Books from the Library of Birmingham Law Society

155 AYLOFFE (Sir Joseph) Calendars of the Ancient Charters, and of the Welch and Scotish Rolls, now remaining in the Tower of London. [With] Memoranda concerning the Affairs of Ireland. With 4 engraved plates of facsimile calligraphy and 2 vignettes, 4to, pp.72 + 462 + 32, nineteenth century library morocco, title and a few other leaves repaired, occasional dust soiling. For Benjamin White, 1774     £150.00
ESTC t010598. Gross/Graves 3750 & 946. Ayloffe was Keeper of State Papers and a pioneer in the movement for the publication of the Records. From Birmingham Law Society Library, with bookplate and stamps.

156 BAYLE (Pierre) Dictionnaire Historique et Critique. Sixieme Edition, revue, corrigee, et augmentee. Titles in red and black with vignettes, 4 vols, folio, contemp. vellum, bindings slightly worn, labels missing, some browning and occasional staining of text, still a fairly sound working set. Basle, chez Jean Louis Brandmuller, 1741     £250.00
With Life by Pierre des Maizeaux. With pictorial bookplates of Thomas Smith James, Birmingham, and later book label and stamps of Birmingham Law Society Library.

157 BODLEIAN LIBRARY, OXFORD. CATALOGUE. Catalogus impressorum librorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae in Academia Oxoniensi. With vignette on titles, 4 vols, folio, orig. cloth, printed labels, bindings little stained and chafed but still a very good set. Oxford, 1843-51     £475.00
The last of Bodley's folio catalogues; complete with the supplement. It finally superseded the two volume catalogue of 1738, and took more than thirty years to complete. It was compiled under the supervision of Bulkeley Bandinel, Bodley's Librarian for a remarkable 47 years; he stayed on as Honorary Curator, even when age and infirmity forced his retirement. Sets are now scarce; it is more than twenty years since one passed through our hands. The present set, from Birmingham Law Society Library, is still in sound condition.

158 BRITISH MUSEUM. ARUNDEL & BURNEY MSS. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the British Museum. New Series, Vol I. 3 parts in 1 vol, folio, contemp. half morocco, neatly rebacked with lettering piece. 1834-40     £150.00
I, Arundel MSS, with 8 plates, pp.180. II, Burney MSS, with 4 plates in red and black, pp.167. III, Index, pp.241. Compiled under the supervision of J. Forshall. With ownership signatures of Wm. Sidney Gibson and J.H.Clive; binders' ticket of Charles Cooper, Birmingham; bookplate and stamp of Birmingham Law Society Library.

159 BRITISH MUSEUM. COTTONIAN MSS. A Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Cottonian Library. [Edited by Joseph Planta]. Folio, pp.15+618+73, bound c. 1900 in half buckram and marbled boards, leather label. 1802     £150.00
The Cottonian Catalogue was mainly the work of Joseph Planta, Principal Librarian, 1799-1827. The old Thomas Smith catalogue of 1696 contained some 6,200 entries, no more than a quarter of the collection. A hundred volumes were lost in the 1731 fire, yet Planta expanded the entries to some 26,000 and added an enormous amount of detail. Grass/Graves 994.

160 BRITISH MUSEUM, HARLEIAN MSS. A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum. 4 vols, folio, bound c. 1900 in half buckram and marbled boards, leather labels, half title and Vol. I title repaired. 1808-1812     £525.00
The Harleian MSS., the finest collection of MSS. ever formed privately in Britain or Europe, was purchased for the nation for £10,000 in 1753 after Edward Harley, the second Earl of Oxford, died. There were 7,639 MSS and over 14,000 charters, and there had been earlier attempts to catalogue them, the first by Humphrey Wanley, Keeper of the library from 1709. The present is the fullest catalogue we have, fruit of the labours of Francis Douce, Robert Nares and Henry Ellis and their assistants in the MSS Department at the Museum. The fourth volume contains indexes of persons, places and subject matter. From Birmingham Law Society Library, with bookplate and stamps.

161 BRITISH MUSEUM. LANSDOWNE MSS. A Catalogue of the Lansdowne Manuscripts in the British Museum. 2 parts in 1 vol, folio, bound c. 1900 in half buckram and marbled boards, leather label. 1819     £150.00
The collection was purchased for the nation from the estate of the Marquis of Lansdowne for £4,925. The catalogue was compiled by Francis Douce and Sir Henry Ellis, both Keepers of the MSS. at the Museum. Part 1, The Burghley Papers. II, The Sir Julius Caesar and White Kennett Papers, with remainder of the collection. With indexes of persons, places and matters.

