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A B R I E F R E P O R T
ON THE
INTERCHANGE OF BOOKS, RELICS, &c.,
BETWEEN
T H E N E W P L A C E
AND THE
B I R T H P L A C E M U S E U M,
AND ON THE
RE-ARRANGEMENT OF
T H E L I B R A R Y ;
DRAWN UP IN PURSUANCE OF
DIRECTIONS GIVEN BY THE TRUSTEES,
MAY 5th, 1881.
AND NOW SUBMITTED TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
1.-- An ancient knife, much decayed, but clearly appearing, from the ornamentation on the handle, to belong to the reign of Elizabeth, or not later than to that of James I. Discovered in the excavations at New Place.
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2.--Fragment of an old knife, of uncertain date, also found in the excavations.
3.-- A shilling of Edward VI., commonly known as the shove-groat shilling. Presented by J. W. Jarvis, Esq.
4.--A small box made from the wood of the walnut-tree which formerly grew in front of the Birthplace, and which was cut down in the year 1765. Presented by the late W. O. Hunt, Esq., who inherited it from his grandmother.
5.-- A foreign coin, dated in 1567, discovered in the excavations at New Place.
6.-- A card-case, made from the wood of Shakespeare's mulberry-tree, one of the rare specimens carved by Thomas Sharp. This article belongs to the Wheler Collection.
7.-- The original memorandum-book of Daniel Baker, Bailiff of Stratford-on-Avon, 1602-3.
8.-- A coin of the reign of James I., discovered under the soil in Shakespeare's great garden at New Place.
9.-- Francis Smith, His Halfepenny; a Stratford-on-Avon token of the seventeent century.
10.-- A silver coin of Julius Cęsar. Presented by William Haines, Esq.
11.-- A seal of the time of Queen Elizabeth, an impression of a "Death's face in a ring." See Love's Labour's Lost, act 5, scene 2.
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12.-- A pocket ring-dial; such a one as is supposed to be alluded to in As You Like It, act 2, scene 7. Presented by William Haines, Esq.
13.-- A silver coin of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, fifteenth century. It was found in the excavations at New Place, and probably belonged to the first Sir Hugh Clopton, who, no doubt, had dealings with foreign merchants.
14.-- The head of a spear, or of some implement of the kind, found about ten feet under the surface, in digging for gravel in the small, or upper, garden at New Place.
15.-- Correspondence with Charles Mathews, Bunn, and others, respecting the proposed Memorial in 1826, and other Shakespearian matters.
The Library at the Birthplace being inconveniently crowded through the admission of duplicates, and of works which are either of no value or importance, or are not connected with Shakespeare or Stratford-on-Avon, the following books and manuscripts have, in compliance with the wishes of the Executive Committee that were ratified by the Trustees, been removed to New Place:--
1.-- Folio Shakespeare Index.
2.-- Beeton's Shakespeare Memorial, fol., 1864. Two duplicates.
3.-- Richard the Second, &c., fol. Dupl.
4.-- Walker's Historical Discourses, fol., 1705.
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5.-- Fisher's Guild Chapel, fol., 1836. Dupl.
6.-- Dyce's Shakespeare Index. 8vo, 1867. Dupl.
7.-- Halliwell's Life of Shakespeare, 8vo, 1848. Duplicate.
8.-- Reprint of the Pacata Hibernica, 2 vols., 8vo, the original work being in the Museum.
9.-- The Parallel Texts of the Hamlets of 1603 and 1604, ed. S. Timmins, 8vo. Dupl.
10.-- Ballads and Broadsides, 8vo, 1867.
11.--Fairholt's History of Tobacco, 8vo, 1859.
12.-- Pope's Dunciad, 8vo, 1729.
13.-- Sterling's Poetical Works, 8vo, 1734.
14.-- Dodd's Poems, 8vo, 1767.
15.-- Douce's Illustrations of Shakespeare, 8vo, 1839. Reprint of the best edition already in the Museum.
