St John’s College Aa.3.35 (James 577)

Notes of lectures on logic delivered in St John’s College Cambridge. English, c. 1785.

 

Notes on logic written by John Whitehouse (c.1756-1824) whilst at Cambridge. An inscription on the first page reads “J. Whitehouse St John’s Coll Cambridge”.  Whitehouse matriculated at St John’s College in Michaelmas 1785 as a sizar and kept four terms. The notes are arranged into 68 short numbered articles, and are dated on the final page 31st May 1786.

 

151 x 95 mm. 104 unnumbered folios, final four leaves blank. Written in English in a single hand, with shorthand notes. Mostly written on rectos, occasionally also on versos, shorthand notes primarily on versos.  Hardbound, with vellum over boards, gold-tooled leather label on spine, binding repaired in 1825. Brown ribbon bookmark.

 

 

Provenance: the manuscript was bought by Rev. Hawksley at a sale of the author’s effects, and passed to his friend John Lee. It was bought at a sale of Lee’s manuscripts by R.F. Scott, then Fellow, later Master, of St John’s and given to the Library in 1888.

 

On the front pastedown there is an inscription “John Lee, Colworth”. John [Fiott] Lee  (1783-1866) took his BA at St John’s in 1806. He inherited Colworth House in 1815, and Hartwell House in 1827, which remained his main residence until his death.  Below the inscription is a donation label for Robert Forsyth Scott, 1888.

 

There are notes on flyleaves in various hands:

 

Hand of John Lee: “This manuscript was purchased for me, by my friend the Reverend Mr Hawksley of Souldrop, who was at the sale of the Reverend Mr Whitehouses effects, and the possession of the book is to me, a momento of a man whom I occasionally had the benefit of  being in company with at Mr Hawksleys house  - and whose character for piety, benevolence and humility was a pattern to many.

1825 April 22. No. 5 Doctors Commons.

Mr Whitehouse composed several good poems and was extremely fond of painting, anda person of much taste and learning.”

 

Hand of John Webster Hawksley (1768-1856), a contemporary of Whitehouse at St John’s and a friend of John Lee: “The following manuscript is certainly the handwriting of the late Revd John Whitehouse Rector of Orlingbury Northamptonshire, and is a copy of the Logical Lectures delivered at St John’s College in Cambridge about the year 1785. J.W.H.”

 

Hand of John Lee: “The short hand used in this MS was invented above a century ago by a gentleman of the name of Rich. F.P.”

 

Hand of Robert Forsyth Scott (1849-1933): “Purchased by me for 5/- at the sale of the Hartwell M.S.S. at Messr Sotheby Wilkinson & Hodge’s 10th Nov. 1888. R.F. Scott.”