162 CAXTON (William) The Statutes of Henry VII. In Exact Facsimile of the Edition printed by Caxton in 1489. Edited with Notes and Introduction by John Rae. 4to, pp.22 + [80] +32, orig. Roxburghe binding, neatly rebacked with lettering piece. John Camden Hotten, 1869     £120.00
The first facsimile printing of one of Caxton's last productions [STC 9348], here attributed to 1489, though more recent investigation assigns it to 1490. The facsimile is printed in a rich black ink on Michallet hand made paper. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and a few stamps

163 CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. The Theory of Presumptive Proof; or, an Inquiry into the nature of Circumstantial Evidence. Including an examination of the evidence on the trial of Captain Donnellan. Pp.107, 19th century half calf. For W. Clarke and Sons, 1815     £65.00
Authorship unstated in B.L. General Catalogue. With ownership signature of His Honor Henry Beard; bookplate and stamps of Birmingham Law Society Library.

164 COVENTRY. An Account of the many and great Loans, Benefactions and Charities belonging to the City of Coventry. Cr. 8vo, pp.8 + 244, contemp. panelled calf, neatly rebacked and repaired, from Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps. For William Ratten, Coventry, sold by J.Osborn and T.Longman, 1733     £85.00
ESTC t018794. Kress 4059 – 'attributed to William Jackson. Also ascribed to Thomas Carte'. ESTC attributes, perhaps with more reason, to Edward Jackson and Samuel Carte. This copy is without the final leaf of Appendix VII and errata leaf (often missing), but contains the two inserted leaves between pp.174 and 175. The book has a provincial look; J. and W. Ratten are recorded as publishing in Coventry in the 1730's, and they could well have been the printers too.

DOMESDAY BOOK

165 DOMESDAY BOOK. Domesday Book, seu Liber Censualis Wilhelmi Primi. Inter Archivis Regni in Domo Capitulari Westmonasterii asservatus. With engraved facsimile frontispiece and 4 engraved plates, 4 vols, roy. folio (18.4 x 11.5 inches), bound in nineteenth century half calf and (Vol IV) half russia, neatly and uniformly rebacked with lettering pieces, very good large and fresh copy. 1783-1816     £2500.00
ESTC t097297. Gross/Graves 3009. Mullins I, 16,17 & 52. Kress B.567, 568 & 569. Bates 1. COMPLETE SET OF THE EDITIO PRINCEPS OF DOMESDAY BOOK. It includes the specially printed title and contents leaves to Vols I and II, dated 1783 but actually printed c. 1805, the inserted frontispiece of 1800, the four engraved plates, and the additional leaf *326-327 in Vol IV. Complete sets are now very scarce in commerce; uniform sets were always elusive, for, as Lowndes pointed out, 'there is only one size of Vols I and II, and to have a uniform set, it is necessary to take large paper of Vols III and IV, of which, by an oversight, very few were printed.' The present set was formerly in the library of Birmingham Law Society, and has the Society's bookplate, gilt ownership on upper covers, and small stamp on titles and a few other leaves. The printing of Domesday Book in record type specially cut by Joseph Jackson to the design of John Nichols, marks an epoch in medieval studies. The first two volumes were never offered for public sale, and were put out without titles because of disagreement between the Society of Antiquaries and others as to the form they should take. When the Record Commissioners took control of the project in 1800, they first ordered the printing of title and contents leaves. Work then commenced on two further volumes containing indexes, a General Introduction, and editions of the four 'satellite surveys' (Exon Domesday, Inquisitio Eliensis, Winton Domesday and Boldon Book). After several false starts, the two additional volumes were published in 1816. 'Farley's edition' writes Elizabeth Hallam (1986), 'has, ever since it was published, met with approval and admiration from scholars.' A century ago, J.H.Round called it 'unique in character and of priceless value to the student.' More recently, it was cited by David Douglas as 'still the sole indispensable edition.'

166 DOMESDAY BOOK. FACSIMILE. Photo-Zincographed at the Ordnance Survey Office by Colonel Sir Henry James. [Edited by W.B.Saunders]. Printed throughout in red and black in accurate facsimile of the original, in the 33 county parts as issued. 33 vols, folio and 4to, orig. black cloth lettered in gilt, red edges, some spines worn, and sides of a few vols detached. Southampton, 1861-63     £350.00
Hallam pp.154-156. Bates 1002 etc. Gross/Graves p.463. Twyman, Early Lithographed Books, I, 85. COMPLETE SET. Fine example of the then new process of photo-zincography, the first application of photographic processes to printing. The original is reproduced exactly in size, the first 30 parts in folio, the remaining three (the Little Domesday) in quarto. Complete sets are rare. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplates and stamps.

