WILLIAM

Victorian Antique Collector: J. E. Taylor [John Edward Taylor] (1830-1905), proprietor of the Manchester Guardian.] Twelve Manuscript items: nine sets of accounts from his agents W. Boon; two receipts from Christie's; one from Rollin & Feuardent.

Author: 
Victorian Antique Collector: J. E. Taylor [John Edward Taylor] (1830-1905), proprietor of the Manchester Guardian [W. Boone (late Forrest), 54 Strand, London; Christie's; Rollin & Feuardent
Publication details: 
Between 1888 and 1900. Nine items from W. Boone, 54 Strand, London. Two from Christie's and one from Rollin & Feuardent.
£450.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Taylor’s ‘Renowned Collection of Works of Art’ was sold on the death of his widow in 1912, for the immense sum of £358,500. He was the proprietor of the Manchester Guardian, which his father had founded, and he himself started his collection on his return from the continent in 1849. He gave more than sixty watercolours to the Victoria and Albert Museum, and a complete set of Turner's Liber Studiorum to the British Museum. The present collection of twelve items provides an interesting insight into Taylor’s collecting activities.

[Lord Simon [John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon], Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord Chancellor.] Two Typed Letters Signed to the future Sir W. D. Ross, regarding university settlements and the foundation of Barnett House, Oxford.

Author: 
Lord Simon [John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon] (1873-1954), Liberal Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord Chancellor [Sir W. D. Ross; Barnett House, Oxford]
Publication details: 
2 May 1911 and 14 November 1914. Both on letterhead of 57 Kensington Court, W. [London]
£90.00

See the entries on Simon and Ross in the Oxford DNB. At the time of writing Ross was a Fellow of Oriel College. Barnett House in Oxford was established in 1914 as a result of an appeal to academic and political figures, mainly through the actions of another Oriel fellow, Sidney Ball (1857-1918). It was named after Canon Barnett, founder of the university settlement Toynbee Hall. Barnett House was intended as a ‘citizens’ house’ - a centre for economic and social enquiry, and between 1957 and 2004, as a department of the university, was a centre for the training of social workers. See G.

[Oriel College, Oxford.] Four printed items of ephemera from the papers of college fellow Sir William David Ross: three reports for the academic years ending 1918, 1921 and 1922, and a prospectus for the sexcentenary volume of Richards and Shadwell.

Author: 
Oriel College, University of Oxford [Sir W. D. Ross [Sir William David Ross] (1877-1971), Vice-Chancellor and philosopher]
Publication details: 
The three reports: [Oriel College, Oxford] 1918 [with stamp of 'The Treasury'], 1921 and 1922. The prospectus by Basil Blackwell, Oxford, [1921].
£280.00

Four scarce pieces of ephemera: no other copies of them traced on either JISC or WorldCat. See Ross’s entry in the Oxford DNB. The three reports give lists of college persons, with general and particular news. Items Two to Four in good condition, lightly aged and creased; Item One as described below. ONE: ‘ORIEL COLLEGE, OXFORD / 1917-1918’. Signed in type by ‘L. L. P.’ [i.e. Langford Lovell Price, retiring treasurer] and dated 31 July 1918. 7pp, 12mo. On two bifoliums of thin war-economy paper, glued together.

[Alfred Parsons, landscape painter and garden designer.] Original pen and ink drawing of a clump of daffodils growing in front of mass of other foliage. Monogram signature on the drawing ‘AP.’, and with second full signature and date on mount.

Author: 
Alfred Parsons [Alfred William Parsons] (1847-1920), landscape painter, illustrator, and garden designer
Alfred Parsons
Publication details: 
‘Alfred Parsons. / Loseley Park. May 26th. 1893.’
£1,000.00
Alfred Parsons

An attractive and highly-finished production, in black ink, on 17.5 x 20.5 cm piece of wove paper, glued on the reverse at the four corners to a leaf extracted from the autograph album of the novelist George Meredith and his daughter Marie Eveleen (Mariette; 1871-1933), wife of Henry Parkman Sturgis (1847-1929), American-born banker and Liberal politician. Parsons' monogram signature 'AP. in its two-bordered square is at the bottom left of the drawing, and there is an additional autograph signature with date to the right of the drawing on the leaf of the Meredith album: 'Alfred Parsons.

