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Manuscripts – History

Barry, Wonderful collection of original, signed manuscript Letters by Tom Barry

Barry, Tom / Hayes Katty / Leslie Mary de Barra (née Price) / [Cumann na mBan]/ West Cork Flying Column / [Kilmichael Ambush] / Pope John Paul II.

Wonderful collection of original, signed manuscript Letters by Tom Barry and his wife Leslie de Barra, addressed to Rosscarbery Woman Katty Hayes, a fellow member Cumann na mBan [The Irishwomen’s Council], together with a rare and important local History – Pamphlet on Rosscarbery by Katty Hayes, titled: “Ross of the Pilgrims” (signed and inscribed by Katty Hayes in 1977 the pamphlet includes wonderful oral history accounts put in writing by Ms.Hayes; about Coppinger’s Court, Lord Carbery in Castlefreke, Cregane House, History of the Convent of Mercy in Rosscarbery, Father John Power, Names of local landlords in the area etc.). The collection also comes with a rare vintage photograph of Katty Hayes, surrounded by some unidentified fellow members of The Irish Women’s Council [Cumann na mBan] and other Irish Republican Organizations (all wearing their medals). The collection also includes three Appreciation-Letters which Miss Hayes received back from the Vatican in the years 1969, 1977 and 1988. Miss Hayes had written to the Pontifex Paul VI as well as to Pope John Paul II and received Blessings and thanks for her Christmas – wishes to the Holy Father.

Rosscarbery (West Cork), 1969 – 1980. Octavo. Two Manuscript Letters (One signed by Tom Barry and one signed by Leslie Price) / Three Letters from Assessors of the Pope / One vintage Black and white photograph / One pamphlet called “Ross of the Pilgrims” with 51 pages of local History, forgotten Poems and songs and stories by Katty Hayes about Tom Barry and his family – relations in Rosscarbery, his friendship to Michael Collins and the local Rosscarbery community etc. etc. Original Softcover / Stapled. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Extremely rare little archive with Blessings from two Popes; bought from the family Archive of Katty Hayes.

EUR 2.500,-- 

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The Life and Times of Sir Peter Carew - with two manuscript letters by historian George Oliver, Exeter

[Carew, Sir Peter / George Oliver (Historian) / John Carew Esq.] MacLean, John.

The Life and Times of Sir Peter Carew, Kt. (From the Original Manuscript) – With a Historical Introduction and Elucidatory Notes, by John MacLean. [Personal copy of John Carew Esq., with two unpublished manuscript letters by historian George Oliver, Exeter (Devon), tipped-in to the rear of the Volume, one longer manuscript entry to the rear in which George Oliver mentions that he has consulted the Inventory of Ottery Mohan House and that he has “made a few pencil notes in the margin” of the book (Oliver must have been sent the book and then returned it or it was his own copy and he gifted it to John Carew)/ George Oliver helped John Carew, Esq., a descendant of Sir Peter Carew, to identify some information form the original manuscript of John Hoker, to which Oliver must have had access. The letters deal with details of John Hoker’s [Hooker’s] Manuscript on Sir Peter Carew and details in John MacLean’s Biography of Carew. George Oliver’s correspondence with John Carew, a descendant of Sir Peter, is very interesting indeed and Oliver seems to study the original manuscript by Hoker for John Carew and reports his insight in the original manuscript of Hoker’s Manuscript on History, mentioning for example Carew’s death-notice: “This year died the worthy and Honorable Knight Sir Peter Carew at Ross in Leinster, and buried in the City of Waterford in Munster in Ireland, in all such honourable order…” (see detailed images on our website)].

London, Bell & Daldy, 1857. Octavo. Frontispiece portrait of Sir Peter Carew (Steel Engraving by J.J.Chant, being Plate I.), CXVIII, 317 pages plus 6 pages “List of Subscribers”. With several Plates: Plate II: Musical Notes: “By a Bank as I lay” / Plate III: Monument to Sir Peter Carew in St.Peter’s Cathedral, Exeter (Steel Engraving) / Plate IV: Folded Map of Kylkenny (Kilkenny) / Plate V: Pedigree of the Family of Carew (Large Fold – out Plate). Hardcover / Original publisher’s cloth with gilt lettering on spine and armorial emblemata on front board. With the armorial supralibro of the Carew Family to the binding’s front board: Arms of Carew: Or, three lions passant in pale sable / Manuscript-entry of previous owner John Carew on endpaper. Boards fragile and spine loosened. In protective Collector’s Mylar to give the slightly broken binding stability. A very rare publication with the beautiful, signed manuscript-letters by George Oliver, signed in the years 1857 and 1858. The letters are also of interest regarding the history of John Hoker [John Hooker / John Vowell] because George Oliver mentions Hoker’s entry “into the New Office of Chamberlain of Exeter at Michaelmas 1555 – having the fee of £4 by the yere & his Lyveries – MS. Hist. p.351”.

