18th century

A letter from Mary Naftel, nee Higman (b. Cornwall, 1756-1820), to Mary Harrison, 1799. From The Friends' Miscellany, Volume 11. Mary was the wife of clockmaker and Quaker Nicholas Naftel (1762-1852), and travelled extensively in the ministry, including to America.

From Report relating to frauds in the Customs, 1733, Appendix, pp. 634-5.

It took four years and several appearances in Court for Thomas Tramallier (III) to force Pierre Carey to hand over papers concerning Thomas' grandfather, Thomas Tramallier Senior's (I) estate. Carey's wife was Thomas (I)'s cousin, the daughter of his uncle, the late William Tramallier, and an heir to her father's estate. William had been appointed Thomas Tramallier (II)'s guardian, and Carey had come into possession of the relevant papers on William's death. Carey was fined several times for non-appearance in Court; the Court had delayed sittings at his request, and grew noticeably exasperated. Eventually, on the 12 February 1719, Carey produced a set of books and documents before them. Thomas (II) had appointed his son to act for him.  These documents are listed and bound in a ledger entitled Copie de l'Inventaire de partie des Ecrits de la Succession du Sr Thomas Tramalier. 1715. [Note: the surname is written several ways in various documents: Tramallier, Tramailler, Tramaillier, even Tramalier.]

Guernsey miscellanea, a notebook by Edith Carey

Affecting 18th and early 19th century letters, from the Carey family, transcribed from a notebook of Edith Carey, Guernsey miscellanea. The image is of the famous Bell Savage Inn, on Ludgate Hill, London, where Catherine Baldock nee Carey reluctantly stayed in 1790 (see letter below), and is from the British Museum, Museum number 1880.1113.3266. 

From John Baskett's The Acts of Tonnage and Poundage, and Rates of Merchandize &c, London, 1731.

From Ferdinand Brock Tupper's History of Guernsey, printed by Stephen Barbet, New Street, Guernsey, 1854, p. 434. 'From the MS of a Guernsey jurat, now deceased, written in 1839 or 1840, we extract the following:'

'A slightly coloured sketch.'An oaken chest, half eaten by the worm, But richly carved by Anthony of Trent, With Scripture stories from the life of Christ; A chest that came from Venice, and had held The ducal robes of some old ancestor. That by the way—it may be true or false.[From] Rogers’ Italy.By Samuel Elliott Hoskins. Victor Hugo was not, it would seem, the first to transform the carved wooden chests of Guernsey into some other form of decorative furniture. De Beauvoir De Lisle got there before him!

By architect and wit Amias C Andros, published in the Star in 1879.  See the two bound volumes of his press cuttings in the Library for further information. The illustration is A view from Marshall's Hotel, 1832, by Celia Markham (in the Priaulx Library collection.)

Daniel Girard, Castle Porter, that is, prison warden/jailkeeper, lost his prisoner, George Pellew, who had been committed to his care by Jean Dobrée. Pellew owed Dobrée money. The Royal Court, under the auspices of the Juge-Délegué, William Le Marchant, had ruled on 8 March 1719 that Daniel Girard should not be required in any way to compensate Dobrée. Dobrée appealed to the Privy Council, who requested a report on precedents to the Royal Court. The following letter is what the Royal Court produced in reply; on reading it, the Privy Councillors confirmed the Royal Court's initial judgment and dismissed the appeal.