Manuscript, in a single hand, of a letter from Wilkie asking Lady Holland to accept his gift of "two small and imperfect sketches, made from recollection, on my way back from Falmouth, of the two Portraits by Vandyke, of the Earl of Warwick and the Earl of Holland." He explains that the portraits will interest Lady Holland for "having been painted in Holland House." The letter is accompanied by the two watercolor sketches mentioned in the letter, which are signed and dated 1834
Description:
In English.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain., England., and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Holland, Elizabeth Vassall Fox, Lady, 1770-1845., Holland family., and Wilkie, David, Sir, 1785-1841.
Subject (Topic):
Art, Letters, Portrait painting, Watercolor painting, and Social life and customs
Manuscript, in a single hand, of a letter from Mason to Horace Walpole, in which Mason writes that he has read Walpole's tragedic play, The Mysterious Mother, several times and has provided a sketch of alterations he believes necessary to improve the denouement. The list of alterations accompanies the letter, which consist of dialogic emendations at specific page and line numbers. At the end of the letter, a note signed by Walpole states his reasons against adopting Mason's suggestions, "because they woud totally have destroyed my Object."
Description:
William Mason (1724-1797) was a poet, editor, and gardener. In 1747, his poem "Musaeus, a Monody on the Death of Mr. Pope" was published to acclaim and quickly went through several editions. In 1775, he published the Poems of Mr Gray, a friend who was a great influence on his own work. Ten years later, William Pitt nominated him for the post of Poet Laureate, but he turned it down. Among Mason's other works are the historical tragedies Elfrida (1752) and Caractacus (1759), as well as a long poem on gardening, The English Garden (1772-1782). Indeed, Mason was an influential garden designer, designing several flower gardens for his friends and patrons, especially for Richard Hurd, Lord Jersey, and Lord Harcourt. In 1797 he fell and injured his leg while entering his carriage, and died several days later at his rectory in Aston., In English., Typed transcript available in object file., and For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Mason, William, 1725-1797. and Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797.
Subject (Topic):
English drama (Tragedy), Family, Incest, Religion, and Theater
Manuscript, in a single hand with numerous corrections, of a collection of 15 letters describing life in England, translated into French, possibly from German. The letters discuss English lotteries; the proliferation of newspapers; the constitution and the difficulty of reconciling ideology with practice; Parliamentary elections; literary societies; and the nobility. One letter describes and deplores the cruelty of amusements such as hunting, cock-fighting, and "combats des gladiateurs"; another letter mocks an English law against the illegal wearing of buttons. A letter dated December 14, 1790 discusses the possibility of the abolition of the slave trade; the author declares it is the most talked-of subject of conversation and expresses his astonishment that the trade still exists and The letters are followed by a lengthy essay explaining the Women's March on Versailles on October 5-6, 1789. The volume is prefaced by a note by the translator, who criticizes the motives of many travel writers; says that he was drawn to this letter-writer for his curiosity and interest in humanity; and explains that the writer published two volumes, the first of letters written in Paris and Versailles during the revolution in 1789, and the second of letters in England
Description:
In French., Binding: full calf., and For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain, Great Britain., England, France, and Versailles (France)
Subject (Name):
Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, marquis de, 1757-1834., Louis XVI, King of France, 1754-1793., and Necker, Jacques, 1732-1804.
Subject (Topic):
Cockfighting, Elections, Hunting, Lotteries, Slave trade, Newspapers, Nobility, Travelers' writings, French, Description and travel, History, Women, Intellectual life, Politics and government, and Social life and customs
Manuscript, on parchment, in a single hand, containing letters patent granting Thomas de Greystoke the right to hold a market every Monday and an annual three-day fair on the manor of Greystoke in Cumberland
Description:
In Latin., Great seal of England attached by red silk cord., Layout: single column of 19 lines., Script: secretary script., and Decoration: large initial R and calligraphic ascenders in the first line.
