Two dialogues in English, between a doctor of divinity, and a student in the laws of England, of the grounds of the said laws, and of conscience (London, 1687) has an ownership signature of Lupton Topham -- whose name reminds me irresistibly of Lipton's Tea! Do a Google search, and the first result which comes up is the online version of the Victoria County History, for vol. 1 of the history of the North Riding of Yorkshire, entry for the parish of Coverham, from which I learn the following:
"The Fitz Hughs retained Bellerby, and in 1518 Sir Thomas Parr was said to have died seised of the manor of Coverham, although his title was disputed by Lord Scrope of Bolton. The manor probably escheated on the attainder of William Parr, Marquess of Northampton, in 1553. From this time its descent is obscure, but it was probably, like the demesne lands of Middleham (q.v.), mortgaged by the Crown and ultimately sold to the freeholders. From the freeholders it has probably been purchased in recent times by the Tophams, Thomas Topham being lord in 1879 and Mr. Lupton Topham Topham of Lutterworth, Leicestershire ... being the present lord."
I am learning miscellaneous heraldic terms, in pursuit of the identification of owners of heraldic bookplates, but I think mastering the technicalities of land tenure terms is probably beyond the call of duty!
The next Google result takes me to ancestry.com, which has records for three Lupton Tophams, the first of whom (born 1702, died 1769) was born to parents named Christopher Topham and Barbara Lupton, but the other two of whom had fathers named William and William Watkinson -- plus a Lupton Topham Topham whose father was Edward Charles Topham. So the name doesn't seem to have passed directly from father to son. There is probably an extremely tedious thesis to be written on the subject of the use of surnames as forenames ... !
Friday 15 June 2012
Wednesday 6 June 2012
More and more Moriers
(or possibly - those of a sensitive disposition may wish to look away now - The More The Morier)
An Enquiry into the Foundation and History of the Law of Nations in Europe (2 vols, 1795), by Robert Ward, has the signature D. R. Morier on the title page. Looking this up on OLIS, the University library catalogue, I found: Morier, David R. (David Richard), 1784-1877. Looking up David Richard Morier in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, I found I'd already looked up his son, Sir Robert Morier, while researching Sir Robert's grand-daughter, who became the Hon. Mrs Cunnack (see entry for 24 May 2012). But the bookplates in Ward's Enquiry state clearly "d.d. The Hon. Mrs Cunnock, 1955" -- given that title and date are the same, and the surname differs in only one letter, I think this must be a lapse in concentration on the part of a predecessing librarian. Next on the shelf is The Law of Natiions, Founded on the Treaties and Customs of the Modern Nations of Europe, translated from the German of Prof. G. F. von Martens and published in 1803. On the title page are three signatures: in the middle, below the title, is that of D. R. Morier; below it, above the imprint, is that of R. B. D. Morier, with the date March 1855 -- that must be D.R.'s son, Robert Burnet David -- and at the top of the title page is another Morier signature, with initials J. P., and in the ODNB is an entry for D.R.'s eldest brother, John Philip. All three Moriers were diplomats, who would have had an interest in international law. Given the coincidence of initials, I think it's certain that the Morier family who owned these books and the Moriers in the ODNB are the same, and that the Hon. Mrs Cunnack (not Cunnock) is the former Hon. Alice Elizabeth Millicent Erskine-Wemyss (although I still don't know her connection to Somerville).
An Enquiry into the Foundation and History of the Law of Nations in Europe (2 vols, 1795), by Robert Ward, has the signature D. R. Morier on the title page. Looking this up on OLIS, the University library catalogue, I found: Morier, David R. (David Richard), 1784-1877. Looking up David Richard Morier in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, I found I'd already looked up his son, Sir Robert Morier, while researching Sir Robert's grand-daughter, who became the Hon. Mrs Cunnack (see entry for 24 May 2012). But the bookplates in Ward's Enquiry state clearly "d.d. The Hon. Mrs Cunnock, 1955" -- given that title and date are the same, and the surname differs in only one letter, I think this must be a lapse in concentration on the part of a predecessing librarian. Next on the shelf is The Law of Natiions, Founded on the Treaties and Customs of the Modern Nations of Europe, translated from the German of Prof. G. F. von Martens and published in 1803. On the title page are three signatures: in the middle, below the title, is that of D. R. Morier; below it, above the imprint, is that of R. B. D. Morier, with the date March 1855 -- that must be D.R.'s son, Robert Burnet David -- and at the top of the title page is another Morier signature, with initials J. P., and in the ODNB is an entry for D.R.'s eldest brother, John Philip. All three Moriers were diplomats, who would have had an interest in international law. Given the coincidence of initials, I think it's certain that the Morier family who owned these books and the Moriers in the ODNB are the same, and that the Hon. Mrs Cunnack (not Cunnock) is the former Hon. Alice Elizabeth Millicent Erskine-Wemyss (although I still don't know her connection to Somerville).
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Another exotic-looking name
Bound with the Manuel des consuls de commerce is a copy, published in 1826, of De la juridiction des consuls de France a l'étranger, by the Chevalier Laget de Podio -- about whom I can find nothing, save that a M. Laget de Podio was among those on board the Carlo Alberto arrested during the Duchesse de Berri's failed attempt to restore the Bourbon monarchy in 1832.
Monday 4 June 2012
This is War
Manuel des consuls de commerce, des négocians maritimes et des armateurs en course, by Louis Lareynie-Labruyere (whose full name, apparently, was Jean-Baptiste-Marie-Louis La Reynie de La Bruyère), published in Paris in 1809 --
Included at the beginning are various decrees issued by the Emperor Napoleon relating to a trade blockade of the British Isles. Any ship, of whatever nation and whatever her cargo, setting sail from an English port, or from an English colony, or from land occupied by English troops, is a legitimate prize, and liable to capture by French warships or privateers.
Included at the beginning are various decrees issued by the Emperor Napoleon relating to a trade blockade of the British Isles. Any ship, of whatever nation and whatever her cargo, setting sail from an English port, or from an English colony, or from land occupied by English troops, is a legitimate prize, and liable to capture by French warships or privateers.
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