Catalogue of books at Clytha Cottage : manuscript.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Books and reading--Great Britain.

Books and reading.

Private libraries--Wales--Catalogs.

Private libraries.

Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)

Library catalogs.

Notebooks.

Manuscripts, English -- 19th century.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers, (London, England), 2022.

Physical Description:

1 volume (140 pages) ; 24 x 20 cm

Production:

Monmouthshire, Wales : 1869.

Biography/History:

In 1869, Clytha Cottage located in Monmouthshire, Wales, was the home to an extensive and diverse private library. Individuals who were known to live on the Clytha estate in the 18th century are Thomas Berkeley and his wife, Mary Davies (b. 1698); their son John (1720-1778); and his son Robert (1771-1845). Robert Berkeley sold Clytha to his father-in-law, Richard Lee (1725-1805; father of Robert’s wife Apollonia Lee (1773-1885) and husband to Mary Jones), who sold it to his brother-in-law, William Jones (1732-1805). Jones lived in the house until his death in 1805, when it was left to his great-nephew, also named William Jones (1798-1885; son of John (1759-1828) and Mary Lee (1771-1855) Jones), who lived at the estate from 1822 to 1885. It is assumed that some of the volumes within the library were probably brought to the home in the 18th century, when it was built for the Berkeley family. In the 1820s, the original Georgian structure was torn down by William Jones (1798-1885) and replaced with the Greek Doric structure that stands today; and it is possible that the library was moved to the cottage, one of the buildings on the estate, at that time.

Summary:

This volume lists the books contained within Clytha Cottage in 1869. The books range in date from 1521 to 1869 and cover a wide range of topics. The books are listed by topic, and then alphabetically within each topic. For each title, there is column for: number of volumes, size, case, shelf, date, and edition. For the most part, the columns for number of volumes, size, and date are completed; occasionally the edition is noted; but the case and shelf locations are never noted. Starting from the end (p. 136), the volume starts upside down, with a sketch of a heraldic crest, a number of recipes for dogs, and a brief start of a copy of “Stories from English history, No. IV. King Alfred, Part I.” In addition to the titles listed in the volume, there are two additional lists of books, written in pencil, laid in at the front of the volume. The first has a crossed-out title, “Block House Room,” and contains the same type of information as the volume: title, number of volumes, size, and date. The second list, written in a distinctly different hand, lists only number of volumes and title. Titles on these lists are not contained in the lists written within the volume—and it unclear if the intent was to add them to the volume or these were subsequently purchased; however, it is clear that these are working copies of lists versus the lists within the volume which are written in ink, in clear, formal handwriting with decorative initials. There is one piece of music, titled “Gloria,” in ink, also laid in at the front of the volume. The volume is bound in half leather with marbled paper covers and the title in ink on a plain label on the front cover. Pages are blank from p. 88-123.

Contents:

p. 2-6: Agriculture

p. 6-7: Arts and science

p. 7-8: Botany

p. 9-18: Bibles and religious books

p. 19-22: Biography and memoirs

p. 23-27: Classics

p. 28: Chemistry

p. 28-31: Dictionaries

p. 32-36: Fiction

p. 36-41: Grammars &c.

p. 42: Geology

p. 43-45: Guide books &c.

p. 46-55: History

p. 56-60: Law

p. 61-63: Medicine

p. 63-67: Miscellaneous

p. 68-72: Polite literature

p. 73-76: Poetry

p. 77-78: Plays &c.

p. 78: Natural history

p. 79-81: Periodicals

p. 82-84: Travels and voyages

p. 85-87: Trade and commerce.

Cited as:

Catalogue of books at Clytha Cottage, 1869 (Ms. Codex 2101). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.

OCLC:

1370525941