Manuscript on paper, in a single hand, of copies of 20 letters from Alured Clarke to Charlotte, Lady Sundon, followed by copies of 4 letters to her from Lord John Hervey and one letter from an unsigned hand. Many of the letters from Clarke concern his patronage of the poet Stephen Duck, in which he discusses his anxiety about exposing Duck to the cruelty of Alexander Pope and "the Dunciad Club," his negotiations with various booksellers and publishers on Duck's behalf, and his high hopes for Duck's poetry after the death of Duck's wife. He also describes books on religion, history, and moral philosophy that he has read; witnesses a presentation of "Indians" to the Queen; and imparts various religious and political news, including Quaker activities. The letters from Hervey consist primarily of descriptions of his own routine social activities as well as those of such notables as the King, Queen, and Duke of Grafton, though he also writes with surprise that Stanislaus has been chosen King of Poland and reports that Benjamin Hoadly, Bishop of Salisbury, is on the brink of being promoted to the bishopric of Winchester, despite his disagreements with Sir Robert Walpole. An unsigned letter dated 1734, sent "by a private hand," discusses the controversial nomination of Thomas Rundle to the see of Gloucester
Description:
Charlotte Clayton, Lady Sundon (c.1679-1742), courtier, married William Clayton (baptised. 1671, died 1752) of Sundon Hall in Bedfordshire before 1714. With the help of the Duchess of Marlborough, Charlotte Clayton was appointed a woman of the bedchamber to Caroline, princess of Wales in 1714. Her considerable influence over Caroline was distressing to Robert Walpole, who accused Clayton of procuring various political favors for her friends., Alured Clarke (1696-1742), was a Church of England clergyman. Ordained by his uncle Bishop Trimnell in 1720, in 1723 he became rector of Chilbolton in Hampshire and a prebendary of Winchester. He was a chaplain-in-ordinary to both George I and George II; in 1731, he became a prebendary of Westminster. Later he became deputy clerk of the closet to George II. Clarke was also a patron; he founded a county hospital at Winchester in 1736 and was a champion of the poet Stephen Duck., John Hervey, second Baron Hervey of Ickworth (1696-1743), was a courtier and writer. On 2 April 1725 he was elected MP for Bury St Edmunds, and entered the Commons as a supporter of Sir Robert Walpole. In 1730, he became vice-chamberlain to the king's household and, consequently, a member of the privy council; and, in 1740, lord privy seal. However, in 1742 Walpole resigned, and that same year Hervey also left public office. He wrote numerous tracts, including Ancient and Modern Liberty Stated and Compared (1734); The Conduct of the Opposition and the Tendency of Modern Patriotism (1734); and Miscellaneous Thoughts (1742). Hervey's Memoirs were published, with some material suppressed, in 1848, and a more complete version was published in 1931., In English., Pasted onto back pastedown: dealer's description of manuscript., Phillipps 18548., Binding: full calf. In gilt on spine: Clarke Sundon Letters., and For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain. and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Clarke, Alured, 1696-1742., Duck, Stephen, 1705-1756., Bristol, John Hervey, Earl of, 1665-1751., Hervey, John Hervey, Baron, 1696-1743., Hoadly, Benjamin, 1676-1761., Rundle, Thomas, 1688?-1743., Stanisław I Leszczyński, King of Poland, 1677-1766., Sundon, Charlotte Clayton, Baroness, d. 1742, Walpole, Robert, Earl of Orford, 1676-1745., and Church of England
Subject (Topic):
Bishops, Clergy, Appointment, call, and election, Authors and patrons, Nobility, Social life and customs, and Politics and government
Collection, in a single hand, of 61 letters from Henry Seymour-Conway to his brother, Lord Francis Seymour-Conway, in which he discusses military, political, and social news between 1744 and 1784. The collection contains discussion of his military service in the Netherlands in the 1740s, including a detailed description of battle against the French in a letter dated June 30, 1743; he also mentions his campaign in Germany during the Seven Years' War, including his altercation with Col. Beckwith, his irritation with a commission he has been given, and news of a peace treaty between Austria and Prussia. In 1744 he discusses the practicality of buying a regiment, asks his brother for help raising the money, and offers to sell his own South Sea stock. He writes several letters from Dublin Castle reporting on Irish politics, including some movements in the House of Lords regarding "papists." In England, he complains about prime minister George Grenville's uncivil and unjust treatment of him and defends his decision in the affair of the Britannic Legion and in the John Wilkes affair which led to his dismissal from court and military office in 1764. Conway also occasionally mentions American affairs, including one letter in 1766 which reports the repeal of the Stamp Act, and another in 1774 in which he expresses pleasure on hearing that violent measures in America had been rejected for the present. Numerous letters make reference to friends and family, including his wife Lady Ailesbury and Conway's close friend Horace Walpole, who offers financial assistance after Conway's dismissal; becomes ill in 1765; and visits Conway after Conway's retirement in 1784