[William Carruthers, FRS, Scottish botanist and paleobotanist.] Autograph Letter Signed [to Bernard Piffard] in his capacity as Keeper of the Botanical Department at the Natural History Museum, London, regarding the identification of specimens.

Author: 
William Carruthers (1830-1922), FRS, Scottish botanist and paleobotanist, Keeper of the Botanical Department at the Natural History Museum, London [Bernard Piffard (1833-1916), entomologist]
Publication details: 
19 December 1888. On letterhead of the ‘British Museum (Natural History), / Cromwell Road, / London: S.W’.
£56.00

2pp, 12mo. On the first leaf of bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged (blank second leaf slightly damaged). Folded twice. Recipient not named, but is from the Piffard papers. Good bold signature ‘W. Carruthers’. Reads: ‘Dear Sir / The enclosed specimens are all certainly fish coprolites. / I would have returned them sooner but I was anxious to see Mr Etteridge who I understood from Mr Brody said they were cones. / I have only to-day been able to see him, and hee says that he has no doubt about the these [sic] specimens being Coprolites.’

['The Father of British Physiology': William Sharpey, Professor at University College, London.] Autograph Signature on engraved ticket to his lecture on ‘Anatomy & Physiology’, made out for the microscopist Bernard Piffard.

Author: 
William Sharpey (1802-1880), Scottish anatomist and phyisologist ('the father of British physiology''), friend of Charles Darwin [Bernard Piffard (1833-1916), entomologist]
Sharpey
Publication details: 
University College, London. The ticket is 'Renewed 1st Octr. 1861 Perpetual 1 Jany 1852 Session 1861-62.'
£100.00
Sharpey

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. From the Piffard papers. Signed ‘W Sharpey’ on ticket engraved in copperplate on one side of 15 x 10.5 cm card. In fair condition, a little worn and somewhat discoloured with age, and with short vertical crease to the left of the signature. Blind-stamped with ‘Treasury Seal’. The signature is at bottom right, with number of ticket (59) and the initials of the secretary ‘’ at bottom left. Attractively laid out, with text reading ‘University College, London. / Anatomy and Physiology. / William Sharpey, MD. / Professor. / Admit Mr.

[Sir William Agnew, leading London art dealer and Liberal politician.] Autograph Note Signed inviting artist and sculptor John Macallan Swan to dine with ‘Mr Leslie and some few artists’.

Author: 
Sir William Agnew (1825-1910), proprietor of the leading London art gallery Thomas Agnew & Sons and Liberal politician [John Macallan Swan (1847-1910), RA, painter and sculptor]
Publication details: 
22 August 1905. On letterhead of 11 Great Stanhope Street, W. [London]
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 16mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin band of discoloration beneath the last line. Addressed to ‘J M Swan Esq R.A’. Reads: ‘My dear Mr Swan / Will you dine with me on Thursday June 1st. to meet Mr Leslie and some few artists? / I should be glad if you will. / Yours faithfully / Wm. Agnew’.

[J. H. Thomas, Welsh trade unionist and Labour politician.] Typed Note Signed, as General Secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen, to the future Sir W. D. Ross, written on the eve of the 1919 national rail strike.

Author: 
J. H. Thomas [James Henry Thomas] (1874-1949), Welsh trade unionist and Labour politician, General Secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen during the 1919 nation rail strike [Sir W. D. Ross]
J. H. Thomas,
Publication details: 
22 September 1919. On ornate letterhead of The National Union of Railwaymen, Unity House, Euston Road, London, N.W.1.
£56.00
J. H. Thomas,

See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. In good condition, on lightly aged and creased cartridge paper. Folded three times. The letterhead is quite an impressive affair, with an engraving of ‘Unity House’ and lettering in a variety of styles. The letter is addressed to ‘W. D. Ross, Esq., / Oriel College, / Oxford.’ The ink on the ribbon appears to have been running out, as the latter part of the note is faded.

[Alexander W. Williamson, Professor of Chemistry at University College, London.] Autograph Signature on engraved ticket to his lecture on ‘Chemistry’, made out for the microscopist Bernard Piffard.