EUR 950,-- 

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Collection of four very important and meaningful manuscript letters by Leopold II

Congo / Kongo – Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909) – King of the Belgians and Owner / Absolute Ruler of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908.

Collection of four very important and meaningful manuscript letters by Leopold II to his administrator and Foreign Minister of the Congo – Free-State, Baron Adolphe de Cuvelier (1860-1931) with a total of 16 pages filled with Leopold’s instructions on pressing issues regarding a warning about an imminent visit by the Rector of the Mill-Hill Missionaries [probably Herbert Alfred Henry Vaughan (1832 – 1903)] and Leopold’s qualification of the visit of being detrimental to the Congo Free State (″ne travaillent pas pour l’État”). Leopold continues in another letter to talk about the hostile positions of english officials (consuls) and missionaries (″que les consuls anglais et les missionnaires anglais se conduisent bien mal envers l’État”). Interestingly, Leopold also touches on the nuisance of the german press criticizing Belgian Railway Lines and he is of the opinion that this is all happening in order to force the german parliament [″Reichstag”] to finance the building of the Tanganyika Railway [between Dar es Salaam and Kigoma]: (″cherche à effrayer l’opinion [en] Allemagne à propos de mes chemins de fer afin d’obtenir du Reichstag des fonds pour la ligne allemande vers le Tanganika”.

16 pages of MLS, Manuscript Letters (signed) on 10 leaves of Leopold’s official stationery “Château de Laeken” and “Palais de Bruxelles”. Laeken / Brussels, Château de Laeken [Palace of Laeken], 1901 – 1906. The leaves with different sizes (13,5 cm x 9 cm) and (18 cm x 11,5 cm). Excellent condition. Unsigned. Tremendously rare to find original letters by Leopold II on the open market in which the Colonial Free State and the protection against inquisitive visitors is discussed in such clear and instructive fashion. Leopold’s correspondence with Adolphe de Cuvelier shows how he is very much trying to still protect and influence the narrative of his Colonial Slavery Outpost even in the final years of his life.

EUR 4.800,-- 

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[Cumberbatch, Large Family Archive of the Benwell Rees - Family, including William Benwell Rees

[Cumberbatch, Benedict] Cumberbatch, Henry Arnold / Rees, Helen / Basil Benwell Rees / William Benwell Rees / Etheldreda Blanche Barker / [Sir Winston Churchill / Sir Anthony Arthur Duncan Montague Browne [Private Secretary to Sir Winston Churchill]].

