Journal

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Richard Griffin [formerly Neville], 3rd Baron Braybrooke (1783-1858), Whig politician and first editor of Samuel Pepys's diary [Biblio.com

Autograph Letter Signed 'Braybrooke' from Richard Griffin Baron Braybrooke politician and editor of Pepys's diary to Rev. John Stevens Henslow Cambridge Professor of Botany discussing Lord Grenville's tree book and Dr Clarke's mulberry tree.

réf. 11509'Audley End'. 1 January 1832. 3 pp 4to. Bifolium. Good on lightly-aged paper with minor traces of stub adhering to the blank reverse of second leaf. The year 1832 has been added in pencil in a contemporary hand. The letter is on paper watermarked 1831. Docketed at head 'Braybrooke Ld.' He begins by informing Henslow that Lord Grenville has lent him 'the Book in which his Notes upon the growth of Trees during many years had been made. He assures me that nothing worth your notice will be found among the MS remarks but I am not of that opinion. Ld G is however very fond of the book as of an old acquaintance & the entries if once lost can never be replaced as no other Copy exists.' He feels 'very responsible' for the volume but does not 'hesitate to entrust it to you knowing that you will lock it up & return it by a safe messenger'. The Braybrookes are 'stationary' at Audley End and will be happy to see Henslow if he wishes to return the volume in person. 'I have also a large specimen of lilac wood <much> at your service should you not have one already.' He is enclosing 'a paper which I copied from a loose MS document in my Evelyn's Sylva'. He ends the letter with a report of the fruit-bearing properties of Dr Clarke's mulberry tree: 'the indented leaves were also all on the lower part of the tree only those above being all apparently of the common species'. In a postscript he reports that he has 'received no answer from Mr Blackie about the pruning system perhaps he is afraid of entering the lists with you Cambridge Professors! ! !' The Prime Minister William Wyndham Grenville 1759-1834 Baron Grenville planted at least 2500 trees at Dropmore House and at the time of his death his pinetum contained the largest collection of conifer species in Britain. 'A[udley] E[nd]'. 1 January [1832]. unknown

Richard M. Ford Ltd · Royaume-Uni120,00 £GB≈ 143,32 €

T H S Escott [Thomas Hay Sweet Escott] (1844-1924), Fleet Street journalist, newspaper editor ('The Fortnightly Review') and bioBiblio.com

T. H. S. Escott Thomas Hay Sweet Escott journalist newspaper editor ‘The Fortnightly Review’ and biographer of Anthony Trollope. Six Autograph Letters Signed mainly concerning autographs for the unnamed recipient’s collection.

réf. 25177Three letters from 1898 and one letter from 1899; the others from around the same time. All six letters from 90 Buckingham Road Brighton. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The six items - written in the semi-retirement that followed Escott's breakdown in 1885 Joseph Chamberlain and Lord Randolph Churchill took up a subscription for him - are in good condition on lightly aged paper. A total of 12pp 12mo. Closely written in a well-nigh illegible hand. All six letters are addressed to ‘My dear Sir’ and signed ‘T H S Escott’. Considering the execrable nature of the handwriting it is ironic that the main topic would appear to be the supplying by Escott of autographs for the recipient’s collection. Names that can be made out are: ‘Miss Helen Henniker’ ‘a very active “Society organizer” in London’ the ‘vizier to Ismail’ and ‘Sir John Mowbray MP for Oxford University’. A letter of 8 July 1898 begins in unusually readable fashion: ‘Perhaps the autograph of the present head of the Rothschilds may be of interest. It is a curiosity of caligraphy sic at least.’ Another legible passage on 12 July 1898: ‘Lady Stanhope is the great Conservative hostess just now. I add her autograph. & also that of Frederic Harrison’. Also included is an envelope presumably one of the autographs referred to above with penny stamp and London postmark addressed to ‘T. H. Escott. Esq. / 33. Sackville Road. / Hove. / Brighton.’ Also a cutting of a longish article on ‘BYGONE BRIGHTON. / BY T. H. S. ESCOTT.’ Three letters from 1898 and one letter from 1899; the others from around the same time. All six letters from 90 Buckingham Road, unknown

Richard M. Ford Ltd · Royaume-Uni120,00 £GB≈ 143,32 €