FELL

Swarthmoor Hall in Cumbria - known as 'The Birthplace of Quakerism' - is a building of immense symbolic importance to members of the Religious Society of Friends, a place of pilgrimage from all over the world. It is, in addition, an English Heritage listed building. This archive contains a mass of previously-unknown material relating to its renovation from 1913 onwards, under the supervision of the Liverpool architect Frank Gray Wallis (b. 1868), himself a Quaker.

One pager, fold marks, minor defects not affecting text. "Dear Mr. Smith, | The 'Journal' is in preparation, but will be greatly delayed this year. I will notify you later. | Yours faithfully, | William T. Palmer | Editor".

Both items good, on lightly-aged paper. ONE. 15 October 1842. 4to, 3 pp. Philip Henry Howard has placed in Hall's hands 'a memorandum relative to some questions proposed by you, with regard to Thomas Fell of Lancaster', and he provides information which he considers shows that Fell 'disapproved of the course of events, in 1547 - absented himself & never appeared in public life again - but a private memoir would tend to verify this suspicion'. TWO. 26 October 1842. 12mo, 3 pp.

Folio. Pagination: [1-7] 8-45 [1-3] = 24 leaves. Unbound. Stitched as issued, unopened and uncut. Printed with the Fell types on good but browning paper. In good condition, but with spotting to recto of first leaf, which has a small closed hole at head and some tiny closed tears at foot, and with two unobtrusive staple-stains to verso of last leaf. Creased and dog-eared at foot. The importance of this item in the history of Shakespeare studies has been emphasized recently by A. J. West (The Shakespeare First Folio. The History of the Book. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press, 2001).

12mo (leaf dimensions): 20 [+ 1] pp. Stitched, and in original grey printed wraps. Internally tight and clean, in creased, worn and spotted wraps with chipping to extremities. Uncommon: the only copies on COPAC at the British Library, National Library of Scotland, Oxford, Cambridge and the V & A.