Large Family Archive of the Benwell Rees – Family, including William Benwell Rees (brother to actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s grandmother Helen Rees, by marriage to British Diplomat Henry Arnold Cumberbatch, who was Consul in Romania, Turkey and Lebanon ). The archive includes at least one manuscript letter by Henry Arnold Cumberbatch and around one thousand documents chronicling the lives of the ex-patriate Benwell Rees family from 1890-1970 in Alexandria and Monaco, including William Benwell Rees, whose marriage to Etheldreda Blanche Barker cemented the family’s role in the highest circles of Alexandria life. The archive also charts their son Basil Rees’ decade in Monaco under Princess Grace and Prince Rainer III where he served as President of the British Association in the 1950’s-‘60s and solicited a letter written by Sir Anthony Arthur Duncan Montague Browne, on Winston Churchill’s behalf on Chartwell headed paper in which the former Prime Minister declined to attend an event in Monaco [signed by Montague Browne]. The archive is held in five heavy volumes, bursting with a plethora of amazing and wonderful historical letters, ephemera, emotional messages and telegrams, old images, theatre-programmes, and especially also includes programmes of plays in which ancestors of Benedict played (J.M.Barrie, Shakespeare etc.). The original letters and documents paint an interesting picture of Benedict Cumberbatch’s grandmother’s side of the family history in the Levant, their service in the Middle East and their social lives. The five volumes are bound in bespoke red morocco over textured paper-covered-boards and they contain at least one reference to Helen Rees next to a newspaper-clipping and dozens of wonderful handwritten letters and cards. Each volume about four inches across spine with title in gilt to upper cover and around 100 leaves in each with documents mounted recto and verso throughout, with photographs, invitations, business materials and clippings that chart the family’s life in their service for the British Colonial Office. The five Volumes include for example: Volume 1: The Benwell Rees’: begins with Egyptian Gazette, 1890 and a programme for a performance c1900 at the Port Theatre, Marina, Alexandria of Rumpelstilkskin; visiting cards and contemporary reports of the marriage of W B Rees and Etheldreda Blanche Barker in Alexandria, February 1901; Windsor Hotels prospectus and flyer (a WBR enterprise); 1913 Casino de Monte Carlo ticket for Ethel Rees; Kings School Canterbury ephemera and St Johns’ College, Cambridge for Basil Rees from 1920’s, graduated June 1924. Volume 2: The Benwell Rees’ Vol II, 1920’s-1990’s: includes J M Barrie, Quality Street programme for English Girls’ School, Alexandria, 1941; invitations from Princess Grace of Monaco etc Volume 3: Basil Rees Vol III, cover nearly detached, 1953- Basil Rees living at 2 Rue Origene, Alexandria, and covering period of move to Palais Majestic, Monaco after which he served as President of the British Association and his sudden death in 1967. Invitations to dinner and place settings with the Prince and Princess of Monaco. Birthday greetings; international stamp collecting societies. Photographic ‘Permis de Sejour’ for William Benwell Rees in Monaco, October 1918. Volume 4: Basil Rees Vol. IV Begins with telegram from Rees to the Queen; mostly very extensive formal correspondence concerned with Rees’ Presidency of he British Association in Monaco; invitations, notes, printed volume of Statutes of association from 1950, royal correspondence with Monaco and Britain. Volume 5: Basil Rees 4-5 1902 Vol II; William Basil Benwell Rees; Royal Navy ID card, British Forces, September 1943 – other material relating to Rees’ work as Duty Defence Officer at the Royal Navy Defence Base in Alexandria, HMS Nice. Volume begins in 1902 and includes Alexandria Dog Show, W B B Rees at Jesus College, Cambridge; Egypt NAAFI permits; lock of Basil Rees’ hair, aged 2 etc.

Alexandria / Monaco / etc., c. 1902 – 1967. Octavo. Half Morocco. Bindings stronger rubbed and slightly damaged.

EUR 28.000,-- 

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Archive of a fantastic series of 42 Autograph Letters (signed) / Manuscript Letters (signed) by Sir Augustus Foster

Foster, Sir Augustus [British Ambassador to the United States of America] / Sir Charles Stuart [Britain’s Ambassador to France and Russia, Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay] / [Lady Bess Foster, (née Lady Elizabeth Christiana Hervey), later Duchess of Devonshire (1759-1824)] / [Vere Henry Louis Foster] / [Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington].