16.-- Lely's Poems, 8vo, 1727.
17.-- List of Plays to 1803, 8vo.
18.-- Tancred and Sigismunda, 8vo, 1755.
19.-- Aubrey's Letters, 3 vols., 8vo, 1813.
20.-- The Usefulness of the Stage to Religion and to Government, 8vo, 1738.
21.-- Golden leaves from the British and American Dramatic Poets, collected and arranged by J. W. S. Hows, 8vo, New York, 1865.
22.-- Seymour's Remarks upon the Plays of Shakespeare, 2 vols., 8vo, 1805. Dupl.
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23.-- Ireland's Miscellaneous Papers and Legal Instruments, under the Hand and Seal of Shakespeare, 8vo, 1796. Dupl.
24.-- The Spirit of English Tragedy, 8vo, 1830.
25.-- Sharp's Epitome of the County of Warwick, 8vo, 1835.
26.-- Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber, 8vo, 1822.
27.-- Old Lamps or New, 1853. Dupl.
28.-- Shakespeare's Garland, 8vo, 1769. Two duplicates.
29.-- Poets of the Elizabethan Age, 8vo, 1862.
30.-- The Game of Shakespeare's Plays.
31.-- Mary Sidney's Poem on the Passion, 8vo, 1862.
32.-- Fairholt's Home of Shakespeare, 12mo, 187. Two duplicates.
33.-- Last days of Shakespeare. Dupl.
34.-- Catalogue of the Tercentenary Pictures and Drawings, 8vo, 1864. Dupl.
35.-- Fairholt's Pageantry Works, 8vo, 1869.
36.-- The Insatiate Countess, 8vo, 1820.
37.-- Venice Preserved, 4to, 1696.
38.-- Modern Shakespeare Scraps. Two small parcels of odds and ends, poor and trifling.
39.-- Shakespeare's Garland, or the Warwick-/ p.10 / shire Jubilee: a Collection of Ballads, &c., as Performed in the Great Booth at Stratford-upon-Avon, fol., 1769. Dupl.
40.-- An Ode upon Dedicating a Building to Shakespeare; the Music composed by Dr. Arne, oblong 4to. Dupl.
41.-- Bible Truths, with Shakespearian Parallels, by James Brown, 8vo, 1864. Dupl.
42.-- Malone's Inquiry, 8vo, 1796. Dupl.
43.-- Octagonal Shakespeare Club, 8vo. Dupl.
44.-- Collier's New Particulars Regarding the Works of Shakespeare, 8vo, 1836. Dupl.
45.-- The Western, vol.ii., 8vo. 46.-- Boscobel, 8vo, 1859.
47.-- French's Ancestry of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, 8vo, 1841.
48.-- The Dramatic Souvenir, 8vo, 1833, Dupl.
49.-- Frithiof's Saga, 8vo, 1867.
50.-- Considerations on the Stage, 8vo, 1809.
51.-- Holland's Twelve Cęsars, fol., 1606.
52.-- Green's Legend of Shakespeare's Crabtree, 4to, 1857. Dupl.
53.-- Shakespeare's Poems, 18mo, 1858.
54.-- Dodd's Beauties of Shakespeare, 8vo, 1784, and 18mo, 1816, a better edition being in the Library.
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55.-- Cockerham's English Dictionarie, 12mo, 1631.
56.-- Bell's Shakespeare's Puck, 8vo, 1852. Dupl.
57.-- Upton's Critical Observations on Shakespeare, 8vo, 1746. Dupl.
58.-- Two Noble Kinsmen, 4to, 1631. An imperfect duplicate.
59.-- The Worthies of Warwickshire, by the Rev. F. L. Colvile, M.A., 4to, 1869. A separate edition of the part relating to Shakespeare is in the Library.
60.-- Boscobel photographs, glazed.
61.-- Thirty-two volumes of the publications of the old Shakespeare Society, all duplicates.