Author: 
Alexander W. Williamson [Alexander William Williamson] (1824-1904), Professor of Analytical and Practical Chemistry, University College, London [Bernard Piffard (1833-1916), entomologist; Choshu Five]
Alexander W. Williamson
Publication details: 
University College, London. The ticket is 'Renewed 1 Oct 1861 Perpetual Jany / 52 Session 1861-62.'
£56.00
Alexander W. Williamson

Williamson is notable for his work on the formation of ether, and for furthering Anglo-Japanese relations by welcoming the 'Choshu Five' and later members of the Satsuma han into his home. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. From the Piffard papers. Signed ‘Alexr W. Williamson’ on ticket engraved in copperplate on one side of 15.5 x 10.5 cm card. In fair condition, a little worn and somewhat discoloured with age. Central horizontal fold. Blind-stamped with ‘Treasury Seal’. The signature is at bottom right, with number of ticket (40) and the initials of the secretary ‘’ at bottom left.

[Sir William Cubitt, Lord Mayor of London after whom Cubitt Town is named.] Autograph Letter Signed regarding ‘modification of the construction’ of a roof, and arrangements regarding materials and labour.

Author: 
Sir William Cubitt (1791-1863), builder and engineering contractor, Lord Mayor of London, Conservative politician, who gave his name to Cubitt Town, Isle of Dogs, London
Publication details: 
8 September 1842. Gray’s Inn Road [London].
£150.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, with that of his namesake. (It is the the present Sir William Cubitt who owned ‘the famous Gray's Inn Road works ’.) 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged with two pin holes at one corner, and traces of mounts. Folded twice for postage. Addressed to ‘Dear Sir’ and signed ‘William Cubitt’. Begins: ‘In working out the details of the roof, we find certain modification of the construction desirable which with your permission, the bearer Mr.

[Matthew Ridley Corbet, ARA, neoclassical English painter.] Three Autograph Letters Signed (‘M. R. Corbet’) to John Macallan Swan, with regard to Giovanni Costa in Italy, Alfred Gilbert, William Cosmo Monkhouse and Edwin Freshfield.

Author: 
M. R. Corbet [Matthew Ridley Corbet] (1850-1902), ARA, neoclassical painter [John Macallan Swan (1847-1910), RA, painter and sculptor; William Cosmo Monkhouse; Alfred Gilbert; Edwin Freshfield]
Publication details: 
ONE: 28 October 1896; Casa Costa, Marina di Pisa, Italy. TWO: 4 December 1898. THREE: 18 March 1902. Items Two and Three on letterhead of Crow’s-nest, 54, Circus Road, St. John’s Wood, N.W.
£120.00

An interesting glimpse into the late-Victorian world of English art. Corbet and Swan were close friends - one of Corbet’s paintings remained in Swan’s family until the 1990s. See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. The three letters are addressed to ‘Dear Swan’ and signed ‘M. R. Corbet’. All three on grey paper, lightly aged and worn, with creasing to Letter One.

[W. E. Henley, poet who wrote ?Invictus?.] Autograph Manuscript Signed (Holograph) of his poem ?My songs were once of the sunrise?, on letterhead of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, daughter of George du Maurier and mother of the ?lost boys? in ?Peter Pan?.

Author: 
W. E. Henley [William Ernest Henley] (1849-1903), English poet, famed for his poem ?Invictus? [Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, daughter of George du Maurier; J. M. Barrie; Peter Pan]
Henley
Publication details: 
Between c.1901 and 1903. On letterhead of ?Twenty Three, / Campden Hill Square, / Kensington.? (?Telephone 3041, Kensington.?) [London.]
£220.00
Henley

Henley?s poem ?Invictus?, with its conclusion ?I am the master of my fate, / I am the captain of my soul?, is one of the most popular in the English language, and has inspired individuals as diverse as Nelson Mandela and Ron Kray. See Henley?s entry in the Oxford DNB. He was a friend of both Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and J. M. Barrie, and his daughter Margaret inspired the ?Peter Pan? character ?Wendy?. 1p, 8vo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded three times for postage. The letterhead has a thin black mourning border. Henley?s poem featured as the ?Envoy?

[William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury during the Second World War.] Typed Letter Signed to the ?Vice-Chancellor? [of Oxford University, Sir David Ross], regarding a visit and the possibility of ?dining in Hall?.

