Commonplace book

Commonplace book, [1850s]-1898, of the Rev. William Rees, curate of St John-juxta-Swansea, Glamorgan (1848-1861), and vicar of Bettws, Carmarthenshire (1861-1865), and Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire (1865-1898), containing quotations and other transcripts from printed sources and material relating to Rees, his family history and to genealogy and local history in the Swansea area more generally.
Material relating to Rees and his work includes memoranda concerning Bettws Church, 1862-1865, including registers of attendance, lists of parish poor and copy letters (ff. 295 verso, 296 verso, 297 verso-302, 303, 304 verso); registers of attendance at Llanboidy Church, 1866-1868, 1876-[1897] (ff. 257 verso-264, 266 verso-271, 289-292); copies of nine letters published in The Welshman (1867) concerning his mixed language services at Llanboidy (ff. 153 verso, 154 verso-163 verso); transcripts of deeds, 1822, 1880, relating to family property in St John-juxta-Swansea (ff. 222 verso-229 verso); and copies of eleven letters to Rees, 1895-1898, mainly concerning the death of his wife (ff. 244 verso-247). Genealogical and historical material includes pedigrees and notes relating mostly to families in the Swansea area, as well as Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire (ff. 3 verso, 15 verso, 69, 166 verso, 174, 175, 180-184 verso, 191 verso, 198, 200 verso-217 verso, 240 verso-241, 264 verso, 271 verso-278, 280 verso-281 verso, 285-286, 287 recto-verso, 297, 303 verso, 309-310, 311, 312-314, 316); transcripts from parish registers and other records, mostly eighteenth-century, relating to Llangyfelach (ff. 159, 165-166, 171 verso, 175, 176, 193, 195 verso-196 verso, 198 verso-200, 215, 216, 217-218, 221 verso- 222, 230, 231 verso-236, 237 verso-240, 288, 295) and Llansamlet (f. 197 recto-verso, 244, 315 recto-verso); transcripts from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century wills, together with lists of wills, mainly relating to Llangyfelach (ff. 167, 169-171, 173-174, 176 verso-179, 180 verso, 218, 278 verso-280, 284 verso, 286 verso, 292 verso-295); names and other genealogical information extracted from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century manorial and taxation records relating to the manors of Kilvey and Clase, and to the hamlets of Parcel Mawr and Parcel Penthery [Penderry], Llangyfelach (f. 167 verso-168 verso, 172 recto-verso, 174 verso-175 verso, 185-191, 236 verso-237, 240, 241 verso-243 verso, 310 verso); miscellaneous transcripts and notes relating to Rees's ancestors, the Popkin family (ff. 176, 191 verso-192 verso, 195, 197 verso-198, 230 verso-232, 288 verso); and a transcript of the diary of Lewis Thomas [of Swansea] for January-October 1684 (ff. 282-284, 307-308 verso). The general quotations and transcripts, [1850s]-1897, concern a wide variety of subjects, including theology, history, Biblical history, literature, philosophy and Welsh poetry (ff. 2-3, 4-68 verso, 69 verso-148, 149-154, 164 recto-verso, 167 verso, 171 verso, 243, 247 verso-248 and 301 verso-306 passim). Items found loose within the volume, including two leaves excised between ff. 281 and 282 (now ff. 307-308), miscellaneous original documents collected by Rees, 1754-[mid 19 cent.] (ff. 320-325), and newspaper cuttings, [?1825]-[1933] (ff. 331-336), have been placed in an archival envelope (ff. 307-336).

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Mr Simon Luterbacher, Liss Books; Liss; Purchase; December 2017; 99817722002419.

Title based on contents.

Leaves excised after ff. 148, 239, 259 (2), 276, 281 (2), 288 (4), 303 (2), 304 (3), along with parts of ff. 280, 289-290. Upper spine repaired, upper cover and ff. i, 1-5, 305-306 re-attached, ff. 307-308, 313-314 repaired at NLW, 2019.

March 2019.

Description compiled by Rhys Jones.

Usual copyright laws apply.

Purchased by the seller from a dealer in the Midlands, who may have acquired it as part of a job lot at auction.

Published