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Manuscript dictionary catalogue of painters, compiled and written by Thomas Claudius Alleyne. The dictionary comprises vols. 1-19 (there are two parts to vols. 2 and 3). Vol. 20 is a thumb case containing miscellaneous papers.

Minute book of the Amicable Debating Society, 1843-45.

Records of The Ananse Society, including minutes, correspondence, programmes, press cuttings and stationery. For detailed introductions to these series please see the individual series descriptions in the detailed catalogue.

Notebook containing recipes and some home remedies, 1850-1890.

These records comprise Dame Henrietta Barnett's Autobiographical Memoirs together with autograph letters and other papers in manuscript and typescript by Henrietta and her friend and literary agent Marion Paterson. Most of the records concern travel to the USA, Japan, India and Italy.

Career papers working for Strauss, Turnbull and Company, stockbrokers and Consolidated Gold Fields PLC, Queens Road; Walthamstow redevelopment campaign correspondence and cuttings; and personal cookery recipes.

Personal papers of Joseph Baxter, teacher, including essays on 'My Future Life' written by some of his pupils; retirement certificate; and photographs of staff and pupils at unidentified schools.

Printed broadsheet of the Proverbs of Poor Richard, or the Way to Wealth, by Benjamin Franklin; printed by T. Brice, in Musgrave Alley, High Street, Exeter.

The collection comprises diaries of William Hugh Burgess, a fifteen-year old boy from a family of Huguenot descent, who lived in Marylebone in the late eighteenth-century. They are rare examples of historical diaries written by a child.

In what became part of his daily routine from January 1788 until October 1790, William wrote about himself and his everyday life, simply recording what he did and what he saw.

The records comprise transcripts by Frederick Teague Cansick of monumental inscriptions in churchyards and burial grounds in Saint Andrew Holborn, Saint Giles in the Fields, All Hallows Bread Street, All Hallows London Wall, Christchurch Newgate Street, Saint Benet Paul's Wharf, Saint Botolph Aldersgate, Saint Mary Aldermary, Saint Mary Woolnoth, Saint Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street, Saint Mary Queenhithe, Saint Sepulchre, Saint James Pentonville Road, All Saints Edmonton and All Hallows Tottenham.

Records of the Caribbean Biographical Project, including correspondence from biographers and authors; draft biographies and minutes.

Records of Major Sir William Henry Champness, comprising journals recording his years as undersheriff and sheriff of the City of London, 1928-1938, autobiographical notes, 1873-1925 and personal diaries, 1926-1938.

Records of the Church Commissioners, 1814-1907, including a glebe exchange award, Ruislip, with map [a glebe is a portion of land assigned to a clergyman as part of his benefice]; documents relating to altered apportionments of corn rents, Ruislip; plans of the Parish of Enfield and the Parish of Edmonton; architect's drawings of houses and shops-cum-residences on Hornsey Clebe Estate; "Plan of Land near Harrow on the Hill, adjoining the Station on the London and North Western Railway, showing the proposed arrangement of the Sites for Villas, the Roads, etc." and plan of the District of the Hornsey Local Board.

Notebook containing extracts from various City of London records.

Papers relating to the Claire Rayner novels The Performers, a twelve book series about London which traces a family from the 1800s. The series contains draft manuscripts of each volume along with research, time lines and notes on political events, dress, religion, travel, medicine, foreign affairs, industry and agriculture covering the period during which the novels are set.

Papers of Richard Clark, Lord Mayor of London, comprising diaries, agendas, invitations, memoranda and other papers relating to the year of his mayoralty, 1784-85.

Diaries of Frederic Sydenham Clarke, employee of the Borneo Company. The entries are mostly accounts of social activities and of letters received from family and friends in England. There are very few references to his work.

Records of the Codd family, including journal/diary of Harrison Gordon Codd, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex, 1824-40, recording his involvement in society and government, giving for example, his thoughts on the Poor Law Enquiry 1832, and his friendship with Nassau Senior, and details of family life and events (including a list of his children and their dates of birth on page one); journal/diary of Sophy Shirley Codd, daughter of Harrison Gordon Codd, 1835-36, giving details of daily employment (reading, writing, drawing, singing) and places visited (including Regent's Park Zoological Gardens and several picture exhibitions), and describing the death of her sister, Emma; and journal/diary of Frances Anne Codd, daughter of Harrison Gordon Codd, 1840-1879, recording her daily routine but placing emphasis on visits and outings, including pressed flowers and numerous prints of places visited. Also some Codd family papers including obituaries, correspondence, photographs, event programmes and family history.

