LANCASHIRE

ONE (Grant of 1908): 9 + [1]pp., 8vo. Unstitched and unbound. Properly printed and paginated, with marginal glosses. On aged and worn paper, with closed tears along fold lines. Containing 27 clauses, in an agreement for a term of seven years from 1 January 1909. Between the railway company and, on behalf of W. H. Smith and Son, the Honourable William Frederick Danvers Smith MP, Charles Awdry, Alfred Dyke Acland, Charles Harry St John Hornby and Charles Selwyn Awdry. W. H. Smith had opened their first railway bookstall almost exactly sixty years before, in November of 1848.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Aged, and with slight worming affecting the text. A list of 62 ships, many priced (between £1650 and 'Cheap'). The first and last entries read: '5/76 Ship, about 2,000 tons, register, built of steel, 1886, 100 A1, will carry about 3,500 D.W. on 22 1/2 ft. Handsome model, full outfit and first class finish, 269 1/2 x 41 x 24.11.' and '13/15 Barquentine, steel, built 1886, 100 A1, 500 D.W. on 11 ft., very handsome model, first class finish and fit out, 140 x 27 x 11 1/2.

The three items are attached to leaves removed from an album. All three are in good condition, on lightly aged paper. The address is 2pp., 4to. 30 lines of text. It begins: 'Gentlemen, | I should be wanting in every proper feeling of duty and respect to you and to the County of Lancaster at large, after what passed at the last General Election I were not to avail myself of the opportunity afforded me by Mr. Blackburne's address, of relieving the County from all suspence as to the part I amy be expected to take, whenever He (Mr.

7 + [1]pp., 12mo. Stitched and unbound. In good condition, on lightly aged paper. Signed in the top right-hand corner of the first page, above the drop-head title, 'Charles Hesketh'. The final page carries a list of seven works 'By the same Author.', the latest dating from 1851. Excessively scarce: no copies on COPAC or OCLC WorldCat.

9pp., 8vo. Unbound. With stamp, shelfmarks and labels of the Board of Education Reference Library, otherwise in good condition, on lightly-aged and worn paper. Scarce: no copy in the British Library or on COPAC.

Greswell's letter is 1p., landscape 12mo; with Ford's note on one side of reverse. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with small central spike hole made by recipient. Greswell's letter is written in a neat, attractive hand, and begins: 'Mr. W. P. Greswell requested J. G. to compare the Glasgow Copy of Euripides with Musgrave's Edition after which it is printed & to let Mr.

4pp., 4to. Bifolium. 76 lines of closely and neatly written text, including a four-line postscript cross-written on the first page. Addressed, with Chester postmark, on reverse of second leaf to 'Mr. Bill | Boar Lane | Leeds | Yorkshire'. ('Bill Thomas, 7, Boar lane' is listed among the 'Glass, China, and Earthenware Dealers' in Haigh's 'General and Commercial Directory of the Borough of Leeds', Baines & Co., 1839). The reverse of the second leaf also carries the remains of the wax seal, stamped 'Ann'. In fair condition, on worn and aged paper.

1p., 4to. On a piece of watermarked laid paper. Aged, and with chipping and loss along the fold lines, which have been repaired on the reverse with (nineteenth-century?) tape. The words 'Cromwells Protector' in a later hand at the head of the reverse, which is otherwise blank. Accompanied by a autograph transcript (3pp., foolscap 8vo) by Beamont, 'Copied from the original Mar. 15, 1878', and an Autograph Letter (2pp., 12mo) from him to 'Miss Blackburne', on letterhead of Orford Hall, Warrington, also dated 15 March 1878. Beamont begins his letter: 'I return your paper with a transcript.

The two items are in very good condition, on lightly aged paper. Item One: Secretarial Letter, in French, by 'C Vaublanc', Vincent-Marie Viénot, Count of Vaublanc (1756-1845), 'Le Ministre Secretaire d'Etat de L'Intérieur' [French Minister of the Interior]. Paris, 13 April 1816. He is sending the 'fac simile De la Lettre de notre Infortunée Reine', and in order to dispel any doubts as to authenticity has initialled the foot of the third page.

4pp., folio. Bifolium. Complete, on aged and worn paper.

