Law

Four Autograph Letters Signed to [?] Macphail; copy, with MS corrections and additions, of proposed report on Bill by committee of the Faculty of Advocates; 'COPY LETTER, Mr P. W. Campbell, P.C.S., to Sir William S. Haldane, Crown Agent'; Bill.

Author: 
Charles Scott Dickson [Parliamentary Bill: Clerks of Session (Scotland) Regulation Acts, 1889 and 1912]
Publication details: 
The four letters, December 1812 to 1813; the Advocates' report, 14 January 1913, Advocates Library; Campbell's letter, 23 December 1912, Edinburgh; Bill, 9 December 1912.
£180.00

Dickson (born 1850) was Tory M.P. for Glasgow, Lord Advocate and Lord Justice Clerk. The four letters, all 12mo and all on House of Commons Library notepaper, are dusty and creased. Three are dated (30 and 31 December and 2 January) and signed; the other letter is undated and initialed. LETTER ONE: 'I spoke to the Lord Advocate to-day & he then definitely informed me that the Lord President entirely approved of the Bill.' LETTER TWO: 'I have spoken to the Advocate about the date of the committee stage & we will I believe have some weeks yet.

Autograph Letter Signed ('J Bowles') to 'Mr Wright | Piccadilly', confirming his authorship of the 'Letters of the Ghost of Alfred'.

Author: 
John Bowles (1751-1819), barrister and author [John Wright (1770-1841) of Piccadilly, bookseller and publisher of Gifford's 'Anti-Jacobin']
Publication details: 
Tuesday' [no date, but circa 1798]. Place not stated.
£120.00

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium with address on second leaf. Twenty-five lines. Text clear and complete. On aged, spotted and repaired paper. A significant letter, confirming Bowles's hitherto-tentative authorship of the 'Letters of the Ghost of Alfred', which was printed by Wright in 1798. Bowles informs Wright that he will 'receive some Copies of ye. Ghost of Alfred' the following morning. 'The price [I conceive] should be only 2/6 in boards there being but about 130 pages including thhe advertisements'.

Printed poster, headed 'Salt-Hill Society, (Instituted 1783) For the Protection of Persons and Property from Felons & Thieves, Within the Hundreds of Burnham and Stoke, In the County of Buckingham.', giving the 'Rules and Articles of this Society'.

Author: 
Edmund J. Craske, Treasurer, Salt-Hill Society, Burnham and Stoke, Buckingham [R. Ingalton Drake, printer, Eton; provincial printing]
Publication details: 
At a General Meeting, held at the ROYAL HOTEL, Slough, on Tuesday, the 13th day of April, and (by adjournment) on Tuesday, the 20th day of April, 1897'. ['R. INGALTON DRAKE, PRINTER, ETON.']
£120.00

Printed on one side of a piece of paper roughly 680 x 430 mm. Good, on aged paper with a little spotting and one short closed tear. Text complete and entirely legible. Heading printed in a variety of types and point sizes, with the Rules and Articles, dated 'Slough, April 20th, 1897. and 'Signed on behalf of the General Body of Subscribers, EDMUND J. CRASKE.', in double-column beneath. Final list of subscribers, in four columns, beginning with 'ABORN, Edwin, Eton' and ending with 'WOLLASTON, H. U., East Burnham'.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Ch Giraud de l'institut'), in French, to an unnamed male correspondent.

Author: 
Charles Giraud [Charles-Joseph-Barthélémy Giraud] (1802-1881), French jurist and historian
Publication details: 
29 February [no year]; no place.
£35.00

12mo, 1 p, 12 lines. Good, on lightly aged paper. Drawing the recipient's attention to 'une demande qui a été adressée a M. le Prefet de la Seine, par M. Burnet [an inhabitant of Neuilly], homme infiniment estimable qui sollicite un emploi dans l'administration des pompes funèbres'. Giraud knows Burnet very well, 'et je lui porte un interet particulier'.

Last leaf only of Autograph Letter Signed ('H. Law') to 'Mr. F<?>'.

Author: 
Hugh Law (1818-1883), judge, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, 1881-1883
Publication details: 
Without date or place.
£80.00

12mo, 2 pp, 23 lines. The second leaf of a bifolium. Good, on lightly aged paper, with three small tissue mounts still adhering to a margin. Commenting on a legal matter relating to the recipient: '[...] there is the further difficulty tht except where the family so desire and a special case is made for it, the County Chancery will not generally speaking allow any of its wards to be taken out of its jurisdiction. [...] I wd.

Autograph Letter Signed to <Brodie?>.

Author: 
Hugh Law
Publication details: 
Monday 15 Feb.' (no year); on embossed letterhead of the Union Club, Trafalgar Square.
£25.00

Lord Chancellor of Ireland (1818-83). Two pages, 12mo. Creased and grubby, and with two small holes in embossment. He cannot avail himself of his correspondent's kind invitation for dinner the following day as he has 'an engagement I may not postpone or disregard'. He should have been happy to meet Mr and Mrs <?>, 'as well as to spend a pleasant evening with you'. Signed 'H. Law'.

Autograph Letter Signed ('J. I Lockhart) to 'Isaac Espinasse Esq one of the Benchers of the H. S. of Grays Inn &c. &c &c -'.

Author: 
John Ingram Lockhart [John Wastie from 1832] (c.1765-1835), Radical Member of Parliament for the City of Oxford [Isaac Espinasse (1758-1834)] [Robert Nares (1753-1829)?]
Publication details: 
Tubney Lodge, Abingdon'. Undated [on paper watermarked 'BUTTANSHAW | 1809'].
£45.00

4to, 1 p. Good, though lightly aged and creased. He apologises for the liberty he takes in addressing Espinasse 'as one of the Benchers of Grays Inn', and hopes it is not 'wholly improper' for him 'to say a word in favor of Mr Nares, and [sic] old fellow Colegian [sic] of mine [Lockhart was educated at University College, Oxford], who is a candidate for the Chaplaincy of your Society'. Describes Nares as 'an honorable & learned man, a good divine, exceedingly well connected'. Considers that he 'will prove [...] an acquisition to the Society'.

Autograph Note Signed [to Chapman].

Author: 
John Bigelow (1817-1911), American lawyer, newspaper editor (New York Evening Post) and statesman
Publication details: 
Without date or place.
£56.00

8vo: 1 p. Good, on lightly creased and aged paper. Good firm hand. Five lines of text and large, bold signature. Reads 'Enclosed please find the note of the General | With compliments to Madam and to Miss Chapman I remain | Very truly yours | [signed] John Bigelow'.

Autograph Note Signed to an unnamed correspondent.

Author: 
Charles Butler.
Publication details: 
Lincoln's Inn, 15 Sept. 1820.
£75.00

Legal and misc. writer (1750-1832). Part of page (trimmed), 5 x 5", stained but text clear and complete. "I wished to see you, on your return from Clark, tomention my doubt whether the manuscript, which I put into your hands, is proper in its present state, for insertion in the review, which [excisions] you notived [excison] to [inserted] me;- If you will have the goodness to return it to me, I will endeavour to cast it into a more proper form for your publication:-".

Autograph Note, Third Person, to Sir William Curtis, Lord Mayor of London.

Author: 
Edward Law, Lord Ellenborough
Publication details: 
St James's Square, 29 May 1815.
£56.00

Trimmed note laid down on card with added margin with Ellenborough's details (name and rand as Lord Chief Justice). "Lord Ellenborough presents his Comps. to Sir Wm Curtis & the Gentlemen of the Committee of the Corporation of London, & shall be very happy to have the honor of attending them at the opening of His Majesty's Statue at Guildhall on Saturday the 3d of June & afterwards at dinner, if his engagements of public business shall allow of his doing so." Text followed by place and date as above.

Autograph Note Signed to unnamed correspondent.

Author: 
John Romilly, 1st baron Romilly
Publication details: 
L[aw]. C[ourts]. 13 Ap. 1839'.
£30.00

Lawyer and Member of Parliament (1802-74), Master of the Rolls, 1851-73. On scrap of paper roughly three and a half inches square. Grubby and stained. Reads '<...> In Chancery | F. 131 <...> | L. C. 13 Ap. 1839 | Will [last word deleted] see minutes of judgment back of pp. 3 & 4. Will give final judgment on Monday. next, 15 Ap./ | John Romilly. | 10/- | <...> In the Matter of the <...>'

The lawfulness and obligation of oaths. A dissertation which obtained the Hulsean Prize for the year 1844.