Diaries of Charles Frederick de Coetlogon, covering the years 1817, 1818, 1822, 1823, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1831, 1832, 1833-34 in part, and 1835. They are pocket sized and contain miscellaneous printed information. Each double page is divided into journal and account sections, and de Coetlogon meticulously records his personal accounts in the latter. His income is drawn from annuities and he constantly rebukes himself for living beyond his means. The accounts present a detailed picture of the price of food (fish sauce @ 2/-), domestic items (pins @ 3d.), servant's wages (£14. 14s. per annum), entertainment (opera ticket @ 8s. 6d.), and incidental expenses (hair cutting @ 1s. 6d.).

Records of Patrick Colquhoun, police magistrate, comprising letter to Henry Dundas, Home Secretary, relating to a salary dispute, 1793; letter to Richard Ford, magistrate, relating to apprehension of a criminal, 1797; letter to William Wickham, Under-secretary of State for the Home Department, relating to the river police, 1798; letter regarding the Wapping riots, 1798; letters relating to expenditure, 1799.

Also autobiographical notes giving an account of 'family and public services', including a detailed chronological account of his public services, beginning with his early career in Glasgow, where he was Chief Magistrate. He accepted the position of a police magistrate in London "not so much on account of the salary which was small; but from a strong impression on his mind that by great attention to the duty he had undertaken to perform he would be able after a time to suggest measures for the improvement of a System(?), than which nothing could be worse." His various activities have included regulating public houses, and establishing the river police office, soup kitchens and a public school in Westminster. He has published treatises on these and other subjects which have been read widely, and many of his suggestions have been implemented. In many connections he has been styled a "public benefactor".

This document appears to have been composed with a view to publication. In 1818 Colquhoun's son-in-law contributed to the European Magazine "an exhaustive account of his useful and disinterested labours," (Dictionary of National Biography, Vol IV, p.860), and it is possible that this was written for that article. However, as the account of his services ends at 1814 (although he was a police magistrate until 1818), and the watermark is 1814, the earlier date seems the more probable.

Records of Customs and Excise, comprising 'poundage and premium' ledgers relating to pensions arrangements for Customs and Excise staff, 1867-1868. Also letters to Customs and Excise from authors whose books had been counterfeited, 1905-08.

Personal papers of painter Andrew Brown Donaldson and his wife Agnes Emily Twining. The main series comprises diaries written jointly by Andrew and Agnes Donaldson. They start on the day of their wedding in June 1872, and end with Andrew's death in 1919, Agnes having died in 1918. The diaries provide a fascinating insight into middle class life in Victorian and Edwardian London, being mainly concerned with domestic matters, with occasional references to external events such as the Boer War, the death of Queen Victoria, and World War One.

The plays and poems appear mainly to have been written by Donaldson for his children. Many of the plays were performed by the family during Christmas and new year festivities.

The collection also contains a small amount of material relating to the Donaldson's third child, Leonard. He pursued a career in the Royal Navy and was ultimately made an admiral.

Records of Arthur William Dunk, Boer War soldier in the City Imperial Volunteers, comprising official papers; letters and postcards written home during his service; notebooks providing itinerary of travels in South Africa; and menu cards and programmes for dinners of the City Imperial Volunteers Old Comrades Association.

Typed history of the Elliott School by P.G. James, E.M. Hewetson and P.E. Williams, 1954, with supplement transcribed from cassette made by P.G. James, 1983; album of photographs and memorabilia, 1905 - 1962?, including leaflet produced on opening of Southfield School, 1905, photographs of visit to Paris, 1913, photographs of war memorials, items relating to the Old Elliottonians' Association and Dramatic Society, and blazer badges; log book, 1913 - 1925; 'The Southfield Magazine', later 'The Elliott Central Magazine', later 'The Elliottonian', 1907-1956; correspondence to Mr P.G.James from Old Elliottonians, 1939-1942; examination papers and timetables of Eric Leicester, 1928-1933.

Scrapbook relating to the Enfield Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, including theatrical programmes, playbills and newspaper cuttings of reviews for performances by both the Society and other operatic and theatrical societies.

