STAFFORDSHIRE

1p., landscape 8vo. (14.5 x 24 cm). A few notes on reverse. On aged and worn paper, with crumbling seal in red wax. Unobtrusive repairs to closed tears on reverse. The name of the subject appears to have been scratched away, although it may be that the document was intended to serve as a form.

1p., 4to. Bifolium, addressed on reverse of second leaf to 'The Revd Mr Cory | Blithfield'. In good condition, on aged paper, with small closed tear in top left-hand corner. He informs Cory that Lord Bagot and his family will be visiting him, and playfully reminds him: 'You will recollect you owe me a Visit, at least you said you wd. favor me with your Company some day or another - I think you will never find us so pleasant as when surrounded by your excellent Blithfield friends.' He concludes by urging him to 'come & try our Air, which is said to be good'.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Solon has been informed by their common friend 'Mr Bailey' that the recipient has 'been kind enough to gather the parcel of circulars issued at various time [sic] by your firm, and which reaches me this morning.' He is sending 'a small pamphlet of mine [...] as an inadequate acknowledgement of the trouble I have caused you'. He continues: 'Mr Bailey must have told you that all printed matter having reference to ceramics has a special interest to me.

The eight items all in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Each copy of 'The Childerley Times' is a unique manuscript or typescript item produced by the young D. W. King as editor, his twin sister E. W. King as sub-editor, and relatives for circulation among the family. The five issues, ranging from 1935 to 1943, all differ with regard to style and format. ONE: 19pp., 12mo. On loose leaves held together with a paper clip. Undated, but with one contribution dated 14 May 1934. No title, but first page (with pencil drawing of boy in bed with toys) reading 'SILENCE PLEASE !!

The image is 9 x 5.5 cm, mounted on brown card, 10.5 x 6.5 cm, printed on both sides in red, with large facsimile of Disdéri's signature on reverse. In fair condition, somewhat aged. Page is shown seated at a table with a sculpture of a stag on it, with legs cross and the sole of his left show showing, smoking a pipe. In addition to being an MP, Paget held several positions in the Royal Household, acting as Equerry to Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1841. The present image is not among the four representations of Paget in the National Portrait Gallery collection.

The register proper consists of 50pp., foolscap 8vo, with ten births described over each of the 25 openings (total 250). It is preceded by a page carrying Johnson's details (her address is given as 9 Ashlands Crescent, Harpfield, Stoke-on-Trent, and her certificate number is 106889), facing the reverse of the front wrap, which carries a notice headed 'On no account must this Register be destroyed. It may be of importance for the defence of the Midwife herself.' In buff wraps, with 'Central Midwives Board. | Register of Cases' and the printing details on the front.

1p., 12mo. 10 lines. On bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. She explains that her only publications up to that point are 'Stormbeaten and Weary' and 'Spectre Stricken' ('a Christmas Story'). 'I wish to remain unknown until I can write a book I consider sufficiently good to have my own name - for this reason I have called myself "Evelyn Burne".'

4pp., 12mo. 26 lines. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Addressing an unnamed male correspondent, he begins by declining his correspondent's 'kind invitation' to his visit his house, 'on the ground that has already compelled me to refuse similar hospitality on that occasion from Mr. Wright and others'.

Freeman's letter is on the last of five folio pages, each on a separate leaf, sent to him by Simms, giving, for correction, the proposed entry on Freeman in the future 'Bibliotheca Staffordiensis'. In fair condition, on aged paper. On the first page Simms has given a brief biographical description of Freeman; the middle three pages comprise a numbered list of twenty-three of Freeman's books, with dates, and the last page carries a rather optimistic request by Simms for information regarding 'Contribution to Periodicals, Magazines, &c. Giving Number a year of Serial - Pages occuppied - &c'.

23pp., landscape folio; on twelve leaves pinned together. Fair on lightly-aged and dogeared paper. The document is clearly official, perhaps relating to the Poor Law or Reform Bill. With numerous emendations in different hands. Each page is a printed form, divided into five columns: 'Number on Plan.', 'Description of Property', 'Owner', 'Lessee' and 'Occupier'. (The plan referred to in the first column is not present.) Properties range from 'Field (Glebe Land)' to 'Railway'; and from 'House. Barns. Stables yard & Garden' to 'Canal & towing path'.

Letter: 2pp., 4to. 28 lines of text. List: 1p., on a 12mo strip. Both letter and list in very good condition, neatly placed in windowpane mounts on the two leaves of a bifolium. Salt is 'just finishing the List of Manuscript Erdeswick's' and will bring it to Nichols when he returns to London. He wonders whether Nichols has 'nearly come to the end of the Book in your reprint? I do not think you will make your first sheet answer satisfactorily - without printing the whole or part of it over again - but of course you will be the best judge of that'.

Programme: 12mo, 4 pp. Bifolium. Printed in green on orange paper. Text clear and complete. On lightly-aged paper with slight wear to extremities. Dargavel's signature is in pencil in the top left-hand corner of the second page: 'Best Wishes, | Bruce Dargavel'.

