Commonplace book, [circa 1780-circa 1850].

Manuscript, in multiple hands, of a collection of poems dated between 1780 and 1798; and a collection of memoranda on horticulture, soil preparation, animal husbandry, vegetables, fruit trees, flowers, and shrubs dated in the 1840s. The first part contains poems primarily on topical political and social subjects, many of them satirical, and often drawn from publications such as the Salopian Journal and the Hereford Journal. The volume includes An epistle to Peter Ingram esqr senior magistrate of the parish of St. George in the island of Jamaica by William Dyce; other titles include On the proclamation of peace with America; Verses sent by a country clergyman to his peruke-maker with his daughter's hair; The dying negro; The maid's soliloquy, a parody; and other epigrams and epitaphs; as well as poems by Jonathan Swift, Henry James Pye, and Peter Pindar. This section also contains a number of entries not in verse, including Benjamin Franklin's epitaph; a description of Marie Antoinette, the "late Queen of France"; an anecdote concerning King George III; a recipe for cold; and a mention of the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty in 1783. The excerpts in the second part of the volume are drawn from Shropshire area publications such as the Worcester Journal as well as other publications on gardening such as Charles McIntosh's Practical Gardener and John Lindley's Theory of Horticulture. This section contains entries on sheep; cattle; chemical properties of soil; varieties of roses, apples, plums, and cherries; grafting; and an essay titled On the king of education best suited to young farmers. This part of the volume also includes several recipes, including those for waterproofing boots and making ink