Archive of a fantastic series of 42 Autograph Letters (signed) / Manuscript Letters (signed) by Sir Augustus Foster, British Diplomat and British Ambassador to the United States of America, prior and at the outbreak of the War of 1812, Recipient of the ‘Declaration of War’ on the “HMS Colibri” (June 28th, 1812), Ambassador to Denmark (1814-1825) and Ambassador to Sardinia (1824-1840). The letters were written between 1815 and 1841, during his time as Ambassador of Denmark (Copenhagen) and from his posting in Turin, as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Savoy-Sardinia [Piedmont-Sardinia]. Fortyone (41) of the letters are addressed to his friend, Sir Charles Stuart, Baron Stuart de Rothesay (1779-1845), Secret Agent, Diplomat, privy councilor as well as British Ambassador to France and Ambassador to Russia and the Duke of Wellington’s distinguished administrator in Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. The 42nd letter in the Archive, is a meaningful, three-page-letter, written by Sir Augustus Foster from Copenhagen in the year 1818, to his mother, Lady Elizabeth (″Bess”) Foster” [(née Lady Elizabeth Christiana Hervey), later Duchess of Devonshire (1759-1824)]. The Letters comprise of sizes between Octavo and Quarto and amount to 130 pages in total, written from Turin (27) & other places, including Copenhagen, Stockholm, London, Calais and Geneva, 1815-1841 / Important: The Archive includes also three important publications which touch on the work of Sir Augustus Foster in America: [1.Richard Beale Davis: “Jeffersonian America – Notes on the United States of America – Collected in the years 1805-1806-1807 and 1811 and 1812 by Sir Augustus Foster, Bart. San Marino, The Huntingdon Library, 1954 / 2. An Extra-Illustrated Version of the publication “The Two Duchesses”, by Vere Foster (son of Sir Augustus Foster), in which an american collector injected a plethora of original engravings, portraits of british and american personalities like Alexander Hamilton, George Washington as well as other contemporaries of Sir Augustus Foster (see 80 photographs of this breathtaking set, bound in red-morocco, on our website) / 3. [James Madison / James Monroe / Sir Augustus Foster – War of 1812] – “Three messages, from the President of the United States, to Congress, in November 1811, together with Documents accompanying the same”. Washington; printed 1811. Re-Printed for J.Hatchard, Bookseller to her Majesty, opposite Albany, Piccadilly, 1812 – The material here relates directly to the war of 1812; much of it is in the form of correspondence between Sir Augustus John Foster, H.M. Minister in America and James Monroe, Secretary of State under James Madison from 1811 to 1817. Other significant contributors include Mr. Pinkney and Lord Wellesley. Extremely scarce original edition. (No copy of the 1811 edition located. Not in COPAC or Sabin)] See more than 200 Images for all these books and manuscript letters in the Augustus Foster Archive on our website under “Libraries & Collections” /

Turin / London / Stockholm / Copenhagen / Calais / Geneva, 1815 – 1841. Octavo – Quarto. The Letters are housed in a beautiful, bespoke Solander-Chemise. The original books are either bound in Morocco (″Two Duchesses”), original cloth with dustjacket (″Jeffersonian America”) or in the publisher’s original interim-wrappers (the rare 1812-printing of “Three messages, from the President of the United States, to Congress, in November 1811, together with Documents accompanying the same”). Very good condition with some minor signs of wear only.

EUR 24.800,-- 

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Vere Foster, The Two Duchesses - Presentation copy with important manuscript letter [signed and inscribed]

Foster, Vere [Henry Louis / Lewis] / [Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire].

The Two Duchesses – Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire – Family Correspondence of and Relating to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire / Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire, Earl of Bristol (Bishop of Derby), The Countess of Bristol, Lord and Lady Byron, The Earl of Aberdeen, Sir Augustus Foster Bart, and Others, 1777-1859. First Edition. With 17 illustrations.

London / Glasgow and Dublin, Blackie & Son Limited, 1898. Octavo (16 cm x 22,5 cm). XII, 497 pages with 16 full-page-illustrations and one small vignette, showing the Two Duchesses in cordial embrace. Hardcover / Original, green publisher’s cloth with gilt lettering and ornament to spine and armorial supralibro to cover with the Motto of the “British chivalric Order of the Garter”: “Honi soit qui mal y pense” [″shame on anyone who thinks evil of it”]. Very good condition with some minor signs of wear only. “Presentation Copy of “The Two Duchesses” with Autograph / Manuscript – Letter by Vere Foster to his niece, Emily Albinia “Alba” Foster. With a stunning, unpublished, two-page manuscript letter, revealing several important details about the immediately favorable reviews and reception of the book “Two Duchesses” [″in the Daily Telegraph”] and Vere Foster’s disdain about some criticism from one J.Donohue [which led to an alteration in the second edition of the book]. Vere Foster is also expecting a review to appear in the “Athenaeum” but reports: “the Athenaeum has nothing yet”. Vere Foster apologizes to his niece for the delay in sending the book and explains that he had left 12 “parcels” with Blackie’s agent and gave instructions to send them, but a few days later found they had been “untouched”. One of the most important finds of Vere Foster – Material in recent years with no sign of similar material on offer in the past years on the international market.

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Hale - The Primitive Origination of Mankind, considered and examined According to The Light of Nature

Hale, Sir Matthew.

The Primitive Origination of Mankind, considered and examined According to The Light of Nature. [with extensive contemporary manuscript annotations]. Written by the Honourable Sir Matthew Hale Knight: Late Chief Justice of His Majesties Court of King’s Bench.