Author: 
William Temple (1881-1944), Anglican cleric, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1942-1944 (previously Bishop of Manchester and Archbishop of York) [W. D. Ross] (1877-1971), Scottish philosopher]
Publication details: 
2 June 1942; on letterhead of Lambeth Palace, S.E.1. [London]
£45.00

2pp, 8vo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with slight spotting and single punch hole centred above letterhead. Folded twice. The letter is addressed to 'My dear Vice-Chancellor' without further elaboration, but the item comes from the Ross papers. Temple explains that it has been ?difficult to foresee how this summer could be arranged: the planning of domestic life in two houses under present conditions of staffing is very complicated!? His wife will not be joining him in the visit, as she ?feels obliged to spend that week-end at Canterbury?.

[Hamo Thornycroft [Sir William Hamo Thornycroft, RA.], sculptor of the statue of Oliver Cromwell outside Parliament.] Autograph Letter Signed to ?Mrs Allingham? [Helen Allingham, watercolourist and illustrator], regarding ?cards for RA?.

Author: 
Sir Hamo Thornycroft [Sir William Hamo Thornycroft, RA] (1850-1925), sculptor of statue of Oliver Cromwell outside Parliament [Helen Allingham (n?e Paterson; 1848-1926); Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo]
Hamo Thornycroft
Publication details: 
?22 Ja? [no year]. On letterhead of ?One-Oak, / 10, Redington Road, / Hampstead. N.W.? [London]
£120.00
Hamo Thornycroft

See the entries on Thornycroft and Allingham in the Oxford DNB. The letterhead is also of interest: 'One-Oak' is a notable example of the work of the Arts and Crafts architect A. H. Mackmurdo. 1p, 12mo. On grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with traces of mount adhering to blank reverse. Folded twice. Initial ?H? of signature slightly smidged. Reads: ?Dear Mrs Allingham / I have only [?] got your note. / I enclose two cards for RA. Hoping to see you there / Yours very sincerely / Hamo Thornycroft?. See Image.

[Oxford University and Captain Henry Worsley Hill, Lieutenant Governor of the Gold Coast.] Copy by Hill of College of Arms pedigree showing his family’s consanguinity with William of Wickham and Nicholas Wadham. With ALS to the warden of New College.

Author: 
Captain Henry Worsley Hill (1799-1868), Royal Navy, first 'proper' Lieutenant Governor of the Gold Coast [William of Wickham; Nicholas Wadham; New College, Oxford; College of Arms, London]
Publication details: 
Hill’s letter dated 22 July 1850, from 3 Carlton Crescent, Southampton. The pedigree copied by Hill from the original made by the College of Arms, London, and dated 24 November 1845.
£320.00

Captain Hill was the son of Vice-Admiral Henry Hill (1775–1849). In 1845 Captain Hill married Amelia Jane Boyce (1821–1895), granddaughter of the Duke of Marlborough, with whom he had ten children. Hill’s letter is written on the back of the pedigree, and addressed to ‘The Revd / The Warden / New College / Oxford’. It reads: ‘Mr. Warden, / I have the honour of transmitting herewith for your information the Copy of a Pedigree which I have received from the Heralds Office shewing the consanguinity of my Family to William of Wickham the Founder of New College Oxford and of the College of St.

[Francis William Newman, classical scholar and moral philosopher.] Autograph Letter Signed to the sub-editor of ‘Fraser’s Magazine’ William Allingham, asking whether he will take an article on ‘ Mussulman riots against the Parsees’ and other matters.

Author: 
Francis William Newman (1805-1897), classical scholar and moral philosopher and vegetarian, brother of John Henry Newman [William Allingham (1824-1889), poet and editor of 'Fraser's Magazine']
Publication details: 
4 May 1874; on letterhead of Cumberland Terrace, Regents Park [London].
£45.00

See the entries on Newman and Allingham in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 16mo. A neatly and closely written letter of twenty-three lines. Addressed ‘To W Allingham Esq’ and signed ‘Francis W Newman’. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with unobtrusive circular mark from mount at top left-hand corner of first page. Folded for postage. At the time of writing Allingham was sub-editor of Fraser’s Magazine under the historian James Anthony Froude (1818-1894), whose wife Henrietta had just died. Allingham would take over the editorship in the following month of June, holding it until 1879.

[Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury during the Abdication Crisis.] Typed Letter Signed ('Cosmo Cantuar:') to the Provost of Oriel [Sir David Ross], regarding his nomination of ‘Mr. Randall Cooper’ as a British Museum Assistant Cataloguer..