Description:
Henry Seymour Conway (1719-1795) was an army general and politician. He fought in the War of the Austrian Succession; served in Ireland during the Jacobite Rebellion, and in Germany during the Seven Years' War. He was successively promoted to major general in 1756 and to lieutenant general in 1759. Sitting in the House of Commons from 1741 to 1774 and from 1775 to 1784, Conway became a leading member of the opposition, opposing the King's action against John Wilkes regarding general warrants in 1763. In 1765, he became secretary of state for the southern department in Lord Rockingham's ministry, where he promoted a policy of reconciliation towards the American colonies. He supported the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766, and opposed the taxation policies of Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend. He criticized British prosecution of the war with the American colonies and played an important part in the House of Commons' resolution against continuing the war. In 1747, he married Caroline Bruce, countess of Ailesbury (1721-1803), and had one child, Anne Seymour Damer (1749-1828). His aunt Catherine was the wife of Sir Robert Walpole, and Conway maintained a lifelong friendship and correspondence with his cousin Horace Walpole., Francis Seymour-Conway, first marquess of Hertford (1718-1794) and older brother of Henry Seymour Conway, was a courtier and politician. He became a lord of the bedchamber in 1757 and was sworn to the privy council in 1763. He served as ambassador to France 1763-5, lord lieutenant of Ireland 1765-6, lord chamberlain 1766-1782 and again in 1783. He was also lord lieutenant of Warwickshire from 1757 until his death. From 1766-1782, he was a friend and confidant to George III. Hertford supported Lord North's administration and the war in America, in which three of his sons served, and voted against Shelburne's peace preliminaries in February 1783. He was also influential in Irish politics, owning extensive estates in County Antrim, and serving a term as lord lieutenant in 1765-6., In English., The manuscript is accompanied by typed transcription., Pasted into letter of Aug 22, 1744: printed and handwritten note about Cadivor ap Gwaethvord, Lord of Cardigan Iscoed., Laid in with letter of August 11, 1748: list of contents of manuscript., Laid in with letter of May 11, 1764: newspaper clipping from Gazetteer, dated May 9, 1764, concerning Conway's dismissal., Vol. 2 with original binding, now housed separately. Binding: half red morocco over marbled boards. Written on cover: The Conway Correspondence. Pasted inside front cover: bookplate with Order of the Garter. Laid in with the covers are a pencilled floor plan and a page from a journal listing the numbers of foot soldiers and naval ships and guns in Europe, North America, Africa, East and West Indies, and the Mediterranean., and Binding for volume 2 shelved separately. For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain., Great Britain, United States., Ireland, and United States
Subject (Name):
Conway, Henry Seymour, 1721-1795., Grenville, George, 1712-1770., Hertford, Francis Seymour-Conway, Marquess of, 1718-1794., Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797., Wilkes, John, 1725-1797., Great Britain. Parliament., and Ireland. Parliament.
Subject (Topic):
Military administration, Seven Years' War, 1756-1763, Stamp act, 1765, Court and courtiers, Foreign relations, Militia, Politics and government, and Social life and customs
Holograph letters on paper, written and signed in a Humanist cursive. Addressed to Raffaelo de' Medici, nuncio to the Imperial court at Antwerp, Ghinucci's letters contain detailed descriptions of his arrival at the court of Henry VIII; the receptions of foreign ambassadors and the nature of their business; and Ghinucci's impressions of Henry VIII's own advisors and diplomats. He comments particularly on Cardinal Wolsey and Cuthbert Tunstall, who was being dispatched to Antwerp as ambassador, Other subjects include the illness of Giovanni Matteo; the business activities in London of Florentine merchants; and Ghinucci's strong dislike of the cold English weather during his first visit to the country, and All signed: "Hir. Audit[or]."
Description:
In Italian. and Binding: modern red quarter-morocco slipcase; gilt spine title and decorations.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain., England., Great Britain, Holy Roman Empire, and Holy Roman Empire.
Subject (Name):
Henry VIII, King of England, 1491-1547, Matteo, Giovanni., Medici, Raffaelo de'., Tunstall, Cuthbert, 1474-1559., Wolsey, Thomas, 1475?-1530., and Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Court and courtiers, Foreign relations, Italians in Great Britain, Papal courts, Papal nuncios, Ambassadors, Diplomats, and Catholic Church
