FINANCIAL

The four volumes in this collection, spanning almost sixty years, are filled with a mass of information relating to the day-to-day business of tax assessment and collection in one of the home counties during Queen Victoria's reign. An unusual survival, they are of interest in the fields of economics and local history.All four items complete and clearly legible, on aged and lightly-discoloured paper, in heavily worn bindings (Item One in vellum and Item Two in calf), with two of the four lacking their spines.

[Full title] "The Gross and Net Produce of all the Branches of the Revenue under the Management of the Commissioners of His Majesty's Customs in England. Together with an Adjustment of the Net Produce with the Payments into the Exchequer Annually from Christmas 1710. To which are prefixed the underwritten Acco[unts] viz[t] : 1. The Yearly Payments into the Receipt of Exchequer on all the several Branches of the Customs from Michaelmas 1679 to Christmas 1710. 2. The Payments into the Exchequer for prohibited uncustomed and forfeited goods Annually from Christmas 1701. 3.

1. Physical Description: 8vo, 20 pp. Ten loose leaves of watermarked laid paper. Aged, and with chipping to extremities causing occasional minor loss to text. In a neat, close Chancery hand. The leaves would appear to be sequential, with no evidence that any are lacking from the series. Docketing in a modern hand in pencil at head of recto of first leaf, which also has laid down on it a fragment of a small type-written slip: 'B/26 | <...> AL - SERIES B. | <...> 1681 - DECEMBER 1681'. Pp.1-10 (on Leaves One to Five) concern gold; pp.11-20 (on Leaves Six to Ten) concern silver.A.

65pp., folio, marbled wrap front only, ragged. It considers the issue of money bills and the two Houses between 1661 and 1703. Pencilled note, front free endpaper verso, "Unique M.S. from Earl of Harrowby's Collection".  The writer discusses various bills and their progress though amendment and proviso, precedent, dissent, and committee, commencing with the context: "There do not appear in their Lordships Journals any thing Remarkable touching that matter till after the Restoration, when the Lords from that Time to the year 1695 frequently amended Money Bills of all kinds , , , ".

12mo, 12 pp, and fold-out frontispiece of table showing the 'British National Debt, funded and unfunded, stated in millions of pounds sterling' from 1689 to 1843, with four other columns. Stitched and in original printed wraps. Text clear and complete. Several copies of varying condition. Usually Fair: lightly-aged and creased. Scarce: other than electronic reproductions, COPAC only lists copies of this second edition at the Bodleian and British Library.

Quarto: three hundred and thirty paginated pages, with index of twenty-four pages. In worn black leather half-binding, with 'LEDGER' on spine. Large label of Field & Tuer, Manufacturing Stationers, on front pastedown. Aged, but in good condition and complete. Detailed accounts of a well-to-do Victorian family, with significant interests in London and elsewhere, with seeming connections to the Worshipful Company of Cooks.

8vo: 32 pp. Pamphlet. Bound in modern marbled boards with paper label. Fair, on aged paper with top outer corner of last few leaves slightly dogeared and with reverse of last leaf a little grubby. An important speech, another edition of which exists, published by Ridgway in 1848. A reply by John Towne Danson was also published by Ridgway in 1848, going through two editions.

Finely printed on one side of a piece of good wove paper, 52.5 x 41.5 cm. Very good. Around two hundred names arranged in two columns, beginning with 'Dr. John Abercrombie, First Physician to the Queen for Scotland, in Edinburgh', and ending with 'John Young, Merchant in Aberdeen - His Representatives'. Directors and Extraordinary Directors are distinguished by marks prefixed to their names. According to one authority the Bank's demise was occasioned by the 'Large advances [which] were being made to firms in which the directors of the bank also had an interest.

On one side of a piece of wove paper, roughly 5 x 18.5 cm, cut from letter by an autograph collector. Aged, and with staining from the glue used in mounting. Reads '<...> upon it. | I hope you are quite recovered. | Yours trly | James Wilson'.

The letter, four newspaper cuttings and portrait are laid down on two quarto leaves, one of which also carries the manuscript biography. These leaves are discoloured and frayed at extremities, with several closed tears, and the cuttings are similarly damaged, but nowhere is there any loss to text. The portrait is very good, on slightly discoloured paper. The letter (12mo: 2 pp) is good, although discoloured and with small dog-ear to top right hand corner.

