FUNERAL

[George Wyndham, Conservative politician and author.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to Canon Milford, Rector of East Knoyle, regarding arrangements for the funeral and burial of his father Percy Scawen Wyndham.

Author: 
George Wyndham (1863-1913), Conservative politician and author, one of the Souls [Canon Robert Newman Milford, Rector of East Knoyle; Percy Scawen Wyndham]
Publication details: 
14 and 16 March 1911. Each on letterhead of Clouds, East Knoyle [Wiltshire].
£50.00

Wyndham’s entry in the Oxford DNB states that the family estate was ‘some 4000 acres in Wiltshire’. Milford (1829-1913) was his rector at East Knoyle, and the letters inform him about arrangements for the funeral of Wyndham’s father Percy Scawen Wyndham (1835-1911). Both items in good condition, lightly aged, and folded for postage. Each addressed to ‘My dear Canon Milford’ and signed ‘George Wyndham.’ ONE: 14 March 1911. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Begins: ‘I have found a written permission from my Father to have the Funeral - committal to the erth - where I think best.

[Nineteenth-century New Hampshire.] Printed pamphlet: 'Discourse Delivered at the Funeral of Hon. William M. Richardson, on the 26th Day of March, A.D., 1838. By Rev. Jonathan Clement, Pastor of the Congregational Parish in Chester, N.H.'

Author: 
Rev. Jonathan Clement, Pastor of the Congregational Parish in Chester, New Hampshire [William Merchant Richardson (1774-1838), Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court]
Publication details: 
'Published by request of the citizens of Chester. | Concord, N. H. [New Hampshire] | Printed by Asa M'Farland, opposite the State House. | 1838.'
£120.00

16pp, 8vo. Saddle-stitched into (the original?) plain blue wraps. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with slight damage and damp staining to back wrap. A laudatory assessment of Richardson's life, attainments and achievements, concluding with the observation that 'no marble monument will be needed to tell the coming age, that he lived and died in the heart of this community. Confusing entries on OCLC WorldCat appear to list six copies, none in England. "William Merchant Richardson (January 4, 1774 – March 15, 1838) was a member of the U.S.

[Lord Gambier, Admiral of the Fleet.] Manuscript designs of heraldic achievements (coats of arms), made by a signwriter for display at his funeral.

Author: 
[Admiral Lord Gambier [James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier (1756-1833), Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Navy officer in American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary Wars and Glorious First of June]
Publication details: 
'April 22nd.' [1832].
£400.00

An interesting and unusual survival, casting light on funerary practice in Georgian London. In black ink on 37 x 15 cm piece of watermarked laid paper, clearly cut from the working ledger of the signwriter responsible for the display at Gambier's funeral. Two excellent drawings, marked up with notes for colours, as a guide for the painting process.

Early eighteenth-century manuscript list of 72 men and women to be given gloves and hatbands at the funeral of Benjamin Adams of Northumberland.

Author: 
Benjamin Adams of Northumberland [Eighteenth-century English funerary practice; Georgian mourning; Hanoverian undertakers; death]
Publication details: 
Without date or place. [Northumberland, England, 1720s?]
£160.00

On both sides of a piece of 8vo paper, folded vertically to make a bifolium with 31 x 9.5 cm leaves. In fair condition, aged, worn and with a short central closed tear unobtrusively repaired with archival tape. Docketed 'Acct. of the Funeral of [blank'], and elsewhere in another hand 'Benja Adams | Benja Adams'. A total of 78 individuals are named (including six deleted) over three narrow pages, with 32 (including three deleted) on the first page, 6 on the second, and 40 (including three deleted) on the third.

[Account of the elaborate arrangements made for Voltaire's funeral by the French Revolutionaries in the] Gazette Nationale ou le Moniteur Universel, no.194.

Author: 
[Funeral of Voltaire]
Account of the elaborate arrangements made for Voltaire's funeral
Publication details: 
13 Juillet 1791.
£56.00
Account of the elaborate arrangements made for Voltaire's funeral

Disbound, pp.[101]-108, some staining mainly good condition, account of funeral pp.107-108.

Twenty-one glass slides of photographs of the funeral procession of King Edward VII through the streets of London, 1910.