Notes on the placenames of medieval London, by Marc Fitch, arranged from Fitch's drafts by Dr Jessica Freeman. Readers should be aware, however, that these notes, although written with a view to eventual publication, were preliminary. Specialist advisors invited to comment at the time of compilation expressed reservations about the range and depth of documentary coverage.

Watercolour drawings of the grave monuments of 'celebrated persons' in London, Middlesex, Surrey and Kent, by Thomas Gosden.

Records of the Greater London Council (GLC) Staff Dramatic Club. The collection comprises a complete series of minute books from 1903, financial accounts, scrapbooks of programmes, notices, reviews, a rehearsal register and correspondence.

Records of Stephen Green Limited, patent medicine manufacturer, 1780-1930. The records relate to proprietorship of the recipe for "Doctor Johnson's Golden Ointment" including legal documents and legal case papers; and records relating to the manufacture and sale of the ointment including financial accounts, order books, correspondence, sales summaries, testimonials, advertising, legislation involving patent medicines and history of the ointment. Also various family and estate records.

Diary of actor John Pritt Harley, 1858.

Diaries of Anthony Heap, 1928-1985. The intention of the diarist does not seem to have been to record all the details of his life nor of the world around him. Some major world events are noted, and it is possible to derive some idea of life in London during the Second World War though not of the progress of that war. He recorded the deaths of statesmen and of people connected with the theatre of whom he wrote brief obituaries. He also recorded strikes and similar national events. From the 1960s the increasing cost of living receives frequent comment. Local and national elections are noted.

On the personal side the events which the diarist recorded, apart from reviews of performances and books, fall into a few main categories. He recorded expenditure and savings; his physical ailments (including the near-fatal attack of peritonitis which led to him being in hospital at the outbreak of war and which, with a later rupture, rendered him unfit for military service); the scouting and outdoor activities which he pursued as a youth and young man; his friendships, both male and (far fewer) female, and his family; and the weather.

From 1937 (Acc 2243/10) the diaries are kept in bound notebooks which the diarist paginated. The diarist recorded his attempts to secure a supply of these. The first diary is a pocket diary (Acc 2243/1) issued by Henekys Ltd., wine merchants, and the Sound and third (Acc 2243/2-3) Boy Scouts pocket diaries. Those for 1931-1932 are bound notebooks (Acc 2243/4-5) and those for 1933-1936 (Acc 2243/6-9) are Letts's office desk diaries. The first and second diaries are written in pencil, the third in ink, and the fourth and fifth in ink and indelible pencil. All the others are in ink. Every diary has been covered in brown paper by the diarist. All are in very good condition. There is evidence that the diarist corrected some entries throughout (usually spelling) but it is not known when.

A supplement, in manuscript, to English Liberty: A Collection of Interesting Tracts ... of John Wilkes, Esq (1769), compiled by Isaac Hitchcock of Stafford; comprising the printed text of English Liberty... annotated by Hitchcock, and copies of further speeches, letters, verses, newspaper cuttings, etc relating to Wilkes and his political career, with some illustrations and engravings tipped in.

This exceptionally interesting collection consists of the archives of a London business family, the Howards, and their relations by marriage, the Eliots. The family were based in London, with homes in the City and various places round about, but they also had property and connections in several other parts of England.

The chief interest of the collection is in its quality as the personal record of a group of prosperous manufacturing and merchant families who were members of the Society of Friends. The Eliots were merchants and their account books, which cover both business and private expenses, together with letters and memoranda, reflect a picture of "City" life in the Eighteenth century. They attended the Change, Lloyd's and Child's and Jonathan's and other Coffee Houses, and dealt with a variety of business including trade overseas in cotton and duck cloth and Cornish tin and invested in "a voyage to Lima" and other merchant shipping ventures (including that of the Tuscany, unfortunately "Taken by the French and carried into Marseilles" in 1757). (See especially numbers 905, 928, 929, 944, etc.).

There is interesting material relating to John Eliot's estates supplemented by John Eliot's letters (e.g. Numbers 988-1011), which also mention a "good season" for pilchards, the decline of the docks at Topsham, the appropriation by the Government of some sugar pans near Exeter to use for French prisoners, etc. John's sister Mariabella also purchased in 1765 Pickhurst Farm, Hayes, Kent (Nos. 376-475).

There are amongst this collection a few letters and papers of later Howards, including an interesting pocket diary in which Samuel Lloyd Howard, grandson of Luke, jotted (unfortunately rather roughly in pencil) memoranda and sketches of impressions of his visit to America in 1854 (No. 1618). At sea his ship rescued the crew of the Hannay of Whitehaven, loaded with salt and flying a distress signal-"lay to and took all off, boy, baggage, chronometer, barometers and all".