Author: 
F. J. Gruggen, Scholar of Saint John's College, Cambridge
Publication details: 
Cambridge: printed at the University Press [...]. 1845.
£100.00

Octavo. 84 pages. A disbound pamphlet from the Churchill Babington collection. Very good with light foxing to prelims. 'Amongst all the institutions which contribute to strengthen the bonds of society, by establishing and confirming that mutual trust and confidence among men which is necessary to its very existence, there is none which exercises a more considerable and beneficial influence than that of oaths, when applied to those purposes for which it was intended.' Scarce: only three copies on COPAC.

Observations on the mortmain laws, act of supremacy, &c. with reference to bills now before parliament: or, popery opposed to national independence, and social happiness.

Author: 
James Lord of the Inner Temple
Publication details: 
London: Seeley, Burnside, and Seeley, 54, Fleet Street; [...]. 1846.
£45.00

Octavo. 16 pages. Disbound pamphlet from the Churchill Babington collection. Good, though first and last pages somewhat grubby.

Autograph Signature.

Author: 
Jonathan Belcher [Nova Scotia]
Publication details: 
1754
£60.00

First Chief Justice of Nova Scotia (1710-76). Flyleaf detached from octavo volume and neatly mounted on piece of white card, itself mounted on larger piece of grey card. While the mounts are in good condition the leaf itself is poor, discoloured and stained. Reads in top left-hand corner 'Jonathn Belcher | August. 1754.' Also present are signatures of 'Hawkins | London' and 'Jn L. Lee | 1870'.

The law the lawyers know about.

Author: 
H. D. C. Pepler [Eric Gill, David Jones, S. Dominic's Press]
Publication details: 
PRINTED AT S. DOMINIC'S PRESS, DITCHLING, SUSSEX' at foot of verso of last leaf; no date.
£50.00

4 leaves. 8 unpaginated pages. 16mo. 9 centimeters by 12 centimeters. Dusty but very good indeed. Evan Gill 272 describes the first edition of 1923 and a subsequent edition of 1929, but makes no mention of an undated issue. Wood engravings by Gill: lawyer's wig on cover-title; bird in cage on verso of third leaf; angel before tombstone on verso of last leaf. 'WITABEL WATLO' engraving [by David Jones?] on recto of third leaf. Prob. Taylor & Sewell 117c

Autograph Note Signed to Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie the younger.

Author: 
John Romilly, 1st Baron Romilly
Publication details: 
6 February 1862; 6 Hyde Park Terrace, W.
£30.00

English lawyer (1802-74) and Master of the Rolls, 1851-73. The recipient (1817-80) was a noted chemist. Two pages, 16mo. Very good, but sumwhat dusty and grubby. Reads 'My dear Sir Benjamin | I am much oblig'd to you for your kind. [sic] I am not aware of the circumstance, or rather the rule you mention or I should not have committed thte 'indiscretion' of asking you to sign my sons recommendation'. Signed 'John Romilly'.

Note Signed to unnamed judge.

Author: 
Hardinge Stanley Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury
Publication details: 
12 January 1888; on House of Lords letterhead.
£56.00

Lord Chancellor of England (1825-1921), author of the monumental 'Laws of England'. One page, 4to. In good condition though somewhat grubby. Folded twice, and with embossed House of Lords stamp and armorial stamp in red ink in top left-hand corner. Opening ('My dear Judge') and salutation ('faithfully yours | Halsbury') by Halsbury, the rest in secretarial hand. Reads 'I have to thank you for your letter of the 11th., and for the arrangements which have been made, at Mr. Justice Stirling's request, and of which I entirely approve'.

Autograph Letter Signed to Edward Draper, lawyer and writer.

Author: 
Horace St John.
Publication details: 
Sydenham Park, S.E., 17 March 1875.
£45.00

Journalist and author (see Dictionary of National Biography and Allibone). One page, 8vo, some soiling but text clear and complete, difficult hand, saying: "There has been no [perhaps word (underlined) meaning retraction?] in Punch [underlined]. I am prepared to sustain all I said to you upon oath, and to prove that the injury to me is serious. The enclosed, as you will see, is marked "Private & Confidential"; but it is a part of the "case", and I, therefore, submit it to you." It appears that St John feels he has been libelled in "Punch" and is seeking redress.

one printed and manuscript legal document signed,

Author: 
Edward Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (died 1834)
Publication details: 
24/02/29
£50.00

One page, 8vo. Giving licence to his tenant Richard Finlow of Liverpool to transfer the freehold of a property in Bootle to John Plumbe of Bootle, painter. The property is "on the marsh at Bootle [...] adjoining the new Road leading from Sand Hills to Bootle afsd. called Derby Road". Signed "Derby". Slight discolouration and with holes from pinning, but in good condition overall.

