HOUSES

Autograph Letter Signed ('J. Stansfeld') to Henry Fawcett.

Author: 
Sir James Stansfeld (1820-1898), English politician [Henry Fawcett (1833-1884), English economist and politician]
Publication details: 
Friday [no date] on House of Commons Library letterhead.
£28.00

12mo, 2 pp. On foxed and aged paper. He has not seen Fawcett that night, despite 'looking out' for him. He would like to talk with him before the following Monday, and if Fawcett writes, he can visit him 'at any time'. 'I can easily drive over, if you will give me your new address.'

Report of the departmental committee on the protection of wild birds. Presented to Parliament by command of His Majesty.

Author: 
Committee on the protection of wild birds [ORNITHOLOGY]
Publication details: 
London: Published by His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1919.
£50.00

44 pages. Folio. Unbound. In poor condition: first and last leaf fraying, torn and separated. An important document: a landmark in the history of environmentalism. The committee members were the Hon. E. S. Montagu (Under Secretary of State for India), Lord Lucas (Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture), Frank Elliott of the Home Office, E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Hugh S. Gladstone and the appropriately-named W. Eagle Clarke.

Autograph Note Signed ('Dorothy Nevill') to 'Mr <Descou?>'.

Author: 
Lady Dorothy Nevill [Lady Dorothy Fanny Nevill, née Walpole] (1826-1913), hostess and horticulturist
Publication details: 
Friday 18th' [no date]; on embossed letterhead of Dangstein, Petersfield.
£28.00

12mo: 1 p. 8 lines of text. On aged paper somewhat grubby around signature at foot. Asks when he will be 'able to come to us to meet the d[uke] of Wellington'. They are 'at liberty any time between the 4th and 11th of January'.

Autograph Signature on fragment of letter.

Author: 
William Crockford
Publication details: 
Without date or place.
£200.00

Proprietor (1775-1844) of the celebrated London gambling house, set up in 1827, out of which he amassed a fortune of more than a million pounds. On piece of paper roughly three and a half inches by one and a half. Good, but mounted on larger piece of paper, creased once and slightly discoloured by glue. Reads 'I beg to Remain | Your most Obed[ie]nt | W Crockford'.

Anno Regni Georgii II. Regis Magnae Britanniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, quarto ('An Act to prevent Frauds in the Revenue of Excise, with respect to Starch, Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate.' p.3).

Author: 
Great Britain, Act of Parliament, George II
Publication details: 
1731; London: Printed by the Assigns of His Majesty's Printer, and of Henry Hills deceas'd.
£50.00

24 pages, 16mo. In poor condition: grubby and with wear to extremities and closed tear to second leaf. Pencil marks to verso of last leaf. Stitched into grubby, worn vellum binding, bearing pencil and ink notes at front and rear.

Three Autograph Letters Signed to [G. K. Menzies,] the Secretary, The Royal Society of Arts.

Author: 
Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke
Publication details: 
12 February 1918; 14 June [mistakenly given as July] 1918; 18 June 1918; all on letterhead '5 WESTERN TERRACE, | BRIGHTON.'
£56.00

Dilke, the 2nd Baronet (1843-1911), was a disgraced politician and author. All items 12mo and very good. All three docketed, bearing the Society's stamp, and signed 'C. Wentworth Dilke'. The first item is addressed to Menzies personally and the other two to 'The Secty.' ITEM ONE: one page. He has received the letter of 9 February and is 'pleased to send you a subscription though not much in town'. ITEM TWO: two pages. Would like to know 'whether ladies are admitted as guests and how often'.

"Army (Annual) [...] Bill 132": "A bill to provide, during twelve months, for the discipline and regulation of the army."

Author: 
House of Commons
Publication details: 
Ordered, by The House of Commons, to be Printed, 17 March 1904."; "PRINTED BY EYRE AND SPOTTISWOODE, | PRINTERS TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY."
£22.00

Five leaves, folio. One page blank. Unbound and stitched as issued. Good, but creased and foxed, with slight wear to extremities. Comprising bill (four pages), schedule, memorandum, arrangement of clauses.