At all periods the family kept in close touch with their relations in all parts of the country, including the Hows of Aspley, Bedfordshire, the Paces of Westmorland and London, the Leathams of Yorkshire as well as with fellow Quakers. This gives the collection a national rather than a local interest-indeed the family were not primarily associated with any one locality.

A curious document amongst the collection is a receipt dated 1824 for 8. 15s from R. Smith for freeing Hamma Fie, slave to Bentoo Demba, and signed with the mark of Madeba, Alcaide of "Birkow" (No. 1617/p.12). The Society of Friends Committee for African Instruction supported some missions, and Richard Smith, a friend of Luke Howard, was in Africa in the 1820's.

Quaker marriage certificates, of which there are several examples (eg. Nos. 117, 565, 1273, 1274, etc) give full details of both parties and are signed by members of the Meeting as witnesses. Birth certificates (e.g., Nos. 1275-1286, 1390-1393) give the date of birth and name, and were signed by witnesses to the baby's birth. The Society of Friends was in advance of both the State and established Church in respect of such documentation.

Two diaries of the Reverend C Wilfred Howard.

Academic paper written by Wendy Ironmonger that was submitted to and won the Chartered Insurance Institute Morgan Owen Medal Competition in 1986.

The monumental inscriptions and armorial bearings in the churches within the City of London, a five volume work by Arthur Jewers, compiled for the Library Committee of the City of London, 1910-1919. Includes transcripts of monumental and other inscriptions in the churches, with drawings (many coloured) of armorial bearings, and extracts from wills and other genealogical notes about the persons and families commemorated. Also correspondence with the Library Committee relating to the preparation of the work, 1910-1919, and Library Committee report, 1924.

Records of the Legge family, earls of Dartmouth, including letters to the Countess of Dartmouth (Lady Frances Legg?) from her children and family members, 1809-1836; letters from Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, and her household, 1828-1856 (Lady Caroline Legg was lady-in-waiting to the Duchess); general family letters, 1820-1856; diaries and travel diaries (Italy and Germany) of Lady Caroline Legg, 1815-1836; papers of Lt Col Edward Legge including correspondence, travel diaries (Switzerland, Crimea, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Germany, France, Italy), 1853-1877; military notes, army diary and papers concerning service in the Coldstream Guards, 1855-1875, note books and memoranda books, undated; papers taken from Afghan commander Ayub Khan's camp at Kandahar, 1880.

The collection also includes notes on the history of the Legge family, some letters and scrap-books relating to other members of the family; and other papers relating to Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, including letters to her from Queen Victoria, Leopold King of the Belgians, and the Duke of Wellington, 1839-1841.

London County Council register of tramway track lengths, recording description and lengths of route, street length, track length and remarks, such as "conversion to trolleybus", "abandoned" and so on, [1912-1952], with enclosures: photocopy of map of tramways in the London County Council area, revised to 1931; and diagrams of track lengths in Leyton and Hammersmith.

Records of William Mawhood, woollen draper, comprising: diaries, 1764-90; cash account and note book, 1771-2; estate, legal and family papers, 1606, 1709-96; and letters and other papers relating to the diaries, 1875-1910.

Collection of plans and prints; mainly of lands in Tottenham and Edmonton. Some show detailed Manors with individual field names.

Personal diaries of Stephen Monteage, accountant, 1733-1764.

Records of Mark Noble, pump and fire engine manufacturer, comprising a diary and the donor's transcript and notes. The diary is unsigned, but the donor has identified the author from a patent mentioned in the text and from records at The National Archives relating to the activities described. The entries are mostly accounts of travel and meetings in London, Kent and Berkshire to arrange finance, materials and trials of a pump, with little technical or personal content.

Personal papers of Robert W Ramsey, including diaries (some with glued in event programmes, invitations and newspaper cuttings); commonplace books and household financial accounts; articles by Ramsey on historical and literary subjects; poems and sketches; Ramsey family pedigree, 1688-1904; research on the Cromwell family; and general correspondence.

Collection of material relating to the singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson, including a large number of recordings on tape and vinyl of Paul Robesons' wide repertoire of songs and a series of reel-to-reel tapes including interviews and radio programmes made with Robeson; and letters and photographs and a series of scrapbooks (put together by Ken Goodland) of newspaper cuttings charting the life and career of Paul Robeson.