167 CHESHIRE & LANCASHIRE, etc. A Literal Extension and Translation of the Portion of Domesday Book relating to Cheshire and Lancashire, and to Parts of Flintshire and Denbighshire, Cumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire. With Introduction and Notes by William Beamont. 4to, pp.36 + 91, orig. cloth gilt, neatly rebacked with lettering piece. Chester, Minshull & Hughes, and London, Vacher, 1863     £75.00
Bates 1406. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp.

168 CORNWALL. Fac-Simile of the Part relating to Cornwall. Folio, pp.6 + 11 + 2, orig. full leather gilt, neatly rebacked. Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton, 1861     £65.00
Bates 1502. Boase & Courtney p.266. The Cornish volume was the first portion of the photozincograph Domesday to be published. With bookplate and stamp of Birmingham Law Society Library.

169 ESSEX. Fac-Simile of the Part relating to Essex. 4to, pp.8 + 214, orig. black cloth gilt,red edges, from Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp. Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton, 1862     £45.00
Bates 2003.

170 HAMPSHIRE. Hampshire in 1086. An Extension of the Latin Text, and an English Translation, of the Domesday Book as far as it relates to Hampshire. With explanatory notes by Henry Moody. Folio, pp.68, orig. black cloth gilt, spine worn. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp. Winchester, John T. Doswell for the author, and London, J.R.Smith, 1862     £45.00
Bates 2208.

171 MIDDLESEX. A Literal Extension of the Latin Text, and an English Translation of Domesday Book in relation to the County of Middlesex. Folio, pp.6 + 33 + 4, orig. black cloth gilt, spine worn. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp. Vacher & Sons, and Longman, 1862     £45.00
Bates 3004.

172 NORTHAMPTON. Domesday Book; the Part relating to Northamptonshire. Extended and translated by Stuart A. Moore. Folio, pp.14 + 98, orig. black cloth gilt, neatly rebacked with lettering piece. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp. Northampton, Mark Dorman, and London, Longman, etc, 1863     £75.00
Bates 3205.

173 SHROPSHIRE. Domesday-Book for Shropshire. The Original Text edited and Translated into English by Thomas Wright. Folio, pp.84, orig. black cloth gilt, spine extremities worn. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp. Shrewsbury, J.O.Sandford, and London, Longman, and Vacher, 1865     £65.00
Bates 3606.

174 SURREY. A Literal Extension or the Latin Text, and an English Translation of Domesday Book in relation to the County of Surrey. Folio, pp.4 + 52 + 8, orig. black cloth gilt, spine worn. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp. Vacher & Sons, and, Longman, 1862     £45.00
Bates 4003.

175 WORCESTERSHIRE. [SANDERS (W.B.)] A Literal Extension of the Latin Text; and an English Translation of Domesday Book in relation to the County of Worcester. Folio, pp.4 + 50 + 9, orig. limp printed boards and quarter cloth, spine neatly repaired. from Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp. Worcester, Deighton & Son, and London, Simpkin, Marshall, 1864     £65.00
Bates 4503.

176 BAWDWEN (William) Dom Boc. A Translation of the Record called Domesday, so far as relates to the County of York … 4to, pp.8 + 31 + 628 + 62, nineteenth century half morocco, neatly rebacked with lettering piece, entirely uncut, some dust soiling and foxing, final leaf of index repaired and little defective. Doncaster, W.Sheardown, for Longman, 1809     £125.00
Kress B.5497. Bates 1601. FIRST EDITION. Bawdwen, vicar of Hooten Pagnell, devoted his leisure hours to a translation of Domesday Book. It was to be published (according to the prospectus preserved with this copy) in ten volumes. Only the present volume and one other were issued; the Dorset portion appeared in the final vol. of Hutchins' Dorset. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps.

177 BAWDWEN (William) Dom Boc. A Translation of the Record called Domesday, so far as relates to the Counties of Middlesex, Hertford, Buckingham, Oxford and Gloucester. 4to, pp.4 + 26 + 76 + 82 + 62 + 72 + 18, rebound in later buckram. Doncaster, W.Sheardown, for Longman, 1812     £95.00
Kress B.5977. Bates 1201. The second and final part of Bawdwen's translation of Domesday to appear. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps.