First Edition. London, Printed by William Godbid, for William Shrowsbery [sic] [Shrewsbury] at the Sign of the Bible in Duke-Lane, 1677. Large Quarto. Frontispiece-portrait (original copper-engraving) of Sir Matthew Hale by dutch print artist Frederick Hendrik Van Hove, [10], 380 pages. All edges painted red (contemporary 17th century speckled red). Hardcover / Splendid recent half-leather with new spinelabel and marbled-paper-covered-boards. Original endpapers and original pastedown with original bookplate/Exlibris of Richard Meade (Ballymartle). Very interesting, contemporary annotations in ink to nearly every paragraph of the pages 1 – 47. The annotations closely cropped with some frequent text-loss to the annotations only (text-loss ranges from only a few letters to full words along each page but the meaning is still conceivable). The extensive annotations reflect not only on Descartes supposition on Epicurus “what colour of evidence have we of the various Configurations of his Atomes”, but also the chapter in which Hale is “Touching the Excellency of the Humane Nature in general” is commented in sections in which the sense of Vegetables is elaborated on as is on the senses: Touching, Smelling, Tasting, Hearing, Seeing. All annotations wonderfully speculative and in a very readable hand. Name of preowner written in ink on titlepage: “Jon. Falkner” [Jonathan Falkner or John Falkner]. Excellent condition after this work was recently beautifully restored by an english master-bookbindery.

EUR 1.800,-- 

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Hale, The Primitive Origination of Mankind (Annotated with Manuscript Notes)

Hale, Sir Matthew [William Hayward Roberts / Reverend William Roberts of Worplesdon].

The Primitive Origination of Mankind, considered and examined According to The Light of Nature. [The first ever publication to deal with “Evolution” / With extensive and very interesting, contemporary manuscript annotations by two or three contemporary owners of this book: William Hayward Roberts (English born schoolmaster, poet and biblical critic, cleric and Provost of Eton College), his son, Rev. William Roberts of Worplesdon, fellow and vice-provost of Eton College and one Edward D’Oyly / Bookplate – Exlibris of the “Roberts”-family mounted verso titlepage]. Written by the Honourable Sir Matthew Hale Knight: Late Chief Justice of His Majesties Court of King’s Bench.

First Edition. London, Printed by William Godbid, for William Shrowsbery [sic] [Shrewsbury] at the Sign of the Bible in Duke-Lane, 1677. Large Quarto. Frontispiece-portrait (original copper-engraving of Sir Matthew Hale by dutch print artist Frederick Hendrik Van Hove), [10], 380 pages. Modern Hardcover / Beautiful 20th century quarter-leather-binding with wonderful ornament and gilt lettering on spine. New endpapers and with original Bookplate / Exlibris of the Roberts – family verso the titlepage. With some stunning, extensive contemporary annotations and comments in ink, starting with page 1 and ending with page 355. While the annotations are more intense during the first 180 pages, they get more sparse towards the end. Loosely inserted is also a page of contemporary manuscript-notes reflecting on some of the passages in Hale’s work, outlining some paragraphs on Newton (Astronomy), Navigation (Argo), The Discovery of America etc. Hale’s publication is known to be the first ever publication to deal with “Evolution” [see Garrison-Morton] and the annotations in this superb copy embrace the controversy of the publication by reflecting for example on page 69:″the absurdity of the Hypothesis of the Ancients is refuted, who held that Human Nature had an Origination”. While Hale philosophises on page 76 in his text “That there are in our inferior world divers Bodies, that are concreted out of others, is beyond all dispute. We see it in the Meteors…the insinuations of the Aether and Air….other animals and some Vegetables have a more regular production from Seed as some perfecter sort of Vegetables and the nobler Animals and Men, which seminal Principle is a mixture of the divers particles of Matter and Spirits, derived and elicited from the Plant or Animal.” Our contemporary annotater simply reflects on one paragraph preceding the above with: “Mixed Bodies not eternal”. On page 93 it is reflected n the annotations that “God might have made the world sooner” – “But had he made it Millions of years sooner, it would not have answered his “ultimum posse” [of Almighty God] / Newton is mentioned, Paracelus, Cabalists [Cabbalists], etc. etc. Reflections in the annotations like “The Opinion of Americans with regard to the Being of a God” make this copy an amazing source of dispute, conflict and debate prior to Darwin’s “Origin of Species”. All annotations in a very readable hand. Excellent condition with only the portrait slightly frayed and minor signs of an ink-stain to the outer margins of 10 pages towards the end of the book. This work was beautifully rebound; clearly by a master-bookbinder.

EUR 2.800,-- 

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