Records of R S Murray and Company Limited, sweet manufacturers, including recipe books, reports and related correspondence. The recipe books include details of product development, specifying appropriate ingredients and methods. Other papers concern H.J. Norton, who was Managing Director of R.S. Murray and Co. Ltd from 1914-1940s.

This collection consists of the diaries of two members of the Scott Turner family, the widow of Major Henry Scott Turner and her youngest son Cecil. Mrs. Turner's diaries cover the years 1885 to 1888 and record social engagements, domestic incidents and local events. Her daily routine is highlighted by visits, walks and outings to church, parties, and occasionally the theatre. She mentions friends and neighbours by name. The activities of her sons are prominent, but she appears to reserve her deepest affection for Cecil, her youngest. She rarely records her innermost feelings in the diaries, and allows her sons to write up entries. In the first diary she writes "End of 1885 which has had its troubles-tho' they may not be recorded here" (ACC/1385/001a). Events of national interest are only noted in passing, for example the Queen's jubilee celebrations in 1887 and the death of the German Emperor on 9 March 1888. The diaries provide a glimpse into the day to day existence, at times dull and humdrum, of a middle class woman of the late Victorian era.

After an education at Rugby and Oxford, Cecil Turner became a solicitor in London where his uncle Harcourt was a partner in the firm of M and H Turner, 22 Sackville Street, Piccadilly (ref. Law list, 1889). A letter dated 1911 found in one of the diaries is addressed to M C S Turner Esquire, 199, Piccadilly (ACC/1385/039, 31 December). For the most part Cecil only mentions his work briefly, with an occasional reference to a law suit or other business. His diaries are a record of his daily activities for 59 years, from the age of 27 to that of 85. They contain accounts of social engagements, particularly outings to the theatre and art galleries, visits to and from friends and relations, the state of the weather, his health, and domestic incidents. He made many visits, both at home and abroad, including voyages to South Africa where his soldier brother Henry was killed in 1899. He had many friends among the gentry and spent holidays shooting, walking and bicycling and attended country house parties. In his later years he became a convert to the Roman Catholic faith and his diaries reflect the great comfort he gained from this. As the years pass he is increasingly reminded of mortality and, with the death of his sister-in-law Dora in 1946, he is the last member of his immediate family left alive. Although the diaries comment on outside events, such as the progress of the two world wars, they are essentially the personal record of a professional gentleman, reflecting the minutiae of middle-class life in a rapidly changing world.

Papers collected by the antiquary George Scott. As well as catalogues of Scott's library (and many printed books) the collection includes George Scott's financial accounts; extracts from forest laws; abstracts of Treasury accounts; register of Queen Elizabeth I's out-letters; orders relating to the Cinque Ports; and a book of prescriptions. Also a diary of scientist Robert Hooke, 1671-1683. Please note this diary is available only with advance notice and at the discretion of the Assistant Director (Heritage).

Records of Gillian Spraggs, 1980-199-, including numerous leaflets, pamphlets, magazines and posters produced, printed and publicised by various gay and lesbian action and support groups during the latter part of the 20th century. Many of them advertise the existence and need for such support groups, while others work to promote necessary information and advice for lesbians and gays who had either suffered from discrimination or wanted to help campaign against such discrimination. They document the campaign against the introduction of Clause 27 and the campaign to ensure equality and equal opportunities for lesbians and gays within the work place.

Personal diaries of John Thornton, merchant and member of the Clapham Sect. One journal has entries only on Sundays and records religious thoughts; while the others provide a record of daily events (including business, charitable activities and social events) interspersed with religious musings. Also drawing of the coat of arms of Lord Slane, described as an ancestor of the Thorntons.

The Sandhurst examination marks from 1913 (ACC/2360/005) appear to have no connection with the journals and the coat of arms.

Personal papers of Reverend Charles John Todd, navy chaplain, comprising certificates of ordination as a deacon and priest, 1878-79; commission as a Navy chaplain, 1881; letters written home from Navy ships from Zanzibar, Suez, Sudan, India, Ceylon [Sri Lanka], and Japan; diaries and notebooks describing hunting expeditions in Ceylon and East Africa; diary of a diplomatic mission to King John of Abyssinia [Ethiopia], 1884; newspaper cuttings; photographs of Todd; and a description of Todd's Navy service, 1976.