178 BAWDWEN (William) Domesday Book for the County of Dorset. With a Translation … to which are prefixed, a dissertation on Domesday Book, and some account of the copy of that record in the library of the Dean and Chapter at Exeter, by John Hutchins. Folio, pp.2 + 24 + 68, slightly later cloth by Charles Cooper, Birmingham, for Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp. Nichols, Son & Bentley, 1815     £85.00
Untraced printing of the Dorset Domesday, seemingly different from that which was issued as part of Vol IV of Hutchins' Dorset, 1815. This was the only additional part of Bawdwen's fragmentary edition of Domesday to be published after the volumes of 1809 and 1812.

179 ELLIS (Sir Henry) A General Introduction to Domesday Book. 2 vols, pp.540 & 546, rebound in later buckram. Public Records Commissioners, 1833     £120.00
Bates 109. Gross/Graves 3049. Hallam p.148. BEST EDITION. Much enlarged version of the text first published in folio in 1816. Still indispensable for the study of Domesday Book. PROVENANCE: from the library of the great French historian F.P.G.Guizot, with stamp 'Bibliotheque de M.Guizot on the specially printed title, which states on verso 'this book is to be perpetually preserved in some public library in France.' Later bookplate and stamp of Birmingham Law Society Library.

180 EYTON (R.W.) A Key to Domesday … exemplified by an analysis and digest of the Dorset Survey. Cr. 4to, pp.4 + 176, orig. sepia cloth. Taylor & Co, and Dorchester, James Foster, 1878     £55.00
Bates 1904 – 'major study'. Gross/Graves 3020. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps.

181 EYTON (R.W.) Domesday Studies; an Analysis and Digest of the Somerset Survey (according to the Exon Codex) and of the Somerset Gheld Inquest of 1084. 2 vols, cr. 4to, pp.230 & 76, orig. sepia cloth. Reeves & Turner, and Bristol, T.Kerslake, 1880     £85.00
Bates 3075 – 'major study'. Hallam p.161 – 'detailed and meticulous'. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps.

182 HENSHALL (Samuel) and John WILKINSON. Domesday; or, an Actual Survey of South Britain by the Commissioners of William the Conqueror, completed in the year 1086 … this number comprehends the Counties of Kent, Sussex and Surrey. With folding map of Kent, 4to, pp.7 + 268, nineteenth century cloth, neatly rebacked with calf, leather label. For the authors, 1799     £125.00
ESTC t096064. Smith p.85. Bates 2606. Kress B.3824. Alston XI, 165. The only part to be published of this attempt at a modern spelling edition of Domesday. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps.

183 JONES (William Henry) Domesday for Wiltshire. Extracted from accurate copies of the original records … translations, illustrative notes, analysis of contents, and general introduction. 4to, pp.77 + 257, orig. plum cloth, headband worn, unopened copy. Bath, R.E.Peach, and London, Longman [Bath printed],1865     £75.00
Bates 4406 – 'generally regarded as being of high quality'. Gross/Graves 3032. Only a small edition printed for subscribers. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps.

184 KELHAM (Robert) Domesday Book Illustrated; containing an Account of that Antient Record. Pp.8 + 400, rebound in later buckram, with the half title. J.Nichols for Edward Brooke, 1788     £85.00
ESTC t096453. Bates 107. Gross/Graves 3056. Until the publication of Henry Ellis's General Introduction, this was the only commentary. Early ownership signature of Thos. Jones, Bishops Castle; bookplate and stamp of Birmingham Law Society Library.

185 READER (William) Domesday Book for the County of Warwick, translated; to which is prefixed, a brief dissertation on Domesday Book, and biographical notices of the ancient possessors. 4to, pp.30 + 93, nineteenth century half calf, upper joint cracked, some foxing. Coventry, printed and sold by W. Reader, 1835     £65.00
Bates 4302. Kress C.3944. First Edition, written, printed and published in Coventry. Bound by Charles Cooper, Bull Street, Birmingham, for Birmingham Law Society Library with their bookplate and stamps.25

186 WARNER (Richard) Hampshire, extracted from Domes-Day Book; with an accurate English translation, a preface, and an introduction … to which is added a glossary. 4to, pp.16 + 46 + 319 + 8, rebound without the half title in later buckram, some foxing of text. Sold by Faulder [and 9 others], 1789     £85.00
ESTC t096068. Bates 2203. FIRST EDITION OF Warner's text of the Hampshire Domesday; later included in his History of Hampshire, 5 vols. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps.

