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Minutes of the Society of Antiquaries of London 1719

Minutes of the Society of Antiquaries of London 1719 is in Minutes of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

7th January 1719. The Society Balloted for the Officers for this Year ensuing and the present President (age 57), Secretary (age 31), Director (age 41), and Treasurer (age 36) were unanimously Elected and declared.

The Question being proposed wheather or no, any member should have liberty to subscribe for prints in a larger than common proportion, it by way of ballot carryed in the Negative.

14th January 1719. It was proposed by Mr President (age 57) wheather every subscriber to the Plate of Richard II have each five prints, and by Ballot carried in the Affirmation, for their 7s:6d.

It was ordered that the Right Reverend Father in God the Bishop of Rochester & Dean of Westminster (age 55), for giving leave to take the Drawing be presented with two of the said prints, and that Mr Director (age 41) and Mr Treasurer (age 36) be desired to wait upon him on that Amount.

Mr Director brought in a proof of an Etched Plate of a Roman Lamp, to be used as a Symbol or Ticket of the Society which he was pleased to make a present of to the Society for which their unanimous thanks were ordered to be given to him.

21st January 1719. The Society by Balloting ordered that two prints of King Richard II should be delivered to the Monthly Contributors paying their Arrears the said Monthly Contribution having been applyed by the Society to the Expense of that Plate.

At the same time it was ordered that three Prints more of the Font should be delivered to each of the Subscribers thereto.

28th January 1719. Ordered by the Society that Mr George Vertue (age 35) Print off 100 Exemplar of the Font for a further Dividend to the Subscribers.

4th February 1719. Mr Director (age 41) was ordered to deliver out prints of Richard II to be sold after the rate of 2s:6d a peice [sic], allowing to the sellers 6d a peice [sic], and one over in a dozen. The Prints of the Font of St James after the rate of 1s:6d a peice allowing to the seller 4d a piece. The prints of Ulphus's Horn at 1s allowing Seller 3d a peice [sic].

11th February 1719. It was ordered that every Member for his last years contributions beside two prints of Richard II already ordered shall have three prints of the Font and two of Ulphus's Horn.

My Lord Oxford sent a brass old seal for the Inspection of the Society belonging to the Fraternity of St Lazarus of Jerusalem in England.

Dr Knight brought an old dye of a coin of Queen Elizabeth of a sixpence, found immured at Oakeley in Essex.

18th February 1819. Mr Kirk Patrick brought the seals of all of the Bishops of Norwich curiously drawn by himself from the originals which he designs for the Press.

Mr Vertue was ordered to print off 100 more of Rich: II, and 100 more of the Lamp; and he is desired to add the Inscription according to the Copy delivered to him if Mr Director approves of it.

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The Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.

25th February 1719. It was unamimously agreed to take a drawing of the Knights Templars and the Tomb of the Patriarch in the Temple Church and the Inscription over the Gate and Mr Director (age 41) is ordered to employ Seign. Grisoni (age 19) about that work, who is chose by the Society where we shall have occasion for drawings.

Ordered eodem die that 100 more of the Font, and 200 of Ulphus's Horn be printed.

Giuseppe Grisoni: On or before 24th October 1699 he was born. He was baptised on 24th October 1699. In 1715 Giuseppe Grisoni travelled to London with John Talman and tried to establish himself as a portrait painter. He did not achieve enough success to stay, however, and returned to Florence in 1728. In 1769 he died.

4th March 1719. Ordered by the Society that the Treasurer pay Mr Vertue (age 35) 2s [this may be Guineas?] in full for Engraving Ulphus's Horn.

11th March 1719. It was proposed that [?] noblemen and persons of quality as please to be members of the Society may be admitted by Ballot.

Ordered the same day a dividend of one print more of Ulphus's Horn to every member.

Resolved that Mr Vertue (age 35) goe to Kensington Pallace to view the pictures of Holbein, copied there by Remy, the originals being burned in Whitehall.

Resolved that in Mr Samuel Gale's (age 36) dissertation upon Ulphus's Horn be revised by Mr President (age 58), Mr Roger Gale (age 46), Mr Mickleton and Mr Holmes (age 57), or any three of them, and then printed.

NB. Ten members were present when the last resolution was made.

18th March 1719. Mr Vertue according to order having been at Kensington to view the copy of Holbein's picture of Henry the Eighth on the wall at Whitehall reports that the picture is about 4 foot long 3 foot broad wherein are the effigies of the King and his Queen, Henry VII and his Queen but the faces are so small that if it be reduced to a size fit for engraving he thinks it will not answer the intentions of the Society.

25th March 1719. Mr President brought an old deed of King Stephen's remarkable for the finesse of its character and largeness, dated MCXXXVII [1137] and likewise another deed of King Harry Ist's time as singlular for its minuteness and laconic style, and likewise the deed of William Albini founder of Belvoir Castle [Map], likewise the Royal Arms impressed in Rye dough which came from Hampton Court [Map].

Mr Director brought a sketch of a design of a plate to be printed as a headpiece or Emblem of the Works of the Society at the beginning of any publications, which he was ordered to to have [?]. Mr President made a Report in the name of those gentlemen who were ordered to revise Mr Samuel Gale's dissertation upon Ulphus's Horn and what alterations they hinted at, are submitted to the Author pleasure, and the work is ordered to be published and printed in a good manner in Quarto by Mr Gossin [?] at the charges of the Society with a print of the Horn before it, whereof a sufficient number are likewise ordered to be printed off. It was ordered by the Society that a manuscript of the Cotton Library being [?] Registrum Honors de Richmond with the Illuminations therein, be printed at their charges, and Mr Roger Gale (age 46) is disposed to get it transcribed, in order thereto, and the Director to have the drawings therein copied to be engraven, the whole to be done in the same form and magnitude with the original.

1st April 1719. Mr Hill brought a drawing of the Monument of the first Prior of the Monastery of Saint Bartholemew, and some other Inscriptions and Coats of Arms in the Church there.

8th April 1719. Mr President brough an M:S. of the Antiquitys and History of Penfied in Essex which was read over. It was wrote by Mr Holmes [Note. This is noted as?Holman so may not refer to George Holmes (age 57)] and thanks were ordered to him for it, it being a curious and very particular account of the place.

Ordered eodem die that one print of King Richard be presented to the public library of Oxford also one of the Font.