Author: 
[Photographs of the funeral procession of King Edward VII through the streets of London, 1910]
Publication details: 
[London, 1910.]
£180.00

All twenty-one slides bound in 8 cm glass squares, with the black and white images themselves in good condition and unfaded, with only one slide damaged (glass shattered in a corner, not affecting image). All with labels numbered 394.5.

[printed form filled out in manuscript] St. John the EVANGELIST, Waterloo Road, District Church. [...] A Bill of Dues for the Burial of a STRANGER. [i.e. 'John Thomas Gardiner'] [signed by the sexton, 'R Booker']

Author: 
R Booker, Sexton, St. John the Evangelist, Waterloo Road, Lambeth
A Bill of Dues for the Burial of a STRANGER
Publication details: 
20 November 1835.
£28.00
A Bill of Dues for the Burial of a STRANGER

On one side of a slip of laid paper, roughly 21 x 8 cm. Printed form for burial in the 'SECOND GROUND.' (amended in manuscript to 'Third'). Gardiner is said to be 'Above [amended from 'Under'] the Age of 10 Years.' Printed charges are for Ground and Bell, Rector, Clerk, Sexton, and Registrar'; with 'Extra Digging' added in manuscript, with '4 OClock Precisely'. Printed note at foot: 'N.B. The Sexton is directed not to enter an Order for any funeral until the Fees are paid.' St.

Handbill headed 'Funeral Reform Conference. July 23, 1884. The Earl of Shaftesbury, K.G., Presiding.', reporting Haden's views on 'the desirablilty of greater simplicity in the conduct of funerals'.

Author: 
Funeral Reform Conference, 1884 [London Necropolis Company; Seymour Haden]
Publication details: 
1884. Printer not stated.
£56.00

12mo, 2 pp. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with one dog-eared corner. Quoting Haden's views, which appear distinctly progressive. He finds the 'retention in a dwelling-house for as long as possible of a body, which ought to be committed to the earth as soon as possible', and the need for a 'strong coffin' great evils.

Typed Letter Signed ('Aberdeen') to 'Peter Cavanagh, Esq., At/ The Empire Theatre, Edinburgh.'

Author: 
George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair (1879-1965) [Peter Cavanagh (1914-1981), impressionist billed as 'The voice of them all']
Publication details: 
22 February 1952; on deleted letterhead of 16 Westbourne Street, London W.2, with embossed address Braehead, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen.
£35.00

4to, 1 p, 17 lines. He 'deeply appreciate[s] the spirit undlying the contents' of Cavangh's letter, which he found waiting for him on his return the day before 'after attending our beloved late King's Funeral'. 'As you say, the sword and scabbard must have belonged to my great Grandfather, the 4th Earl of Aberdeen, who was Prime Minister during theh Crimea War by the express command of Queen Victoria. He accepted the Premiership on the condition that he should be allowed to resign at the conclusion of the war.' Suggests a meeting in Aberdeen.

Obituary notice headed 'MR. JOHN CASSELL. Born January 23rd, 1817. Died April 2nd, 1865.'

Author: 
Cassell, Petter, & Galpin, London publishers [John Cassell (1817-1865)]
Publication details: 
Dated 'CASSELL, PETTER, & GALPIN. LA BELLE SAUVAGE YARD, April 3rd, 1865.'
£25.00

On one side of a piece of paper 21 x 14 cm. Mourning border. Very good, on lightly aged and spotted paper. Twenty-four lines of text announcing the 'death of our esteemed partner [...] for so many years [...] our fellow-labourer in the field of literary enterprise'. Cassell is described as 'a man of vigorous intellect and untiring energy, whose constant aim it was to render effectual assistance towards moral, social, and religious elevation of the people'.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Ch Giraud de l'institut'), in French, to an unnamed male correspondent.

Author: 
Charles Giraud [Charles-Joseph-Barthélémy Giraud] (1802-1881), French jurist and historian
Publication details: 
29 February [no year]; no place.
£35.00

12mo, 1 p, 12 lines. Good, on lightly aged paper. Drawing the recipient's attention to 'une demande qui a été adressée a M. le Prefet de la Seine, par M. Burnet [an inhabitant of Neuilly], homme infiniment estimable qui sollicite un emploi dans l'administration des pompes funèbres'. Giraud knows Burnet very well, 'et je lui porte un interet particulier'.

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