Author: 
Cosmo Lang [William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth] (1864-1945), Archbishop of Canterbury during the Abdication Crisis [Sir David Ross [W. D. Ross] (1877-1971), Scottish philosopher']
Cosmo Lang,
Publication details: 
22 November 1933; on letterhead of Lambeth Palace, S.E.1. [London]
£45.00
Cosmo Lang,

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice for postage. Addressed to 'The Provost of Oriel' and with sprawling signature 'Yours vy trly / Cosmo Cantuar:'. Reads: 'Dear Provost, / I have received your letter of November 20th about Mr. Randall Cooper. I am sorry to say that your letter came too late for the appointment of the first batch of Assistant Cataloguers. They have now been appointed but I am informed that there may be further appointments in the Spring.

[Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury during the Abdication Crisis.] Autograph Letter Signed ('Lang of Lambeth / Abp.') to the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford [Sir David Ross],

Author: 
Cosmo Lang [William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth] (1864-1945), Archbishop of Canterbury during the Abdication Crisis [Sir David Ross [W. D. Ross] (1877-1971); Lord David Cecil]
Publication details: 
18 March 1944; on embossed letterhead of The King's Cottage, Kew Green, Richmond, Surrey.
£45.00

See the entries for Lang and Ross in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo, on light-grey paper. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Begins 'Dear Vice Chancellor. / Some time ago I proposed Sir David Cecil for election to the Athenaeum. His name has produced a remarkable number of supporters, but no one has been put down as seconder to my proposal.' He asks Ross to second Cecil's nomination, before writing a sentence which is hard to decipher. He concludes by suggesting that he inform the club secretary accordingly, if Ross is willing.

[The Chelsea Physic Garden, London.] Printed invitation ‘at the Opening of the Garden’, and Laboratory andn Lecture Rooms by Earl Cadogan, made out to Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Sir William Thiselton-Dyer, and his wife.

Author: 
The Chelsea Physic Garden, London [Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer (1843-1928), botanist, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]
Chelsea
Publication details: 
At the Opening of the Chelsea Physic Garden, London, 25 July 1902.
£180.00
Chelsea

See Thiselton-Dyer’s entry in the Oxford DNB. Printed on one side of a 10 x 13 cm piece of paper, and made out in manuscript to ‘Sir William Thistleton [sic] Dyer (and Lady)’. Text size in good condition, lightly aged, with the blank reverse of the card with slight damage from mounting. The recipient has written in a close hand in red ink at top left: ‘accepted. / 18. 7. 02.’ The text reads: ‘The Chelsea Physic Garden.

[Louis Peisse [Jean Louis Hippolyte Peisse] of the Ecole Impériale des Beaux-arts in Paris, French author.] Autograph Letter Signed, putting detailed questions regarding a proposal that he translate the lectures of Sir William Hamilton into French.

Author: 
Louis Peisse [Jean Louis Hippolyte Peisse] (1803-1880), of the Ecole Impériale des Beaux-arts in Paris, medical author, translator of Sir William Hamilton (1788-1856), Scottish metaphysician
Publication details: 
‘Paris. 20 avril 1858’. [‘Louis Peisse, conservateur de l’ecole impériale des Beaux-arts. 2. Rue Boursault.’]
£220.00

Peisse had already published his translation of ‘Fragments de Philosophie de M. William Hamilton’ (Paris, 1840), and had followed this with one from Dugald Stewart (1842-5). 2pp, 12mo. Forty-one lines of closely-written text. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with chipping and closed tears to edges. Folded once. Signed ‘L. Peisse / Louis Peisse, conservateur de l’ecole impériale des Beaux-arts. 2. Rue Boursault.’ The British recipient (one of Hamilton’s executors?) is not named (in a postscript Peisse apologises for being unable to decipher his details, or those of his co-editors).

[Hanoverian London: T. Cecil, Thomas Mulcaster, William Adair.] Autograph Letter Signed by ‘T. Adair’, to William Adair, requesting ‘part of my Quarteridge’, with receipt for the same witnessed by Thomas Mulcaster.