The poster, in the mixture of typeface and font size characteristic of the period, is 31 x 25 cm, and headed: 'TO THE | Gentlemen, | CLERGY, | AND | FREEHOLDERS | OF THE | County Palatine of Lancaster.' Signed and dated in type at foot: 'JOHN BLACKBURNE. | HALE, | November 12th, 1829. Printed on one side of a piece of wove paper, and with one central horizontal fold.

15pp., 12mo, with six plates on art paper. In grey printed wraps with title on front cover. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. The plates include engravings by H. C. Pigeon of illustrations by S. Holden and a plan by T. B. Ryder.

1p., 4to. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Engraved illustration of the Old House at the head (signed 'S. Holden'), with an engraving of the Plague-Stone beneath it, followed by the text: 'The Relic represented above formed the corner coping-stone of a garden wall, immediately above the spot indicated in the drawing by the letter A. It is traditional in the neighbourhood that about the middle of the 17th century, (probably in the year 1665,) several cases of The Plague occurred in this house.

2pp., 4to. In good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. He writes that he is sorry that he could not sing the song 'Nancy's Hair' at Preston. He had not brought it: '(I only got your letter on arrival at the concert hall.) Funnily enough I picked it up before leaving home to put in my case as a possible encore & then put it back.' He is 'delighted to know that your mother liked my singing of it, I most certainly enjoy singing it & I hope to be able to help it along'.

43pp., 4to, all but one on the recto of a leaf. In very good condition, in lightly-worn red morocco binding, gilt, with dentelles, and the words 'MAYOR'S PARLOUR | VISITOR'S BOOK' and crest on front board, and marbled endpapers. The Deputy Mayor of the City of Salford, Peter Ashcroft, JP, signs on the very first page, and on several other occasions in the volume, and a large number of Salford residents also sign.

3pp., 12mo. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In original envelope, with stamp and postmark, addressed by Bennett to 'John T Baron Esq. | 48 Griffin Street | Blackburn | [signed] W C Bennett'. He begins by informing Baron that four numbers of 'The Lark' have already been published.

8pp., 12mo. Stapled. In brown printed wraps. On brittle, high-acidity paper, with staining from staples, in stained and worn wraps. After some 'Introductory Remarks' he discusses 'Light Materials in New Work', 'Position of Cold-Water Cistern', 'Position', 'The Runs of Pipes', 'The W.-C.', 'The W.-C. Supply' ('two gallons of water is not sufficient to wash away the soil into the main drain.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. In original stamped and postmarked envelope, addressed by Smiles. The 'last photographic likeness' of Smiles 'was taken by Mr S. A. Walker, 230 Regent Street W'. Smiles has 'no doubt' that Walker will let Bacon 'have a copy' (i.e. Bacon will not be getting a free copy from Smiles). Smiles's book 'Physical Education' was 'published by me no less than 44 years ago. It had a small sale, and is now quite out of print. Though pretty good at the time, there are now far better works on the subject.'

4pp., 4to. On two loose leaves of Whatman paper, each watermarked 1827. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. The document begins with the following note, dated and signed by Roby: 'The following ballad from my forthcoming "Traditions of Lancashire," though not of much value in itself, may yet acquire some, from its connexion with, and introduction into Mrs. Thelwall's elegant volume of Scraps.' (The implication that the two leaves have been removed from Mrs Thelwall's album is supported by pagination from 12 to 15.) Sixty-four lines, divided into sixteen four-line stanzas.

The subscription Liverpool Library within the Lyceum, founded in 1757, is believed to have been the first circulating or lending library in Europe, and the first two of these items provide a valuable insight into its status at the time when the advent of the public library system was undermining its position.

8vo, 40 pp. Five plates (numbered I to V and with p.40 numbered VI) and thirty illustrations in text. In original brown cloth wraps, with cover bearing white paper label printed in red and black reading 'HUME | METAL ON LEATHER. | 1863.' Tight, on aged paper, in rebacked wraps. Inscribed on front free endpaper 'To W. W. F. Hume Esquire from his the writer 3rd March 1863. Title-page also in red and black. Note on reverse of title: 'This Paper is printed in the Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, Vol. XIV, for Session 1861-62.

