BOOKPLATES WITH MANTLING
Viscount Cholmondeley--James Loch of Drylaw--William Pitt of Binfield.
Mr. G. F. Barwick, to whom the Mercator _ex libris_ belongs, has kindly
sent me the following:--
“Nicholas Mercator was born at Cismar, Holstein, about 1620, and after
completing his studies in Copenhagen he continued to reside there until
1660, when he came to England. His fame as a mathematician was already
well established, and he was almost immediately elected a member of the
Royal Society, which had recently been founded. Some years later he
entered the service of Louis XIV., and superintended the construction of
the fountains at Versailles. For this work, however, he could not obtain
payment, in consequence of his refusal to become a Catholic, and the
trouble which it caused him is said to have shortened his life. He wrote
a number of
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small treatises and contributed to the _Philosophical Transactions_, but
his fame chiefly rests upon his _Logarithmotechnia_, London, 1668-74,
4to, in which he developed the well-known formula which bears his name.
A portrait of him was formerly in the possession of Mr. T. D. F. Tatham
of Althorne, Essex, a collateral descendant of the Mercators, and passed
at his death into the possession of his nephew, Mr. W. Tatham-Hughes of
Chelsea Hospital.”
A bookplate with fine mantling and supporters is that of “The Right
Honourable Hugh Lord Viscount Cholmondeley.” It occurs in a copy of “The
causes of the Decay of Christian Piety ... London, Printed by R. Norton
for T. Garthwait, in S. Bartholomew’s Hospital, near Smithfield, 1667.”
This copy--it belongs to Mr. E. F. Coates--has been finely bound,
probably by Charles Mearne. Hugh, first Earl of Cholmondeley, succeeded
his father, Viscount Cholmondeley, in 1681. Objecting to the arbitrary
measures of James II., he was soon honoured by William and Mary, who, in
1689, created him Lord Cholmondeley of Nantwich. In 1706 Queen Anne made
him Viscount Malpas and Earl of Cholmondeley. Later he held the
appointments of Comptroller and Treasurer of Her Majesty’s household.
The book has underneath one another, both in old but different hands,
two signatures--“Elizabeth Cholmondeley.” It has also an
inscription--“Wm. Lemon, 1855”; since then it has travelled far, as it
has twice inscribed on it “W. A. Rebello, Sylvan Lodge, Simla. October,
1864.”
“John Stansfeld,” an armorial plate with mantling. The arms are sable,
three goats trippant argent. Crest a demi-lion rampant argent. An
ancient family settled in Yorkshire at the Conquest. This modern plate
is in a fine copy, belonging to Mr. E. F. Coates, of _The Yorkshire
Library_, by William Boyne, 1869. I think that this John Stansfeld,
Esq., was a collector of fine books, and especially about Yorkshire.
A nice plate here illustrated is that of Prescott Pepper.
A plate with good mantling is that of “James Loch of Drylaw.” Given by
Burke as arms or, a saltire engraded sable, between two swans naiant in
fesse proper. Crest, a swan with wings endorsed, devouring a perch, both
proper. Motto, “Assiduate non desidia.” This is in a copy of _A Short
Introduction to Moral Philosophy_ ... Glasgow, Printed by Robert &
Andrew Foulis, printers to the University. 1764. James
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Loch of Drylaw, born in 1612, was treasurer of Edinburgh, and in 1851
his descendant was James Loch of Drylaw, M.P., son of George Loch of
Drylaw, and his wife a daughter of John Adam of Blair Adam. The arms
were confirmed in 1673 by Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo, Knight, Lyon
King-of-Arms.
“William Pitt of Binfield, Berks Esqʳ--” here reproduced, has very full
mantling and no crest, unless the Satyr-looking head in the top of the
mantling be meant for a crest. This plate is taken from a copy of a 1648
edition of _Eikon Basilike_.
A good Scotch _ex libris_ with mantling, and engraved by Lizars, is that
of “Brown of Waterhaughs,” evidently connected with some scion of the
clan Campbell. The crest is a lion holding a fleur-de-lis. The motto is
“Tandem licet sero.” This is in a copy of a scarce little volume,
Baxter’s _Anacreon_--“Londini Augustæ Imprimetatur Impensis Matthæi
Hawkins, prostatque venalis ad Angelum in Areâ Paulinâ.” 1710. The
“errata” note at the end contains some facetious expressions--in English
thus: “Correct if you please, friendly reader, those heavy printers
errors, which were printed when we were off our guard, and fell out when
we were intent on blackberries.”
A plate with fine mantling is that of Richard Boycott. It is altogether
a good plate. In an ornamental frame below the shield of arms is the
engraved inscription: “Pro Rege et Religione / Richard Boycott.”
