Works

Hester’s final work, completed in 1815 but never published, was Lydford Redivivus, or A Grandame’s Garrulity. Written during her retirement at Bath, this whimsical manuscript compiles hundreds of personal names—both British and foreign—together with their supposed origins, meanings, and historical anecdotes, all delivered in the chatty, digressive style of an affectionate grandmother entertaining her grandchildren.

Though unfinished and unpolished, it reveals Piozzi’s enduring curiosity about language and her delight in etymological storytelling. The title playfully alludes to Lydford Church in Devon, which she had visited decades earlier and likened to a rambling old woman full of tales.