8vo, 11 + [i] pp. Disbound. Good, on lightly-aged and worn paper. Signed in type at end (p.11) 'WOODVILLE WOODMAN. | Stoneclough, near Manchester, | March 5th, 1861.' The final page is headed 'PUBLIC NOTICE.', and advertises services and a 'Reading & Tract Society' at Northampton New Church, Corn Exchange Buildings, ending 'The Library comprises the works of Swedenborg, and general New Church Literature. A passionate retort, in defence of Swedenborgianism, to the Brindley's Methodist interpretation of 'Swedenborg's doctrine of marriage', as set out in a lecture. 'The insinuation of Dr.

12mo, 4 pp. Disbound bifolium. Text clear and complete. On aged and foxed paper, with some wear and chipping. 'The distillers, merchants, and dealers; the landlords, the brewers, and the owners of licensed houses - not to say the government itself - actuated by interested motives, have all done honour at the shrine of Bacchus; and when it is understood that about a million of persons are enriched or supported by this nefarious traffic, no wonder that the happy soil of England should be deluged with this liquid fire.' Following slug: '(1s. 4d.

Single column (23 x 6 cm) on one side of piece of paper 34 x 21.5 cm. 72 lines of text. Clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged, creased paper. Small closed tear to central horizontal fold. Lists the infectious diseases of which notification is required ('Small Pox, Cholera, Diptheria, Membranous Croup, Erysipelas, Scarlatina, or ScarletFever, and also Typhus, Typhoid, Enteric, Relapsing, Continued, or Puerperal Fever'), and gives the duties of medical practitioners and the penalties for failing to comply.

Items One to Three: three 'Co-operative Holidays Association General Notes' pamphlets, all 4pp, on unbound 8vo bifoliums. Text clear and complete, on aged and worn paper, with a 3 cm closed tear to both leaves of the second number. Each issue ends with a long list of 'Rambling Clubs and Secretaries'. Headings of notes include 'One Shilling Literature Subscription', 'Sir William Mather', 'Canadian Guests', 'Personalia'. Also a report of the annual general meeting.

12mo bifolium (leaf dimensions 22 x 14 cm): 4 pp. Text clear and complete, on lightly-aged and grubby paper with wear to extremities. The first pages includes a section beginning 'Land in Liverpool has been sold at £226 the square yard; £1,093,840 an Acre! | PAY YOUR RENTS! and YOUR RATES!! | You must Pay them or be Put Out!!! | But when you pay, think what you are paying for: [...] The Liverpool Stock Exchange had to pay Three Shillings and Sixpence for every square inch of the land facing Exchange Street and corner of Dale Street. There are over 6 1/4 million square inches in an acre!

It is a singular circumstance that no information whatsoever is available on the Heywood Brotherhood (whose President was the Reverend F. Gordon Mee) on the internet. The five items clear and complete on lightly-aged paper. All leaves of the three letters on the Brotherhood's letterhead (featuring the names and addresses of five of its officials). Letter One (2 pp, one 8vo and one 12mo, with small ink stain at head of first leaf): 18 November 1930. Ramsden asks to 'have the subject of the address you propose to give at our "Brotherhood Sunday" on Sunday, Nov. 30/30'.

The main text is printed on one side of a piece of paper roughly 28 x 13.5 cm, headed 'Upwards of Thirty Thousand Copies Of the "Manchester Weekly Times," with Eight-page Literary Supplement, are Issued Every Saturday.' The main block of text, in a variety of types and point sizes, consists of 27 lines ending 'The Proprietors respectfully solicit instructionsn to insert your Advertisement.' Describes the newspaper's merits and boasts that it is 'one of the Largest and most complete Weekly Papers published'.

12mo, 1 p, 7 lines. Good, on light aged paper, with 1 cm closed tear to top corner (not affecting text, which is clear and entire). Reads 'I regret having to inform you that the Salford Mayoralty Seal has broken all to pieces in the process of hardening and that I am afraid that I am obliged to engrave another which I am proceeding with as expeditiously as possible'.

8vo: 12 pp. Very good, in original blue cloth account book of twelve leaves, with title on label on front board. Label of Waterlow & Sons inside front cover. The entries spread across six sets of two facing pages, all ruled with red printed lines and in boxes and with the following seven categories printed at the head: 'No. on Plan'; 'DESCRIPTION.'; 'State of Cul[ivatio]n.'; 'Value per Acre'; 'Statute | A. R. P. [i.e. acreage]'; 'Value. | £ s.