St John's College W.135

William Wilberforce scrap album

 

Scrap album, creator unknown, containing materials pertaining to William Wilberforce and the 1807 parliamentary election in Yorkshire.

 

From the bookseller's catalogue:

'Five separately printed broadsides, flyers and hand-bills; and numerous clippings from contemporary newspaper accounts, all either pinned or loosely inserted. Contemporary marbled paper wrappers. Worn and creased, torn at head with splitting to spine, loss to surfaces, several leaves detached. In spite of its state, the album appears intact (i.e. there are no obvious removals), and has preserved the contents rather well, apart from some creasing, misfolding, and occasional browning. The five separately published pieces comprise:

[RICHARDSON, Charlotte]. Address To the Freeholders of Yorkshire. York. T. Wilson and R. Spence, Printers, High Ousegate. Dimensions 152 x 195 mm. A trifle creased and marked, pinned to album leaf. Attributed in pencil to Charlotte Richardson.

[WILBERFORCE, William - Friends of]. York, 5th Month, 21st, 1807. At a meeting of the Committee of friends, at York, appointed to promote the Interest of William Wilberforce, Esq. Dimensions 200 x 110 mm. Single leaf handbill. A trifle marked, pinned to album leaf.

[A FREEHOLDER]. Freeholders of Yorkshire. [s.i.]. [s.n.], May 13th 1807. Dimensions 170 x 210 mm. Single leaf handbill. Slightly torn at foot, creased to edges, A trifle marked, pinned to album leaf, else fine.

[MOCK PLAYBILL]. By Desire of the Right Hon. Earl. F--tz--m. On wednesday, May the 13th, At the Theatre, Castle-Yard, York... [s.i.]. [s.n.], May 1807. Dimensions 140 x 175 mm. Single leaf hand-bill. A trifle marked, creased and chipped to margins, pinned to album leaf.

[A FREEHOLDER OF YORKSHIRE]. Yorkshire election and Mr. wilberforce. To the Editor of the York Chronicle. York. W. Blanchard, Printer, [s.d.]. Dimensions 400 x 500 mm. Single leaf broadside in five columns. Folded horizontally and vertically, else fine.'

Manuscript extra information

403 x 257 mm. Paper. 26 leaves, including blotting pages, plus press cuttings. Items originally mounted with pins were remounted, and loose items sleeved, by the Cambridge Colleges Conservation Consortium in 2025; the pins were retained and are sleeved separately alongside the item.

Purchased from Antiquates for £2500, September 2024.