Quaker author, editor and member of the London banking family (fl.1847), several of whose manuscripts are now in the Society of Friends' Library. Eight pages, quarto. Good, on lightly creased and discoloured paper. A long 'improving' letter. Begins by discussing his return from Polam in Bedfordshire, and a railway journey taking in York.

One page, quarto. Aged, and trimmed along one margin, with minimal loss of text. Interest on moneys 'Lent unto Their Majesties upon the Credit of an Act of Parliament, (Intituled, An Act for Granting to His Majesty An Aid of 4 Shillings in the Pound for One Year'. Witnessed, with Autograph Signature, by George Cheret. Signed 'M Orford'.

12mo. 20 pages. Stitched and unbound. Creased, aged and somewhat dusty. Historic first publication of 'the most persistent and single-minded free trade lobby England has known' (W. N. Calkins, Economic History Review, 1960).

Four pages, 12mo. Very good, with strip of brown paper adhering at the head. Text clear and entire. A long letter, casting light on the effects on the English middle classes of the financial crisis of 1825. Clayton begins by thanking Procter for the 'card case'. He 'will gladly do any thing that may fall within [his] power, to assist the Associate Fund', but does not think that he can 'do much'. 'The times are such, that Cases of <?> distress so multiply in our different communities, as to swallow up a large proportion of our pecuniary means'.

Thirty-six broadsheet pages. On aged paper, with chipping to extremities and first and last leaves detached, but with text clear and entire. Articles on 'The Four New Railways', with photographs, by Sir Herbert Walker, Felix J. C. Pole, Arthur Watson and R. L. Wedgwood. Other articles include 'Electrification - The Metropolitan's Experience' by R. H. Selbie, 'Railways - Their Position and Prospects' by Sir Sam Fry, 'Railway Rates under the New Regime' by Sir W. M. Acworth and 'Finance of British Railways' by W. J. Stevens.

One page, folio. Aged and with fraying to extremities and some repair to blank verso. Text clear and complete, except for a couple of letters shaved in right-hand margin. With signatures of witnesses William Digby and Daniel Cummine. Signed 'Digby'.

One page, quarto. Aged, trimmed at head and with fraying at foot. 'Received by me the Right Honble. Lewis Lord Rockingham Assignee of Thomas Wentworth'. Witnessed by and with the signatures of George Cradock and Edward Vincent. Signed 'Rockingham'.

2 pages. 4to. A frail item in need of repair, discoloured with age, creased, and with some wear and loss and a number of closed tears. The text is very neatly written, with all but five of the ninety-four entries entirely legible. The otherwise blank verso of the second leaf of the bifoliate docketed with the heading and 'Hall Department'. There entries cover the years 1761 to 1764, and are divided into five columns: 'when elected', 'Names', 'Wages', 'when advanced' and 'Offices'. The second page is headed 'Accountants Office'.

4to and 8vo. Somewhat grubby and creased, but in good condition otherwise. The six items, all addressed to Messrs Coutts & Company, are, in chronological order: ITEM 1, 5 manuscript pages, 4to, headed 'Duchy of Cornwall, | Buckingham Gate, S.W. | 1912.

4 pages, 8vo. Pagination: [1] 2-3 [4]. A frail survival: paper grubby, discoloured and dogeared, with a few closed tears and some fraying to extremities, but the text clear and legible. A space at the beginning of the document for the insertion of the petitioner's name in manuscript has been left blank. Begins: 'The Petition of and all other Owners of Land subject to Mortgages, and other pecuniary payments charged on it before its depreciation in consequence of the return to the present Gold Currency, by which the value of every denomination of Money is so much increased'.

Banker and politician (1799-1873). 1 page. On piece of paper roughly 9 inches by 7 inches. Grubby and creased, with one edge damaged by breaking open of wafer. Reads '<?> first September | 1823. | Edw. Lawford Esqe | Drapers Hall | T<?> Baring London'. Circular stamp topped with crown reading 'FREE | 2 SE 2 | 1823'. Docketed in pencil 'Sir Thomas Baring'. Creased for postage, and with cover unmarked, but with surrounding sections filled with calculations and lists in another hand (other hands?) in pencil and red and black ink.

