SESSIONS

ONE: Printed document in the person of King George IV, containing a list of several hundred men appointed as justices of the peace, with extensive manuscript emendations and deletions in red and black ink. (A few names are added, but mostly the names of the dead are struck out.) Dated 16 November [1820] and signed in type ‘BATHURST.’ The first page is headed ‘Extracted from the Commission of the Peace for Northumberland.’ Aged and worn, with closed tear along fold-line of second leaf, the bottom corner of which is torn away, resulting in loss from around sixteen lines of text.

An interesting collection of material relating to the preparations for the historic first Secret Session in the House of Lords, from the papers of Neville Digby Bosworth Smith (1886-1964) of the Privy Council Office. The material dates from the five days preceding 25 April 1916, when the House of Lords having voted in favour of the measure, it held a secret session to debate a motion regarding conscription following the passing of the Military Services Act 1916. (For a contemporary account of the parallel proceedings in the other house, see Sir C. P.

32pp., 8vo. Stitched pamphlet. In fair condition, aged and spotted. In small print, with footnotes. One minor manuscript emendation.

In fair condition, on lightly-aged and rolled paper, attached with a rusty safety-pin. ONE: Harington's 'Suggestion'. 5pp., 4to. The document begins with his CV as it relates to England, the last entry in which reads: 'Chairman of Herefordshire Quarter Sessions since October 18, 1880. V[ice]. P[resident]. of Society of Chairmen of Q[uarter] S[essions].

50pp. used, 41 x 16cm, poor condition, surviving front cover (title "High Sheriff's Book") detached, gatherings partly detached. Most in Latin. One page only (November 1721) interpreted by scholar seems to be a record of the civil cases (names, dates, etc.) coming before the Sheriff, almost all concerning debt of relatively minor claims of damages.

24 pp, folio, some leaves detached, interleaved with blotting paper, not bound, fair condition; a scrawl of a handwriting, difficult to read. It starts with the date, 9 April 1823, Easter Sessions, two names of people who "qualified as magistrates", "The Revd R.P.B.