187 ECTON (John, d.1730) Thesaurus Rerum Ecclesiasticarum, being an account of all the Ecclesiastical Benefices in the several Dioceses in England and Wales. Third edition with numerous additions by Browne Willis. 4to, pp.40+696, contemp. calf, neatly rebacked with lettering piece. For T. Osborne [and 12 others], 1763     £150.00
ESTC t136241. Kress 6094. Higgs 1470. Goldsmiths 9877. Pargellis & Medley, 684 – 'the most important of various 17th and 18th century editions of the epitome of the Valor Ecclesiasticus'.

188 FITZHERBERT (Sir Anthony) The New Natura Brevium. Seventh Edition, corrected. To which is added, a Commentary … by Lord Chief Justice Hale. Thk. cr. 4to, pp.10 + 606 +42, contemp. calf, neatly rebacked with lettering piece, corners worn. occasional dust soiling, bound without the half title. E. & R. Nutt and R. Gosling, for J. Knapton [and 8 others], 1730     £185.00
ESTC t096939. Matthew Hale's annotated edition of FitzHerbert; INTERLEAVED THROUGHOUT. With early ownership signature of Tho. Tyndale; bookplate and stamp of Birmingham Law Society Library.

189 FORTESCUE (Sir John) De Laudibus Legum Angliae. Translated into English (with the original Latin). Illustrated with the notes of Mr Selden, and great variety of remarks…with a large historical preface by Francis Gregor. Two parts in 1 vol, rebound c. 1900 in buckram, occasional foxing or light staining of text. For T. Evans, 1775     £95.00
ESTC t080826. Edited by Francis Gregor of Trewarthenick.

190 GIBSON (Edmund) Codex Juris Ecclesiastici Anglicani; or the Statutes, Constitutions, Canons, Rubrick and Articles of the Church of England. With a Commentary, Historical and Juridical. Second Edition, revised and improved with large additions. 2 vols, folio (16.5 x 10.5 inches), pp.60 + 1575 + [98], contemp. russia, rebacked with morocco, corners repaired, some wear to edges of binding, some mainly light browning of text. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1761     £450.00
ESTC t148435. Carter pp.332-333. BEST EDITION. Gibson's magnum opus, still the most complete collection of English ecclesiastical statutes. The second edition has always been scarce. It was five years in the press; 500 copies were printed, of which 350 remained unsold ten years later. 'What became of them', Carter observes, 'our accounts do not show', but it is very probable they were dumped. With bookplate and stamps of Birmingham Law Society Library.

191 HOBBES (Thomas) The English [and the Latin] Works. Now first collected and edited by Sir William Molesworth. With portrait, 16 vols, orig. black cloth, some headbands and a few joints little worn but a much better set than is usually the case. John Bohn, 1839 – Longman, 1845     £550.00
COMPLETE SET. Molesworth of Pencarrow's classic edition of Hobbes has long been scarce and difficult to obtain. From the library of Birmingham Law Society with gilt stamp on covers, bookplate, and ownership stamp on titles.

192 JOHNSON (Samuel, 1649-1703) A Hstory and Defence of Magna Carta. Pp.64 + 284, the text of Magna Carta printed in black letter, contemp. sheep, neatly rebacked with lettering piece, bookplate and stamp of Birmingham Law Society Library. For J. Bell, S. Blagdon and C. Etherington, 1772     £120.00
ESTC t116326. Not by Dr Johnson (despite an attempt to attribute it to him), but by his 17th century namesake, a veritable 'Whig dog', and doubly odious to the Doctor as he was also 'a Whig in a parson's gown'. Speaking of the false attribution, Johnson observed 'some of my friends wanted me to be very angry about this; I said it would be in vain; it might be said, it is not by you , but a much cleverer fellow'.

193 JUNIUS (Franciscus) Etymologicum Anglicanum. Ex Autographo descripsit, et accessionibus permultis auctum edidit Edwardus Lye. With portrait by Vertue after Van Dyke, folio, pp.572, 19th century calf, lettering piece, binding slightly rubbed, head of spine repaired. Oxford, e Theatro Clarendoniano, 1743     £475.00
ESTC t145431. Alston V, 354. Carter p.311. FIRST EDITION. 'It was the first systematic etymology of the English language, and had an immediate and lasting effect on its study. Dr Johnson used it extensively in the compilation of his own dictionary, and from it stems the modern historical approach to lexicography.' – Barker, O.U.P., 108. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps.

194 MADOX (Thomas) Firma Burgi, or an Historical Essay concerning the Cities, Towns and Boroughs of England. With engraved vignettes and initials, folio, pp. 20+297+29, nineteenth century half calf, neatly rebacked with lettering piece. Printed by William Bowyer, sold by Robert Gosling, 1726     £225.00
ESTC t097070. Gross/Graves 5026. Bowyer Ledgers 142. FIRST EDITION. LARGE PAPER COPY (15.6 x 9.5 inches); only 100 were printed. 'The one outstanding work on medieval municipal history which appeared in England before the 19th century' – Douglas, English Scholars. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamps.

195 NICHOLS (John) A Collection of all the Wills of the Kings and Queens of England and every branch of the Blood Royal, from William the Conqueror to Henry VII. With notes and a glossary. Cr. 4to, rebound c. 1900 in buckram, edges untrimmed. Printed by J. Nichols, sold by H. Payne [and 4 others], 1780     £185.00
ESTC t078302. Gross/Graves 4513. Kaminkow 610. FIRST EDITION. As with most copies, this one is without the additional leaf numbered 13*-14*, and the two leaves of 'additional observations and corrections' at end. It is still of good provenance, with the bookplate and stamps of Birmingham Law Society Library. Neatly mounted or inserted at appropriate points in the text are 8 engravings of church monuments.

PRISONS, PUNISHMENTS, CRIMINALS. Parliamentary Reports on these and related matters, details below. Folio, bound in mid-19th century cloth, neatly rebacked with lettering pieces, with gilt stamp and monogram of Birmingham Law Society Library on sides and library stamp on titles etc. 1812-56

196 PENITENTIARY HOUSES. Report from the Committee on the Laws relating to Penitentiary Houses. Title + pp.131 (pp.121-122 a folding table). Ordered to be printed, 1812     £85.00
The second report (pp.123-131) consists of a letter from Jeremy Bentham recommending the Panopticon.

197 DEBTORS' PRISONS]. Report from the Committee on the King's Bench, Fleet and Marshalsea Prisons, etc. With 2 folding coloured plans, pp.268. Ordered to be printed, 1st June 1815     £95.00
Chairman: Henry Grey Bennet. With engraved coloured plans for the New London Prison for Debtors; estimated cost, £68,000

198 [LONDON PRISONS]. Report [-- Second Report] from the Committee on the Prisons within the City of London and Borough of Southwark. With 2 engraved plans, pp.264. Ordered to be printed,19th March 1819     £85.00
I, Newgate, etc. II, Giltspur Street, Whitecross Street, Borough Compter, Bridewell. Chairman: Mr Alderman Wood. Witnesses included Elizabeth Fry (pp.34-46).

199 UNITED KINGDOM GAOLS. Report from the Lords Committees appointed a Select Committee to take into consideration the several papers … relative to the State of the Gaols in the United Kingdom. Pp.17 + 304, title dust soiled. Ordered to be printed, 12th July 1819     £85.00
Chairmen: Lords Beauchamp, Auckland and Whitworth. With an engraved plate of Middlesex House of Correction. Scottish and Irish gaols are described.

200 SECONDARY PUNISHMENTS. Report from Select Committee on Secondary Punishments; together with the Minutes of Evidence, an Appendix and Index. Pp.162. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, 22 June 1832     £85.00
Chairman: Colonel Davies. Witnesses included Elizabeth Fry, Captain Basil Hall and Samuel Hoare. Much on life in the penal colonies and the hulks.

201 SECONDARY PUNISHMENTS. Report from the Select Committee on Secondary Punishments; together with the Minutes of Evidence, an Appendix of Papers and an Index. Pp.177. Ordered to be printed,9th April 1835     £95.00
A different (and earlier) report than the preceding item; chaired by Colonel Davies, the witnesses including John Wontner, Keeper of Newgate, and the colonial pioneer Edward Gibbon Wakefield; mainly on the convict settlements (New South Wales, West Indies, etc).