Gules, on a chief argent, three grenadoes proper, and the motto, “Pro
Rege et Religione,” are of peculiar interest. These arms were granted by
Charles II., in 1663, to Sylvanus Boycott of Hinton, and Francis Boycott
of Byldwas, sons of William Boycott of Byldwas. The father had furnished
Charles I. with grenadoes and other supplies. The sons had aided Charles
II. when a fugitive wanderer. The family claim to descend from the
ancient Norman house of Bygod. This worthy plate is in a rich red
morocco bound copy of Sermons, by George Stanhope, D.D., preached at the
Boyle Lectures in 1701.
A bookplate with rather curious mantling is that of “Rowland W. D.
Collett.” The arms seem to be intended for those borne by Collett, who
was Lord Mayor of London in 1486,--Sable, on a chevron between three
hinds trippant argent, as many annulets of the first. The motto is
“virtutis præmium honor.”
An armorial plate with heavy mantling--“Thomas Maitland, Dundrennan.”
Burke’s
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Armorial gives quarterly, first and fourth or, a lion rampant,
déchaussé, within a bordure embattled gules; second and third argent,
the ruins of an old abbey on a mound proper. Crest a demi-monk vested
grey, holding in the dexter hand a crucifix argent, in the sinister a
rosary proper. The motto is “Esse quam videri.”
In the same volume, the round armorial plate “Johannis Whitefoord
Mackenzie Armigeri.”
It is most fitting that the book holding these Scottish bookplates is a
fine copy of the first edition of the great Montrose’s Book, the book
which the canting Covenanters hung round that hero’s neck as he proudly
trod the bloody scaffold. It is clothed in fine contemporary morocco,
richly gilt.
A modern bookplate with nice mantling is that of “Charles Lilburn.” The
family hails from the county of Durham. The arms argent, three
water-bougets sable. Crest, a dexter arm in armour proper, holding a
truncheon or. The motto is “Vis viri fragilis.”
This is in a copy of Montrose Redivivus, or the Portraicture of James,
late Marquess of Montrose, ... London: Printed for Jo. Ridley at the
Castle in Fleet Street, near Ram-alley, 1652. The water-bouget was a
mediæval vessel for carrying water, and was made of two leather pouches
appended to a yoke or crossbar.
The “Hampson” plate is, in its way, as good a bookplate as one need wish
to see. The clearly cut mantling is tastefully decked with light sprigs
of evergreen. The arms are argent, three hemp-brakes sable. The crest is
out of a mural crown argent, a greyhound’s head sable collared of the
first, rimmed or. Motto: “Nunc aut nunquam.”
Thomas Hampson, the son of Sir Robert Hampson, Knight, and Alderman of
the City of London, was created a baronet on June 3rd, 1642. He died in
1655, leaving four sons and five daughters.
The hempbrake, or hackle, was an instrument used for bruising hemp.
The royal plate of Charles I. needs some explanation, as it is not a
bookplate. It occupies the first leaf in the full-sized octavo issues in
1649 of _Eikon Basilike_. In photographing the Throckmorton bookplate
the photographer, seeing this also at the beginning of the book, not
unnaturally thought that it was a bookplate, and to be illustrated. This
need not be regretted. It is a characteristic copy of an _Eikon_. The
surrounding lines are old red ink, and the old ownership signature--
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“Fra: Vaughan”
“:1656:”
is as true and perfect an _ex libris_ as the finest draughtsman and
engraver could ever produce.
The very fine armorial plate of Sir Robert Throckmorton, Bart.--“Virtus
sola nobilitas”--is here reproduced from the above-named 1649 copy of
_Eikon Basilike_.
The armorial plate, with supporters, of Sir James Stewart Denholm,
Bart., of Coltness and Westshiel, is here illustrated.
I do not know the history of the plate with the two oval shields here
illustrated. The motto, “Mors sola resolvit,” seems rather to suggest a
funeral hatchment.
The illustration here given of the plate of “Thoˢ. Beckwith, of York
Painter & F.A.S.” is, of course, a piece of his own workmanship, and is
inserted in a small, thick volume of manuscript genealogies, no doubt
the work of T. Beckwith, and now in the library of Mr. Edward F. Coates.
Thomas Beckwith was of an ancient, if not distinguished, Yorkshire
family. He was born at Rothwell in 1730, “and served his time to George
Fleming, an ingenious man and house painter, from whom he acquired his
skill in drawing and painting, and imbibed a love for antiquities.” By
means of his great knowledge of genealogies he composed manuscript
pedigrees for some of the leading families of the North of England. He
was not only an unwearied collector, but very generous in imparting
information. He died at York on February 17th, 1786.
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