Author: 
Hanoverian London: T. Cecil; Thomas Mulcaster; William Adair
Publication details: 
London, 7 April 1745.
£45.00

The writer is presumably a member of the prominent aristocratic family, but none of the parties has been positively identified. 1p, landscape 12mo. On laid paper. Letter signed ‘T Cecil’ and receipt signed ‘T. Cecil’. The The document reads: ‘Sr / I have just receivd yours, but sd. be obligd to you, if you cd not Send me forty Pounds, you wd. Twenty: as I am to go out of Town to morrow & have not money to Carry me, I have wrote a Receipt, & hope as it so [sic] pressing a thing, you’ll Comply, which will very much obilge Yrs. T Cecil / London April 7th: 1745 / Receivd Of Willm Adair Esqr.

[Edward William Cox (‘Serjeant Cox’), lawyer and publisher.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Rev P Tuckwell’ (in fact the ‘radical parson’ William Tuckwell), regarding his education at the College School, Taunton, and future plans.

Author: 
Edward William Cox (1809-1879), ‘Serjeant Cox’, lawyer and publisher [William Tuckwell (1829-1919), ‘radical parson’ and headmaster of the College School, Taunton]
Publication details: 
9 February 1865; 1 Essex Court, Temple [London].
£50.00

See the entries for Cox and Tuckwell in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. On bifolium blind-stamped with the device of the Conservative Club. Addressed to ‘Rev P [sic] Tuckwell / College School / Taunton’, and signed ‘Edwd Wm Cox’. In good condition, on aged paper. Folded twice for postage. He begins: ‘Dr Sir / It gives me very great pleasure to aid the fund of the College School. After its long hybernation 43 years ago, I was the first pupil received on its revival. & within its walls I obtained the larger portion of my education, following the then master, (Rev H Forster) to Oxford.

[Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Scottish antiquary and collector.] Autograph Letter Signed, thanking William Frazer and 'Mr Mackenzie's Trustees'.

Author: 
Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe (1781-1851), Scottish antiquary and collector [William Frazer of Edinburgh]
Publication details: 
18 January [1818?]. 28 Drummond Place [Edinburgh].
£35.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of a bifolium, with the second leaf carrying a broken seal in red wax, and the address in Sharpe’s autograph, ‘William Frazer Esqre / 12 Duke St.’ In good condition, lightly aged, with glue to one edge of second leaf from mount. Folded several times. Signed ‘Chas. Kirkpatrick Sharpe’. He asks him to accept his ‘sincere thanks for the great favour you have conferred on me, respecting the old [stone?]’. He asks him to mention his ‘obligation to Mr Mackenzie’s Trustees, on the same account’.

[Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, or his son Admiral Peregrine Osborne, 2nd Duke of Leeds, as Marquis of Carmarthen.] Drawn note (cheque), signed ‘Carmarthen P:’, directing his banker Sir Francis Child to pay £100 to William Vernon.

Author: 
Thomas Osborne (1632-1712), 1st Duke of Leeds, or his son Admiral Peregrine Osborne (1659-1729), 2nd Duke of Leeds [Viscount Osborne, Earl of Danby, Marquis of Carmarthen] [Sir Francis Child the elder
Publication details: 
'Febry. ye 9th. 1693/4'.
£600.00

See the entries on the two Dukes in the Oxford DNB, as well as that of Sir Francis Child the elder. Both Dukes are significant; the first was a leading Tory politician and one of the ‘immortal seven’ who invited William of Orange to England, and the second was a naval adviser to Peter the Great of Russia. The present item is signed ‘Carmarthan P:’, which would seem to suggest it is the signature of the 2nd Duke, Peregrine Osborne, but the Oxford DNB states that he became Marquis of Carmarthen a few months after the present item, on his father being made Duke of Leeds on 4 May 1694.

[Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, 1796.] Appointment of John McKenzie ‘to Command His Majesty’s Gun Boat the Morwelham’, signed by Sir Philip Stephens, James Gambier, Sir William Young, and Secretary to the Board Evan Nepean.

Author: 
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, 1796 [signed by Sir Philip Stephens, James Gambier, Sir William Young, and by Evan Nepean, Secretary to the Board of Admiralty; John McKenzie of the Morwelham]
Publication details: 
16 September 1796. [The Admiralty, Whitehall, London.]
£280.00

1p, foolscap 8vo. On piece of wove paper with Britannia watermark. Lightly aged and in fair condition, but with some creasing and nicking at the head. Folded three times into a packet. A printed document, completed in manuscript.

[Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Wars] Autograph Letter Signed from Richard Truscott, purser of HMS Ocean, to James Sykes, London navy agent, discussing anomalies in the ‘Accounts for the Ocean’ and his recent travels.

Author: 
[Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Wars] Richard Truscott, purser of HMS Ocean [James Sykes, London navy agent; Admiral William Truscott?]
Publication details: 
‘Ocean Hyeres Bay 18th. April 1814’.
£220.00

Providing an interesting view of the administrative aspect of the Georgian navy. Closely and neatly written on 2pp, foolscap 8vo, on first leaf of a bifolium. 64 lines of text. The letter is signed ‘R Truscott’, but the docketing identifies the writer as ‘Richd. Truscott’. Adressed on reverse of second leaf, with red wax seal and two Plymouth postmarks, to ‘James Sykes Esqr. / Navy Agent / Arundel Street / London’. Around this address are the docketing and some calculations. The seal has a good impression of the crest of ‘RT’, with motto ‘PEACE AND PLENTY’.

[Paul Bourget, French novelist and poet.] Autograph Letter Signed [to Scottish author William Sharp?], sending new year greetings and expressing thanks for a translation of one of his poems.

Author: 
Paul Bourget [Paul Charles Joseph Bourget] (1852-1935), French novelist and poet, five-time Nobel Prize nominee [William Sharp (1855-1905), Scottish writer under the pseudonym 'Fiona Macleod']
Bourget
Publication details: 
1 January 1886; no place.
£450.00
Bourget

This item is from the autograph album of the author George Meredith's daughter Marie Eveleen (Mariette; 1871-1933), wife of Henry Parkman Sturgis (1847-1929), American-born banker and Liberal politician. It does not however appear to be addressed to Meredith, but rather to the author William Sharp (‘Fiona Macleod’). See the several references to Bourget in the first volume of W. F. Halloran’s edition of Sharp’s letters. 1p, 16mo. Laid down on part of gilt-edged leaf from Mrs Sturgis’s album. In good condition, folded once for postage.

[George Hardinge, judge, poet, author and Member of Parliament.] Autograph Receipt Signed George Harding.

Author: 
George Hardinge (1743-1816) of Pyrton, Wiltshire, English judge, poet, author and Pittite Member of Parliament
Hardinge
Publication details: 
4 May 1792. Place not stated.
£56.00
Hardinge

See his entries in the Oxford DNB and History of Parliament. The present item is on one side of a 21 x 8.5 cm piece of wove paper. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with one fold. Minor traces of two red wafers from previous mounting on blank reverse. Written out by Harding in his attractive hand (he was a stylish fellow: his obituary in the Annual Register stated that ‘no one had a finer choice of words and few a more graceful delivery’), the note reads: ‘Received May 4th.

[?The Bachelor Duke?: William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to Sir Charles Eastlake, regarding his painting ?The Spartan Isadas?, one on payment, delivery and repair by Sir Thomas Lawrence.

Author: 
William George Spencer Cavendish (1790-1858), 6th Duke of Devonshire, ?the Bachelor Duke? [Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) and Sir Charles Eastlake (1793-1865), Presidents, Royal Academy of Arts]
Publication details: 
ONE: 7 October 1827; Chatsworth House [Chesterfield, Derbyshire]. TWO: 25 July 1852; Brighton.
£180.00

Two letters providing an insight into the relationship between artist and patron in nineteenth-century England. See the the Duke?s entry, and Eastlake?s, in the Oxford DNB, as well as James Lees-Milne?s biography ?The Bachelor Duke? (1991).

[?The Bachelor Duke?: William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire.] Autograph Letter Signed, regarding a portrait of his mother ('not Duchess of Richmond').

Author: 
William George Spencer Cavendish (1790-1858), 6th Duke of Devonshire, ?the Bachelor Duke?, Whig grandee and art connoisseur, son of Georgiana (1757-1806), Duchess of Devonshire
Publication details: 
'Chatsworth / 21 Feb. [no year]'. [Chatsworth House, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.]
£90.00

See his entry, and that of his mother, in the Oxford DNB, as well as James Lees-Milne?s biography ?The Bachelor Duke? (1991). 2pp, 12mo. With thin mourning border, and his monogram at top left of recto. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight discoloration to extremities on recto. Folded for postage.

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