Autograph Letter Signed to unnamed male correspondent.

Author: 
George John Shaw-Lefevre, Baron Eversley
Publication details: 
23 June 1900; on letterhead '18. BRYANSTON SQUARE. W.'
£30.00

Liberal statesman (1831-1928). One page, 12mo. Grubby and discoloured, and with some staining to blank reverse from previous mounting. Reads 'Dear Sir | I have been reading the evidence given before the Committee of the House of Commons on the Undersized Fish Bill: It may perhaps interest you to read an article which I have written as the result in the Fortnightly Review for this month (June).' Signed 'G Shaw Lefevre'.

Autograph Letter Signed to 'Mr Meades'.

Author: 
Arthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount Peel
Publication details: 
25 July 1906; Sandy [Bedfordshire].
£36.00

Speaker of the House of Commons (1829-1912). Two pages, 12mo. On mourning paper. Folded once. In very good condition. Thanks his correspondent for the letter of condolence on the 'heavy calamity' of the loss of his daughter Eleanor. 'You knew dear Ella so well - that you can imagine how much her high spirits & her genuine and unselfish nature are missed here - and how irreparable is the loss to me and to her mother & sisters.' Signed 'Peel'. He is been touched by 'the sympathy of friends (which is abundantly given)'.

Autograph Letter Signed to Sir Thomas Hughes

Author: 
Arthur Stratton
Publication details: 
On letterhead '88, GOWER STREET, | LONDON, W.C.1.'; 6 December 1928.
£40.00

Architect, teacher and antiquary (1872-1955). One page, 4to, folded twice, in very good condition. He thanks him for sending 'the drawing of your commercial buildings'. He is working from it, and will return it shortly. Those at the school appear 'satisfied with the new gymnasium'. 'Good progress is being made with the main building.'

Fragment of Autograph with Signature; and bookplate.

Author: 
William Cowper, Clerk of the Parliaments [BOOKPLATES]
Publication details: 
Without date or place.
£100.00

Cousin (1690-1740) of the poet of the same name. Both fragment and bookplate are pasted to a piece of thin, discoloured card. The fragment, which is roughly 5 inches by 2 inches, is grubby annd rubbed. It reads, in Cowper's hand '13th July Exhibited to us under the Commission agt. Thomas Park | Wm Cowper'. Beneath this the signatures of 'Fr. Rookes' and 'Rd Maddock'. The bookplate (roughly 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2, in good condition although somewhat grubby) is armorial, with the motto beneath reading 'FAX . MENTIS. HONESTAE. GLORIA | William Cowper Esqr.

Autograph Letter Signed [to his bankers].

Author: 
Herbert G. Sotheby
Publication details: 
18 October 1901; blindstamped letterhead '26, Green Street, Park Lane, W.'
£20.00

Son of Admiral Sir Edward Southwell Sotheby (for whom see DNB). 1 page, 16mo. In good condition. 'Gentlemen | I beg to inform you that for the future I shall draw my own cheques instead of my brother Mr. Alfred Sotheby.' Docketed in red ink along both long edges.

autograph letter signed to W. D. Cooke

Author: 
Lord Cleveland on Battle Abbey, Sussex
Publication details: 
4pp, 8vo, Battle Abbey, 11 November 1869
£100.00

Is not sure whether he can find a ground plan of the Abbey before his alterations, but provides a detailed description of them, e.g. 'I took down some parts which were not old but added by Sir Godfrey Webster, built very badly of brick & cemented over to look like stone, and have rebuilt it of stone with a slight alteration so as to render it more in character'. He refers in detail to the rebuilding of the library 'which is 76 feet long is substantially the same building as the former one erected by Sir Anthony Brown after the dissolution of the monastery and its cession to him'.

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