On piece of laid paper, dimensions roughly 7 1/2 inches by 6 inches. Browning, creased and discoloured, with some foxing and staining. Reads 'Sir | Pay Capt. Eliphalet Thorp Six hundred pounds - and charge the State . . . Pay Table Office March 6th 1780 | £600'. Signature of 'Saml written over those of two members of the Connecticut Pay Table, Finn Wadsworth and John Chenevard, and with 'John Lawrence Esqr- | Treasurer' in bottom left-hand corner. Docketed on reverse 'Dan Parmule' and 'No 3239 | Order | Capt. Eliphalet Thorp | £600 | March 6th. 1780'.

1 page, on paper approximately 8 inches by 10. Grubby, creased and frayed, with several closed tears. Some loss at head caused by breaking of seal. Informs George Stuart that 'a Remittance for Interest on American Stock' has been received from the Bank of the United States, and that 'we are ready to pay to you any Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday, betwixt the Hours of Ten and One'. Signed (according to pencil note at head of letter) by Thomas Baring 'Fran Baring & Co'. Six lines of manuscript calculations at foot of page, giving interest of £141 12s 1d.

Banker and gambler (1777-1848), father of the politician Henry Bingham Baring (1804-69). 1 page, 8vo. In very good condition although grubby. Addressed on verso of second leaf of bifoliate, which carries a red wax seal in two parts, to 'J. Lawford Esqr | Drapers hall'. Docketed in ink on verso of second leaf. 'Pray tell me whether my Berkeley Sqr. purchase is likely to be accepted soon as I want to move some funiture I have bought at a Sale into the house -'. Having been away from home he has sent no game.

Politician (1796-1866) and scion of the notable banking house. 1 page, 16mo. In good condition, but with the ink of one word smudged. Handwriting of extremely difficult decipherment: 'I <?> the <?> notwithstanding the <?> all this bird in the Bush - | Every yrs sincly | F T Baring'.

Merchant banker (1828-1897). 1 page, 16mo. Grubby but in good condition overall. 'Dear Sir. | I enclose £10 for the boy Evans - The Calls of all sorts on me increase daily & it is quite out of the question to comply with half of them | Yours truly | Revelstoke'. Docketed in pencil at head.

The elder brother of Charles and Sir Francis Baring, John Baring was a leading Exeter citizen and an MP from 1776. While in reality a sleeping partner, he was also the nominal head of John and Francis Baring & Co. of London, and John and Charles Baring & Co. of Exeter. 1 page, 8vo. In good condition. Apparently to his solicitors, concerning the drafting of his will. 'As my wish is to keep my home &c at perfectly distinct from my other property - be pleased on failure of Mr Shorts Children to let it go to my generally'.

Diplomat (1844-1915) and scion of the banking house. 4 pages, 8vo. Paper discoloured and grubby, but in good condition generally. He says he 'was on the other side of the Bosphorous' the day before, and so 'was unable to answer your letter by Austrian mail as I should otherwise have done'. He is sorry that Scott 'should have had any trouble about the cheque': he omitted to go through his account. He presents another cheque (not enclosed) for £4 18s 6d as he is going to ask Scott to make another payment.

British politician (1796-1866), scion of the noted banking house. 2 pages, 16mo. Grubby but in good condition overall. Docketed in pencil at head of first page. 'Sir / I have the honor to acknowledge the received [sic] of your letter of the 30 Jany - Should the Director of the City of London General Pension Society be of opinion that my name as one of the Stewards at at [sic] the anniversary Festival on ye 1st. May will be of any service to the Institution they are at liberty to make use of it.' Signed 'Tho Baring'.

Merchant and merchant banker (1740-1810). 3 pages, 16mo. In very good condition. He is unwilling to produce his title to the property, the request, in connection with the purchase of a neighbouring property from an individual named Bonar, having 'something else in view'. He encloses [not present] 'a plan of the premises, in all about 2 1/2 acres by which you may perceive it would be convenient for the purchaser of Bonars, to pick a hole in my title'. He gives a brief description of 'three seperate [sic], but contiguous tenements, all fronting the road'.