Manuscript account book containing a wealth of detail, helping to build up a picture of the household of an affluent member of the Victorian middle-class (see 'Garnett of Wyreside' in Burke's Landed Gentry). The son of an East India Company civil servant, Charles Garnett (1811-1899), of Bonehills, Tamworth, and latterly of the manor house, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, was a member of the Middle Temple, and Justice of the Peace for the counties of Stafford and Warwick.

Indenture, 55 x 35cm, some damage at folds but mainly good, text clear and complete. It gives information about the court including the people who were to enquire into the murder, all of whom have signed the document. The Coroner was John Cattlow. A person unknown had poisoned some bread with white arsenic.

Both items good, on lightly aged and creased paper, with both texts clear and complete. The Minstrels' Gallery referred to in the letter was held in the vicinity of Hamilton's estate Sandon Hall, Staffordshire. Written a few months before Hamilton's death in the celebrated duel with Lord Mohun. Bromley to Hamilton: Autograph Letter Signed, 8vo, 1 p. 23 lines of text. Bifolium, addressed on reverse of second leaf 'To his Grace Duke Hamilton in St. James's Square | London.', and docketed 'Mr: Bromley 7:th June 1712 about the Minstrill court & that Holden the Attorney had with drawen'.

16mo, 4 pp. Disbound bifolium. Text clear and complete, but in poor condition. Vignette after last item. Gives text of 'Opening Hymn. Daventry. L. M.', 'Alter Prayer. Salem. S.M.', 'After Sermon. Children's Hymn.', 'After Collection. Duetto. - Fawcett.' and 'After Benediction.' Aged, worn and creased, with loss to margins. BBTI has Brougham operating in Burslem between 1828 and 1851 as 'Printer, Bookseller, Bookbinder, Music seller, Librarian/owner of circulating library, Stationer.'

4to, 1 p. Four lines of text. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with slight staining from paperclip in top left-hand corner. He thanks him for his 'very interesting letter': 'The photograph shows an agreeable, and perhaps distinguished building. I return the picture thereof, and wish you every success therein.'

12mo (leaf dimensions 18 x 11 cm): 2 pp. Twenty-one lines of text, complete and legible. On aged paper with some wear at head. Casting interesting light on the workings of the provincial Victorian booktrade.

The two items one page, on both sides of an octavo sheet. Good, with unobtrusive strip of glue along one edge of Davis's side of the leaf. Davis is 'endeavouring to make a collection of autographs of the leaders of the United Nations, and especially of the British Commonwealth of Nations', and lists those he has already acquired. Willis encloses an 'autograph card' (not present) and suggests that Davis try '(a) Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Olivier, who is now 88 and was one of the Naval Leaders of World War I. He has been an A of F for over 25 years!

One page, 12mo. Neatly mounted on card. Nine-line biographical newspaper cutting neatly laid down at foot. Ten lines from another newspaper cutting, relating to Madame Patti, at head. Reads 'Dear madam | I thank you for your flattering letter and subscribe myself, as you wish, | Yours truly | Henry Newbolt'.

On a leaf roughly 17 x 12 cms. A small strip is missing from the foot, but this does not appear to affect the texts. Aged and ruckled, with a little staining from previous mount at head and foot of printed side. In the Letter Moseley opines that 'the closing of Public Houses during the whole of Sundays would be attended with great inconvenience to the public, and I cannot therefore agree to the object of Promoters of that scheme'. Docketed in the top left-hand corner 'Mark name on list as unfavourable'. The handbill, signed in type by John Garrett, D.D.

Both items very good and docketed on reverse. Both advertisements appear to have been placed by Challinors & Shaw, solicitors. ITEM ONE (printed on one side of a piece of paper roughly ten inches by eight wide) is headed 'CIRCULATION OVER 180,000 WEEKLY.' Describes the paper as 'The County Newspaper and Leading Journal for Staffordshire' and the 'largest Newspaper and the best and most influential Advertising Medium' in the county.

English divine, author and social reformer (1806-82). Two pages, 16mo. Good, though lightly foxed, and with second leaf of bifoliate carrying traces of glue from previous mounting. Black-bordered, and bearing Paget's remarkably modernistic letterhead, made up of a pattern of his initials. 'Dear Sir | I do not know whether our doings here at our Village Festival are of a kind to interest you, but I take the liberty of assuring you that we shd. be very happy to see you, & any friends you might like to bring over.' Signed 'F. E. Paget'.

One page. Roughly 13 inches by 8 inches. In good condition, although slightly discoloured, creased from folding and with one very small closed tear. Reports the resolution of a meeting held at the Town Hall in Leek on 30 December 1901, that beginning on 1 January 1902 'the operatives shall give up the five minutes grace now allowed on entering Mills at 6.30 and after dinner'. Also states the working hours for week-days and Saturdays.

Four manuscript leaves ranging from 16mo to 4to, with covering typewritten letter, the whole held together by a pin. Somewhat discoloured, but in good condition overall. The letter, in purple ink on Lintine & Co.'s florid black-and-white letterhead, is dated 1 January 1903 and addressed to Messrs Challoner & Shaw, Solicitors, Leek. No more than a note, it requests a list of the creditors to Birch's estate. With the cyclostyled signature of 'David F. Lintine'. The other, manuscript, papers are all clearly from the Challoner archive.