Letter Signed to The Hon. & Rev. J.B. Keppel, Warham Rectory, Wells, Norfolk.

Author: 
Fox Maule
Publication details: 
Whitehall, 25 October 1839.
£35.00

Statesman (DNB), at this time under-secretary. Secretarial hand, signatureof Maule. One page, folio, fold marks, good, saying "I have laid befroe the Marquess of Normanby your Letter of the 22nd instant, and its Enclosures, relative to the conviction of James Stayner as a Rogue and Vagabond; - and I am to inform you, that your explanation is quite satisfactory to Lord Normanby . . . ."

Autograph Letter Signed to (“The Revd. Mr Hepburn”).

Author: 
George Wallace.
Publication details: 
28/02/63
£100.00

Scottish poet and legal writer (-c.1805). 3pp., 4to, some damage and staining partially obscuring text. He writes initially of being elected to the “Kelso folly”, not wishing to be re-elected. He moves on to a matter which will involve the court of session, explaining that “the patrons as well as all the parties interested are by a ...(?) barred from appearing to prosecute”. He then discusses the signing of the “definitive treaty” on which he and his correspondent disagree, leaving posterity to judge its usefulness.

Autograph Note Signed to an unnamed correspondent.

Author: 
Edward Clarke
Publication details: 
21 Dec. 1899,
£35.00

Lawyer (1841-1931). One page, 8vo, good, anticipating exclusion from the House of Commons, but determined to serve his country nevertheless.

James Anderson, editor of 'Diplomata Scotiae'] Holograph document.

Author: 
James Anderson, Editor of "Diplomata Scotiae", antiquary
Publication details: 
No place or date.
£200.00

Editor of "Diplomata", antiquary (DNB). Sixteen lines on one page, small folio, some damage, but text complete and clear. Not signed.

Autograph Letter, third person, to a Miss Maxwell

Author: 
J.E. Bicheno,
Publication details: 
(2 May 1830)
£30.00

Colonial secretary , Van Diemen's Land. 1.5pp., 8vo. He discusses the physical composition of a necklace. (Bicheno's works on Law and the Irish economy are listed on the reverse in a different hand.)

Autograph letter signed to J. F. Ellis,

Author: 
John Leycester Adolphus
Publication details: 
10 December [no year], no place.
£80.00

Barrister and author (1795-1862). One page, 12mo. "Dear Ellis, / Doe v.

Autograph letter signed to the Rev. William Marshall of Harberton near Totness,

Author: 
John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon
Publication details: 
without date or place.
£50.00

Lord Chancellor of England (1751-1838). 2 pp, 12mo. An interesting sidelight into ecclesiastical preferment. "Sir / The Living in Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire is that, to which I propose to present you, if you are disposed to accept it. Its Value, I am informed, but a Chancellor's Information is seldom correct, is about 280l a year - / It will require much of Residence, as the Parish is populous, & contains very numerous Inhabitants. The Duty must, therefore, be considerable - After what my excellent deceased Friend, Dr Parsons, Bp.

Autograph note signed to [Frederick W.] Hollams,

Author: 
Farrer Herschell, 1st Baron Herschell
Publication details: 
15 June [no year], with letterhead 46 Grosvenor Gardens.
£20.00

Lord Chancellor of England (1837-99). One page, 12mo. Marked "Confidential". "I send for your perusal a letter I have recd fm. Sir F. - you will of course treat it as quite confidential & destroy it when you have read it. It will at least serve to shew that I have done what I cd." Traces of gummed paper from mounting adhering to blank verso.

Autograph note signed to an unnamed male correspondent,

Author: 
James Scarlett, 1st Baron Abinger
Publication details: 
12 December 1835, New Street.
£50.00

Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer (1769-1844), the most successful advocate of his day. One page, 12mo. "My dear Sir / If you will excuse so short a notice & happen to be disengaged on Wednesday next pray do me the favour to join a small party which I have hastily made up with Lord Lyndhurst at dinner here at seven oClock/ Your truly / Abinger / Wednesday 16th. at 7." Scarlett had succeeded Lyndhurst as Lord Chief Baron at the end of the previous year. Discoloured and with heavy traces of mount adhering to blank verso.

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