The Court of Oberon was written for private performance at Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire by Elizabeth Yorke, Countess of Hardwicke, in the 1790s. Though its title suggests a direct connection to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it is more based on general fairy folklore; the preface states that the court of Oberon was added to the tale of the three wishes (taken from a French work) to accommodate the younger members of the party. The play was published in 1831, with a dedication to Princes Victoria (the future Queen Victoria) at the request of Queen Adelaide, Consort of William IV, for sale at a bazaar ‘in aid of the distressed Irish’. This copy has a fine binding in green goatskin and was possibly a presentation copy for Queen Adelaide or for Princess Victoria, though there is no direct evidence.