uncoded as there are no links to either Boinville or Turner in the 'C Turner' appearances suggesting that there is a possibility that it is another C Turner. As per usual practice, meals at 'Boinville's' have been taken as including both husband and wife although meals at 'H Boinville's' include just Harriet. 'C Boinville', prior to 1812, has been read as Cornelia, rather than Chastel. Although, as pointed out above, the calls generally occur in conjunction with Harriet, we take the view that Godwin would have noted 'Boinvilles' for a husband and wife combination as is his usual practice. Further, 'Boinville' and 'C Boinville' occur independently in 1811 suggesting that they are two different persons. In many of the 'H and C Boinville' calls, Thomas Turner is closely linked suggesting that Godwin may have been facilitating the courtship.

• MS. Abinger c. 1, fols.16-18: 4-6 Sept. 1784
• MS. Abinger c. 48, fols. 55-6: 16 October 1829
• MS. Abinger c. 49, fols. 40-1: 11 June 1836
• MS. Abinger c. 49, fols. 76-7: 18 December 1837
• MS. Abinger c. 77, fol. 42r: 18 December 1837
• MS. Abinger c. 49, fols. 128-9: 26 January 1839
• MS. Abinger c. 77, fol. 41r: 26 January 1839
• Teddi Chichester Bonca, Shelley’s Mirrors of Love: Narcissism, Sacrifice, and Sorority (Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1999)
• The Letters of Thomas Love Peacock, ed. by Nicholas A. Joukovsky (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2001)
• Letters of Mary W. Shelley, mostly unpublished, ed. Henry Howard Harper (Minneapolis, 1918)
• St Clair

This table lists the people this person is most frequently noted with in the diary.

• Name: Boinville, Alfred
• Gender: Male
• Birth Date:
• Death Date:

The Boinville family had a long association with the Godwins. Alfred was the son of Chastel and Harriet. The Godwins and the Boinvilles became close in the 1800s. The Boinvilles were close friends of the Newtons, another family of fervent Godwinians.

• MS. Abinger c. 43, fols. 46-7: not dated
• Letters of Mary W. Shelley, mostly unpublished, ed. Henry Howard Harper (Minneapolis, 1918).
• St Clair

This table lists the people this person is most frequently noted with in the diary.