The Antiquities of England and Wales Vol I (page 1/8)

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[picture: Front Cover, Grose's Antiquities of England and Wales, Vol I]

Francis Grose, Esq., FAS., The Antiquities of England and Wales, Being a Collection of Views of the Most remarkable Ruins and antient Buildings, Accurately drawn on the spot. To each view is added An Historical Accounf of its Situation, when and by whom built, with every interesting Circumstance relating thereto. Collected from the best authorities.
London, Printed by C. Clarke, for S. Hooper, No. 212 High Holborn, opposite Southampton Street, Bloomsbury Square, M.DCC.LXXXIII [1783]

My copy of Volume I is falling apart, but that at least means I don’t have to worry about damaging the binding when I scan the pictures. I took a photograph of this book open to the title page.

I wish I had more volumes of this series. I also obtained volume 3, but it came without the maps, unfortunately. The perils of eBay!

The maps in this series of books were originally engraved in about 1694 for John Seller’s Anglia Contracta. John Seller was a noted map maker and publisher of the second half of the 17th century, known especially for his sea charts. Years later Francis Grose got hold of the engraved plates for the maps and used them in this popular series of Antiquities, removing the John Seller cartouche. The colour in the maps would have been added by hand after printing.

There is a short biography of Francis Grose from 1814.

Captain Francis Grose is also known for compiling dictionaries. I have a copy of his Provincial Glossary. He also wrote a dictionary of slang; Project Gutenberg has made a text version of an 1811 version of this (I have a fac simile edition) and I have used this as a starting point, corrected many errors, and put it online as the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

There is also an entry in the Nuttall Encyclopædia for Captain Francis Grose.

Title: The Antiquities of England and Wales Vol I

Author: Grose, Francis

Published by: C. Clarke, for S. Hooper

City: London

Date: 1783

Total items: 53

Out of copyright (called public domain in the USA), hence royalty-free for all purposes usage credit requested, or as marked.

Some sample images

[picture: Tolmen Northwethel Scilly.  From the Druidical Antiquities Plate.]

Tolmen Northwethel Scilly. From the Druidical Antiquities Plate.

There are over 150 Bronze-age remains or sites on the Isles of Scilly; I could not find any specific information on this one at Northwethel and would appreciate further details. [more...] [$]

[picture: The grand Door of Barfreston Church in Kent.]

The grand Door of Barfreston Church in Kent.

On some of these arches is commonly over the key-stone represented God the Father, or our Saviour surrounded with angels; and below a melange of foliage, animals, often ludicrous, and sometimes even indecent subjects. Partly of this sort is the great [...] [more...] [$]

[picture: Front Cover, Grose's Antiquities of England and Wales, Vol I]

Front Cover, Grose’s Antiquities of England and Wales, Vol I

My copy of volume I is bound in full leather, but the boards are detached. I have Volumes one and three (and vol. three is missing the maps). [$]

[picture: Coats of Armor (Armour) and medieval (Mediaeval) weapons]

Types of Armour

Explanation of the Plate of Armour [more...] [$]

[picture: Printer's Ornament with harp and vine]

Printer’s Ornament with harp and vine

A printer’s ornament from the end of a chapter or section. This one shows a lyre or harp together with vine. [$]


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Places shown:

Anglesey ·Barfreston ·Bedford ·Bedfordshire ·Berkshire ·Bosiliack ·Buckinghamshire ·Cambridgeshire ·Carlisle ·Carn Brea ·Cheshire ·Chester ·Cornwall ·County Louth ·Cumberland ·Donnington ·Dundalk ·England ·Isles of Scilly ·Kent ·Keswick ·Lindisfarne ·Lostwithiel ·Northumberland ·Northwethel ·Penrith ·Plas Newydd ·Reading ·St Mary's ·Windsor ·none

Francis Grose, Esq., FAS., The Antiquities of England and Wales, Being a Collection of Views of the Most remarkable Ruins and antient Buildings, Accurately drawn on the spot. To each view is added An Historical Accounf of its Situation, when and by whom built, with every interesting Circumstance relating thereto. Collected from the best authorities.
London, Printed by C. Clarke, for S. Hooper, No. 212 High Holborn, opposite Southampton Street, Bloomsbury Square, M.DCC.LXXXIII [1783]

My copy of Volume I is falling apart, but that at least means I don’t have to worry about damaging the binding when I scan the pictures. I took a photograph of this book open to the title page.

I wish I had more volumes of this series. I also obtained volume 3, but it came without the maps, unfortunately. The perils of eBay!

The maps in this series of books were originally engraved in about 1694 for John Seller’s Anglia Contracta. John Seller was a noted map maker and publisher of the second half of the 17th century, known especially for his sea charts. Years later Francis Grose got hold of the engraved plates for the maps and used them in this popular series of Antiquities, removing the John Seller cartouche. The colour in the maps would have been added by hand after printing.

There is a short biography of Francis Grose from 1814.

Captain Francis Grose is also known for compiling dictionaries. I have a copy of his Provincial Glossary. He also wrote a dictionary of slang; Project Gutenberg has made a text version of an 1811 version of this (I have a fac simile edition) and I have used this as a starting point, corrected many errors, and put it online as the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

There is also an entry in the Nuttall Encyclopædia for Captain Francis Grose.


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