08. British History

This collection contains a letter by William Stewart Rose, British poet and translator, to Mr. Sotheby at his auction rooms near Waterloo bridge, complaining that not only was the sale of his books to take place in Whitsun but that the Stokes Park Library was being sold at the same time. He requests that catalogues be sent to various people, including Lady Caroline Lamb and Mr. Murray.

This collection contains a letter by Sir Joseph Banks to an unnamed correspondent, sending thanks for four plates and a drawing, and then discussing eleven botanical specimens. There is also a reference to the Royal Society, of which Banks was President for forty-two years.

This collection consists of a 161-page handwritten logbook, penned (probably) by William Ward, whose name appears on the front pastedown endpaper. The majority of entries are Orders of the Day, letters, memoranda, and accounts of expenditures. Each entry is initialed by at least three officers; some are initialed by as many as eight officers.

This is a 38-page handwritten logbook containing dozens of general memos signed by proxy for various British Navy and Marine officers during the time period 1807-1809.

The volume contains the productions of the Sisterhood of the Gossip Society of Gloucester, England. The author is unknown, but goes by the nom de plume “Penelope Placid.” The entire work is purportedly a product of these women’s meetings; more likely, it is the work of one woman satirizing the situation of elderly spinsters whom society considered to be gossips in nineteenth century England.

This collection consists of a sketchbook and a minute book, both authored by Sir James Hawkins Whitshed, an officer in the British Navy. The sketchbook contains numerous depictions of naval ships and a self-caricature of Whitshed himself. The minute book contains a careful list of letters received and sent by Whitshed, plus a summary of the day’s events during the years 1821-1822.

Correspondence from Sydney Smith to, primarily, Archdeacon Francis Wrangham. Other noted correspondent includes George Lamb. Two portraits of Sydney Smith (engraving and lithograph) are included in the collection.

This collection contains a letter from Annie Gregory to Lady Margaret Spicer, daughter of the 12th Earl of Westmoreland. In the note, Annie requests that Lady Spicer let her know if her husband Captain John Edward Philip Spicer would “let” her (Annie) a cottage called Chittoe Heath. Annie Gregory belonged to a Methodist (Wesleyan) family in Wiltshire.

This collection contains thirteen letters written by the Duke of Wellington to Miss A.M. (Anna Maria) Jenkins, a 19th century evangelist. Two other letters are from Ms. Sophy Mistes to Miss A.M. Jenkins. Accompanying some of the letters are envelopes with wax seals; also included in the collection are a miniature photo of the Duke and a paper Mariner's Compass.

This collection contains letters and literary drafts of Samuel Richardson; letters of his daughter, Anne Richardson, to her sister Martha Richardson Bridgen, and parents, and Sally Crowther Moodie. The collection also includes letters by Elizabeth (Leake) Richardson, Sally Crowther Moodie, and Jane Berthon regarding the Lisbon earthquake (1755); and correspondence from O.B. Kaiser to Samuel Richardson.