CHAPEL BOOKS

Chapel Cottage, Llanishen, Chepstow NP16 6QT

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UK Customers please add postage @ £2.00 per book (£4.00 maximum)
Overseas customers will be charged Surface or Airmail as requested
Items marked * are post-free in UK

 

Hassell Family Bible
Containing a short family register, this concerns the family in Bishop Sutton in the 1870s. £18.50

[Wood document]  The Will of Mary Wood of Wiveliscombe
This is the probated copy of the will of Mary Wood.  There's no indication as to exactly when she died, but it was some time between making her will (June 1821) and the grant of probate (January 1822).  Though a spinster, she had 5 grandchildren (Dawbney-Harveys) all of whom are named as executors of her will.   Manuscript on parchment, the copy will is extensively foxed but as it is unique it'll have to do.  (ref 6/58)  £8.00 post-free 
Not for export

Bath
Undated, probably c1920. One of the small [approx 4"x5"] 'Notes on the Cathedrals' series produced by SPCK. 16pp, 15 photo-ills. Mild foxing to 1st page. Originally 1d, now *£0.50

The Historic City of Bath, England
Bath City Council Spa Committee, 1962 2nd. 4to, unpaginated, 2pp of intro successively in English, French and German, followed by 60 photo-plates, mostly full-page. One very striking feature is the absence of traffic in the photos, a feature which cannot be duplicated today. G in worn d/w. (ref 110/35) £4.50

[Bath]  List of Mural Tablets in the Town
Carbon copy of typescript list of murals erected between 1899 and 1938 commemorating the residences of famous people.  73 items in all, including details of who performed the unveiling.  (ref 80/16)  *£5.00

[Bath]  Covenant to Produce Title Deeds
This 1871 covenant concerning a couple of houses in Bath has a schedule of title deeds, the majority concerning various members of the Rivers family of Hampshire.   2 large parchment sheets.  (ref 3/475)  *£8.00 
Not for export

[Bedminster]  Abstract of Title of the Bristol Dock Company to the Redcliff Meads
The detail provided by this undated but undoubtedly 1810s abstract commences in 1739 when Sir John Smyth of Long Ashton left in his will the manor of Bedminster (the abstract is only concerned with this portion of what must have been a very large estate) to his three sisters, Anne Smyth, Florence Smyth and Arabaella Gore.  The Bedminster property stayed in the family until it was effectively compulsorily purchased following the 1803 'Act for Improving and Rendering more Commodious the Port and Harbour of Bristol'.   The abstract specifically mentions three plots of land then known as  Big Redcliff Mead [22 acres], Middle Redcliff Mead [8 acres] and Little Redcliff Mead [6 acres] which were acquired for over £12,000.  Although about two thirds of this abstract provides details of what appears to be inter-family property transactions in the 18th century, for anyone researching the formative years of the Bristol Dock Company this could be quite a useful document.  Manuscript on 32 large paper sheets.  The watermarks bear no date, but since the last transaction in the abstract is dated 1810 we are assuming the abstract will have been drawn up within a few years.  Normally an abstract of title has a blank sheet attached to keep the contents clean when folded for storage.  In this case it is clear this didn't happen, and as a result the last page is worn, torn & holed - fortunately without loss of text.  (ref 197/1)  *£33.00  
Not for export

[Clevedon] Inventory of House Contents of St Mary's Lodge, Walton Park
Carbon copy of 1921 typescript inventory covering 6pp. Each item is separately valued, the most expensive item being a walnut cased grand piano at £30. (ref 188/352) *£3.00

[Draycott]  Sale Poster
This sale of outdoor effects, shop goods and furniture was held at the Post Office in 1921 following the death of Henry Spencer.  Being only a poster announcing the sale, the descriptions of the items are only very general, nevertheless this is a useful local history item.  Items in the sale include 'Excellent Waggonette with Cushions and Hood.....2 Blacksmith's Pear-shape Bellows.....Iron French Bedsteads.....Costly Knitting Machine.....Seven Pairs of Men's Army Boots'.  Paper, single sheet, approx 17"x22", multifolded, very nice condition.  (ref 5128)   *£12.50

The Antiquities of Mells, Elm and Buckland in 1730
Michael McGarvie, reprinted from Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society vol 27, 1983.  Pp77-104 in pictorial card covers5 ills.  This is all about the largely forgotten antiquary John Strachey and his contribution to the study of ancient local history.  G copy (ref 0000)  *£4.00

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oare
Single sheet, 1970. Just send 8x5" SAE - Free

Shepton Mallet - Notes on the Charities of the Town
Herbert Heard, 1903.  96pp of details of the benefactors and much other detail of 25 town charities, several of which were inaugurated more than 300 years ago.   An ex-ref lib copy with occasional stamps but no outward sign of it being ex-lib.   Nice clean copy of this scarce book, easily VG.  (ref 3444)  £30.00

The History of Taunton
James Savage, 1822 2nd.  608pp, frontis of St Mary's church.  This is one of a number of copies which also contains 3 folding plates from the 1st ed.   Savage's ed is an updated and considerably enlarged version of Toulmin's original ed (1791), a small part of the additions being the inclusion of monumental inscriptions at St John's, St Mary's and the Baptist Chapel.  Recent half calf, mbld bds, new eps.   Scattered spotting & foxing mainly confined to the 1st & last  several leaves, offsetting from plates, minor dogearing to lower corners of quite a number of leaves.  For all these typical minor faults this is a better than average copy of this reasonably uncommon book (of which fewer than 300 copies were subscribed for).   (ref 7471)  £100.00

The Old Church of St Nicholas, Uphill
Lawrence Abram, 1955 3rd ed. Typical church booklet in grey printed card covers, 32pp of text + 8 full-page photo ills. The leaves are browned and the top corner is dogeared. (ref 7237) *£1.50

Wedmore's Moors and The Enclosure Acts of the 18th Century together with Some Records of the Parish relating to This Subject and Period
Cuthbert Arthur Rose, priv pub 1982.  Large 8vo, 142pp, plenty of photos & other ills, 18 chapters, 11 schedules and 4 plans which together are a local historian's dream - there's also a great deal for the genealogist.  Very nice clean copy, VG in G d/w.  (ref 1202)  £18.00

A Handlist of the Records of the Board of Guardians in the County of Somerset
1949.  129pp in buff card covers, starting with some good background material and followed by lists of records arranged under the various unions.  Though over 50 years old there's still much for the Somerset researcher.  VG copy, ex-Glamorgan Record Office Library, their stamp at foot of title-page, manuscript class mark on an otherwise blank spine.  (ref 252/123)  *£5.00