Bound manuscript entitled "A Collection of choice Songs English and Scots In Two Parts", compiled by John Robinson
Scope and Contents
This is a bound collection of Scottish and English popular songs and ballads assembled and transcribed by John Robinson, an alumnus of Appleby Grammar School, who later served as Member of Parliament for Westmoreland.
The volume is divided in two parts: part one, "Chiefly English", starts on p. 1, and ends on p. 74. The very first poem, entitled "Dedication", is taken from Scottish bookseller-poet Allan Ramsay's Tea-table miscellany: or, a collection of Scots sangs. There is an alphabetical index on pp. 73-74.
The second part starts on p. 75 until the penultimate page of the books (p. 167), and is entitled "The 2o Part consisting chiefly of Scot's [sic] sangs and Also a Collection of Fables, Epigrams &c. with An Index to each of them". The alphabetical index is on pp. 166-167.
The final page (p. 168) is a somewhat incongruous addition, entitled "The Names and the Shires or Counties in England & Wales with the numbers each sends to parliament", which points to the identity of the volume's compiler.
Dates
- Creation: 1765
Creator
- Robinson, John, 1727-1802 (Westmorland MP) (Compiler, Person)
Language of Materials
English and Scots
Physical Description
Quarto. Manuscript on paper. 168pp, the pagination continue throughout three parts. Contemporary sheep-backed marbled boards. Rubbed to extremities and surfaces, chipping at head of spine.
Conditions Governing Access
Open. Please contact the repository in advance.
Extent
1 bound MS volume
Custodial History
Inscribed (in the same hand as the text) "Liber Johannis Robinson Scholae [deleted] Aballabensis Alumni" to front endpaper, with a further inscription (and pen trials) of "Robt. Robinson", and a twentieth-century note of purchase from a Twickenham bookshop.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased in December 2022. Accession no. SC-Acc-2023-0023.
Physical Description
Quarto. Manuscript on paper. 168pp, the pagination continue throughout three parts. Contemporary sheep-backed marbled boards. Rubbed to extremities and surfaces, chipping at head of spine.
Processing Information
Catalogued by Aline Brodin and Paul Barnaby, using information supplied by the seller.
- Title
- Bound manuscript collection of English and Scots poems assembled by John Robinson, 1765
- Author
- Aline Brodin
- Date
- April 2023
- Description rules
- Isad(G)2
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk