A collection of some fifty-seven miscellaneous autograph letters, 1686/7-1930, mostly of Welsh interest, brought together by the dealer and collector Edward Hall, Surbiton.
Eighteen of the letters are correspondence of the barrister J. W. Buck, his wife Sophia (née Brigstoke, of Blaenpant, Cardiganshire), his sister Mrs Sarah Whittaker and their respective families, 1792-1825 (ff. 5-8, 10-43). Twelve letters, 1851, from various Welsh boroughs to H. W. R. Davey, Mayor of Beccles, Suffolk, relate to requests for copies of their borough seals (ff. 48-62). The remaining correspondents include Captain John Giles and Charles Hughes, Chepstow Castle, 26 January 1686/7 (ff. 1-2), Herbert Mackworth (to his wife), 1763 (ff. 3-4), [the Rev.] J[osiah] Rees, 1794 (f. 9), Wm Oldnall Russell, 1824, 1825 (ff. 40-43), [the 4th Duke of] Newcastle, Hafod [Uchtryd], 1835 (ff. 44-45), Hugh Miller, 1839 (f. 46), [Lord] Mostyn, 1855 (ff. 63-64), John C[ole] Nicholl, Merthyr Mawr, 1856-1859 (ff. 65-66, 69-70), Richard Cobden, 1856 (ff. 67-68), Thomas Purnell, [1860s] (ff. 71-76), [Henry] Brinley Richards, [?1870] (f. 77), J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps, 1882 (ff. 79-80), Watkin Williams, Dol-friog, Beddgelert, 1884 (f. 81), J. F. Stephen, 1884 (f. 82), E. Lynn Linton (to Andrew Chatto), [1888] (ff. 83-84), W. Bowen Rowlands (to Sir George Lewis), [c. 1893] (f. 85), C[harles] Vaughan, dean of Llandaff, (to [?Otto] Goldschmidt), [?1890s] (ff. 87-88), [Sir] Theodore Martin (to Goldschmidt), 1896 (f. 89), F[lora] A[nnie] Steel, 1905 (f. 91), H[arold] Greenwood, Llanelly, 1919 (f. 95), Ifan Kyrle Fletcher, 1930 (f. 98), and letters sent on behalf of the Princess (ff. 93-94) and Prince (ff. 96-97) of Wales, 1909, 1921. A price list, 18 January 1956, from Edward Hall provides valuable background information on those items purchased as part of the second group (ff. i-iv).