202 GAOLS AND HOUSES OF CORRECTION. Reports from the Select Committee of the House of Lords appointed to inquire into the present state of the several Gaols and Houses of Correction in England and Wales; with Minutes of Evidence, Appendixes and a General Index. With 10 plates, 7 folding, and a folding table, 4 parts in 2 vols, pp. approx. 1280. Ordered to be printed, 12th May –2d September 1835     £180.00
Chairman: the Duke of Richmond. Major series of five reports on the prison system. The recommendations included solitary confinement, the necessity of a uniform system of treatment regarding diet, labour and education, and the appointment of an official inspectorate.

203 CRIMINAL AND DESTITUTE JUVENILES. Report from the Select Committee on Criminal and Destitute Juveniles; together with the proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence, Appendix and Index. Pp.8 + 551. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, 24 June 1852     £120.00
Chairman: Matthew Talbot Baines, President Poor Law Board. The committee set in motion the first serous measures to treat juvenile offenders differently from adult criminals. Witnesses included Mary Carpenter, founder of ragged schools and reformatories.

204 BIRMINGHAM PRISON. Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Condition and Treatment of the Prisoners confined in Birmingham Borough Prison, and the Conduct, Management and Discipline of the said Prison; together with the Minutes of Evidence. Pp.38 + 499. H.M.S.O., 1854     £95.00
Wide ranging exposure of harsh treatment of the inmates of a new prison, including the evils of the 'Crank'.

205 PUBLIC EXECUTIONS. Report from the Select Committee of the House of Lords, appointed 'To take into consideration the present mode of carrying into effect Capital Punishments', and to report thereon to the House; together with the Minutes of Evidence and Appendix. Pp.6 + 48. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, 17 July 1856     £65.00
Chairman: Bishop of Oxford (Samuel Hinds). The committee recommended that in future, executions should be carried out in private; nevertheless, it recognised that ' a great majority [of the people] is in favour of public executions', and it was a further twelve years before they were abolished.

206 WESTERN AUSTRALIA. Report from the Select Committee of the House of Lords, appointed to inquire into the Provisions and Operation of the Act 16 & 17 Vict. cap. 99, intituled 'An Act to substitute, in certain cases, other Punishment in lieu of Transportation', and to report thereon to the House; together with the Minutes of Evidence, Appendix and Index. Pp.6 + 144. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, 25 July 1856     £85.00
'In the opinion of the Committee, among existing colonies, that of Western Australia seems to offer the only field for the continuance of the system of Transportation.' The last convicts were sent to the colony in 1867.

207 DISCIPLINE IN GAOLS. Report from the Select Committee of the House of Lords on the present state of discipline in Gaols and Houses of Correction; together with the Proceedings of the Committee, Minutes of Evidence and Appendix. Pp.30 + 512, with a folding plan and 2 plates, one double page, contemp. cloth by C. Cooper, Birmingham. Ordered to be printed, 7th July 1863     £85.00
Chairman: Earl of Carnarvon.

208 RAYNER (John, of the Inner Temple) Cases at large concerning Tithes. 3 vols, contemp. calf, rebcked in two similar styles. W. Strahan and W. Woodfall, for Richardson and Urquhart, 1783     £220.00
ESTC t094808. Sole Edition. From Birmingham Law Society Library with gilt stamp on sides, bookplates, and occasional stamps in text.

209 SIDNEY (Algernon) Discourses concerning Government. To which are added, Memoirs of his Life, and an Apology for himself. Third Edition. Folio, with engraved portrait by Ravenet, title in red and black, pp.4+57, [3-]496, contemp. mottled calf, neatly rebacked with lettering piece. For A. Millar, 1751     £350.00
ESTC t113579. The first edition to contain Sidney's Memoirs and Apology, here printed from the MS. With contemp. acquisition inscription 'Bot. of R. Dodsley, Jan 7, 1750' (i.e. old style), a page of notes on flyleaf in the same hand, and an inscription on portrait 'If this p. is like Mr S. it wd. be paying him no compliment to say Fronti multa Fides'. Later bookplate of Birmingham Law Society Library (an earlier bookplate somewhat roughly removed).

210 SOMNER (William) A Treatise of Gavelkind, both Name and Thing. Second Edition. To which is added the Life of the Author, written, newly revis'd and much enlarged by the present Lord Bishop of Peterborough. With engraved frontispiece of Somner's monument, title in red and black, cr. 4to, pp.14 + 140 & 216 + 8, bound in nineteenth century half morocco, orig. lettering piece preserved. For F. Gyles [and 3 others], 1726     £250.00
ESTC t132060. Smith p.202. With the Treatise on the Roman Ports and Forts (1693), the Treatise on Gavelkind was the only part of Somner's projected work on the antiquities of Kent to achieve publication. This improved second edition is prefaced by White Kennett's Life, the principal source for Somner's biography. From Birmingham Law Society Library with bookplate and stamp.

