Dallaway, Rev.James
Antiquities of Bristow in the middle centuries; including the topography of William Wyrcestre, and the life of William Canynges (with) William Wyrcestre redivivus. Notices of ancient church architecture, in the fifteenth century, particularly in Bristol, with hints for practical restorations.
Bristol, Mirror Office 1834 ; Bristol, “printed by J.M.Gutch, for J.Norton (and others)” nd (but dedication dated 1 Jan 1823).
Full Description
4to. 2 items in 1. (2) + iv + (4) + 212 + (10)pp, hand-coloured wood engraved frontispiece, hand-coloured engraved plate before p.185, and engraved plate before p.209, also hand-coloured coats of arms in text, with three additional engraved plates bound in; 33 + (1), text ills printed in bistre, 1 engraved plate (the plate spotted). Contemporary quarter morocco, marbled boards. Late 19th century pictorial bookplate of John E.Pritchard, Bristol. A few mid nineteenth century pencil notes in blank margins identifying the locations of streets etc referred to by William Worcester. Later pencil note (by Pritchard ?) on verso of front free endpaper recording that first item is a “large paper” copy and that “only six copies printed”. Good clean copies of both titles.
Good copies of two books by the proto-architectural historian Rev.James Dallaway (1763-1834) bound together, both relating to Bristol. The first, a great prize for any specialist collector of Bristol-related publications, is apparently one of only six large paper copies printed of this particular title, BAL Cat 775, of which the major component is an annotated version of the Latin text of the remarkable topographical survey of Bristol carried out towards the end of his life by William Worcester (or Botoner) (1415-c.1485), a Bristol-born antiquary and local historian. Dallaway also brings together the information then available about the Bristol merchant prince William Canynges, discussing in the process the dating of the architecture of the great mediaeval church of St.Mary Redclyffe, Bristol. It is convenient to note here that the large paper edition is distinguished by the fact that the engraved plate bound before p.185 is hand-coloured, as are also the printed armorial shields which occur at several places in the volume’s text. Additionally, this copy, as may well be the case with the other extant large paper copies as well, includes three additional engravings previously used in other publications on Bristol and which are not found in copies of the ordinary small paper edition. The other title bound in this volume is a large copy (although not a large paper copy) of Dallaway’s earlier William de Wyrcestre Redivivus, in which Dallaway puts into the mouth of William Worcester a vivid autobiographical account of himself, followed by comments of Dallaway’s own on Bristol’s mediaeval church architecture and on the proper way of restoring the central tower of St.Mary Redclyffe, illustrated by rather pleasing text figures printed in bistre. BAL Cat 779.