Some ancient deeds and other articles, presenting no visible points of interest to visitors, have been removed from the cases in the Museum to the drawers in the Library, their places being supplied by some of the relics from New Place, a rare specimen of the Book of Riddles mentioned by Shakespeare, &c.
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The books in the Library are now arranged, as far as possible, in classes, all the editions of Shakespeare being placed together, filling four divisions of the book-cases. The manuscripts of Captain Saunders and the publications of the old Shakespeare Society are also separated, and distinctly arranged.
The more important deeds and manuscripts are in the drawers, to be consulted only by the special permission of the Executive Committee, according to the arrangement concluded at their last meeting. Miscellaneous articles that cannot very well be preserved elsewhere are also placed in these drawers, the whole being distributed in the following order:--
A.-- Correspondence and papers of this century on the Birthplace, and other subjects connected with Shakespeare and the town of Stratford-on-Avon.
B.-- Old deeds and manuscripts relating to Stratford-on-Avon, including the early documents respecting the Birthplace and neighbouring property, which were discovered at Birmingham in 1864; and also curious indentures (presented by the Misses Chattaway), formerly belonging to John Jordan.
C.-- Engravings and photographs, either of Shakespearian subjects, or illustrative of Stratford-on-Avon. Large size.
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D.-- Engravings and photographs, either of Shakespearian subjects, or illustrative of Stratford-on-Avon. Small size. In this drawer are sketches illustrating Shakespearian costume, allusions, &c., by F. W. Fairholt.
E.-- Early deeds and papers relating to properties at Stratford-on-Avon.
F.-- Portraits of Shakespeare.
G.-- Modern manuscripts and miscellaneous papers respecting Shakespeare and Stratford-on-Avon.
H.-- Maps, plans, and elevations, of localities and buildings in Stratford-on-Avon.
I.-- Documents relating to Shottery.
K.-- Scraps and miscellanies of Shakespearean and local interest.
L.-- Documents relating to Snitterfield, Welcombe, Wilmecote, and other places near Stratford-on-Avon.
M.-- Title-deeds and documents relating to the Birthplace.
N.-- Title-deeds and documents relating to New Place and Nash's House.
O.-- Old coins and small antiquities illustrative of the history of Stratford-on-Avon, and Shakespearian articles of modern date.
P.-- Photographs of objects connected with Shakespeare and Stratford-on-Avon.
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Q.-- Modern Birthplace papers. In this drawer is a steel plate of a view of that building.
R.-- Boydell's Shakespeare, 2 vols., large folio, of a size inconvenient for the bookcases.
S.-- Wheler's Collectanea, 4to. Ancient Documents Relating to Stratford-on-Avon, fol. Sharp's original Drawings, 4to. Miscellanies Collected by R. B. Wheler, fol. Manuscript Churchwardens' Papers, fol. Stratford-on-Avon and Shakespeare Manuscripts, fol.
T.-- Bunbury's Shakespeare Prints, 4to. New England Tercentenary Celebration, folio, 1864. Stratford-on-Avon Charters, temp. Charles II., fol.
U.-- Old indentures and other documents relating to properties at Stratford-on-Avon.
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I have not ventured on the proposed rearrangement of the pictures or engravings, not being willing to undertake responsibility in that respect without the special advice of the Executive Committee on each suggestion that may be made. This is a matter which does not press, and the Committee will perhaps agree to postpone its consideration until a careful examination can be made of the engravings, &c., in the drawers and bound volumes.
There do not appear to be any volumes in the book-cases it would be inexpedient to produce for the inspection of students, under the restrictions advised by the Committee. Perhaps, however, I may be allowed to suggest that a volume should be provided in which every applicant should enter his or her name and address, and the title of the work required, before any volume is brought out for inspection.
J. O. HALLIWELL-PHILLIPPS.
STRATFORD-ON-AVON,
13th May, 1881.
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