211 VENTRIS (Sir Peyton) The Reports. The Fourth Impression, carefully corrected, with an Addition of several Thousands of References. 2 vols in 1, folio, contemp. calf, neatly rebacked, corners worn, slight browning of text, with the licence leaf at beginning. E. & R. Nutt and R. Gosling, for D. Browne [and 6 others], 1726     £175.00
ESTC t097363. Last edition of Ventris's reports, which 'have a high reputation for accuracy' (D.N.B.). The work was issued with a portrait, but many copies, including the BL's, are without it.

212 WHITELOCKE (Bulstrode) Memorials of the English Affairs; or an Historical Account of what passed from the Beginning of the Reign of King Charles I to the Restauration. New Edition, with many Additions. Folio, pp.10 + 702 + 13, contemp. calf, neatly rebacked, upper joint rubbed but a very good copy with leaf of subscribers. For J.Tonson, sold by J. & J. Knapton [and 14 others], 1732     £275.00
ESTC t144860. Best Folio Edition, with the addition of passages suppressed in the earlier editions. Godfrey Davies/Keeler 306 – 'has some personal memoirs … useful for Commonwealth and Protectorate.' From the library of Birmingham Law Society, with stamps, and an inserted engraved portrait of Whitelocke published by William Richardson, 1800.

213 WHITELOCKE (Bulstrode) Notes upon the Kings Writt for Choosing Members of Parlement, XIII Car. II. Being Disquisitions on the Government of England by Kings, Lords and Commons. Published by Charles Morton. 2 vols, 4to, contemp. calf, old library reback, bindings slightly rubbed, occasional dust soiling of text. W.Strahan for Andrew Millar, 1766     £180.00
ESTC t145987. Godfrey Davies/Keeler 973. Sole Edition; written 1660-61 for the use of Charles II. The edition was probably financed by Thomas 'Republican' Hollis; the title pages are set in characteristic Hollis style. From Birmingham Law Society Library, with bookplate and occasional stamps.

214 WILKINS (David) Leges Anglo-Saxonicae Ecclesiasticae & Civiles. Accedunt Leges Edvardi … Guilielmi … et Henrici I Latinae. Folio, pp.16+24+434+18, contemp. calf, neatly rebacked with lettering piece, some slight marginal worming not affecting text. Typis Guil. Bowver, impensis Rob. Gosling, 1721     £350.00
ESTC t138842. Alston III, 19. Bowyer Ledgers 735. FIRST EDITION. Partly printed in Anglo-Saxon types, and with Glossary, pp.45. Wilkins' edition collates much new material and supersedes that of Wheloc. Bishop Nicolson contributed much to the work, including a valuable preface. The volume 'brought the study of the legal antiquities of Teutonic England to a stage which was not to be passed until the 19th century' – Douglas, English Scholars. From the library of Lord Eliock with armorial bookplate, and later bookplate and stamps of Birmingham Law Society Library.

215 WILKINS (David) Concilia Magnae Britanniae et Hiberniae, a Synodo Verolamiense ad Londinensem. Accedunt Constitutiones, et alia ad Historiam Ecclesiae Anglicanae spectantia. Titles in red and black, 4 vols, folio (16 x 10 inches), contemp. calf, neatly rebacked and gilt with lettering pieces, very good sound and fresh set with the half title and list of subscribers. R.Gosling, etc., 1737     £1250.00
ESTC t138837. Gross/Graves 1142. Conyers Read 1713. Bowyer Ledgers 2355. Vols I & IV printed by W. Bowyer; Vol II by S.Richardson; Vol III by J.Purser. Only about 200 sets were printed; Vol I contains extensive passages in Anglo-Saxon.

ORIGINAL & BEST EDITION. Wilkins' Concilia was the last great work of English ecclesiastical scholarship in the period of its ripest development. Wilkins (born Wilke, in Prussia) came to England as a young man who had already studied widely on the continent. The early patronage of William Wake led him to start on an improved edition of Spelman's work on the English Councils, though this did not prevent him from producing standard editions of the Anglo-Saxon Laws (see above), the Coptic NT and Selden's Opera Omnia. The Concilia remains his greatest work, an 'indispensible treasury of material … it still remains a standard work of reference' – Douglas, English Scholars. From Birmingham Law Society Library, with bookplate and stamp.