Calendars of the Ancient Charters, And of the Welch and Scotish Rolls, Now Remaining in the Tower of London

London: Benjamin White, 1774. Hardcover. Good. lxx, [8], 462, [32] p. 28 cm. Lacks frontispiece. 3 facsimile plates opposite p. lxx at beginning of text and one opposite p. 350. Two in-text illustrations pp. 348-349. Rebound in leather spine with marbled paper boards, new endpapers. Tape-repaired tear at bottom of first original leaf and tape-repair to p. 17. Title page has spot at bottom. Chipping from title to p. iii, p. 93, and last page of index. Some light soiling or thumbing inside with some dark spots to edges of p. 460 onwards.

Title continues: "Also Calendars of all the Treatises of Peace entered into by the Kings of England with those of Scotland; and of sundry Letters and public Instruments relating to that Kingdom, now in the Chapter-House at Westminster. Together With Catalogues of the Records brought to Berwick from the Royal Treasury at Edinburgh: of such as were transmitted to the Exchequer at Westminster, and of those which were removed to different Parts of Scotland by Order of King Edward I. The Proceedings relating to the carrying back the Records of Scotland into that Kingdom; and the Transactions of the Parliament there from the 15th of May 1639, to the 8th of March 1650. To which are added Memoranda concerning the Affairs of Ireland, extracted from the Tower Records. With Four Copper Plates, exhibiting all the various Hands in which the several Charters have been written, from the Reign of King William the Conqueror to that of Queen Elizabeth. To the Whole is prefixed an Introduction, giving some Account of the State of the Public Records from the Conquest to the present Time." This volume, with an introduction attributed to Thomas Astle, traces the history and neglect of England's Public Records. The introduction impresses on historians the necessity of scholarly research among the state papers. The book was actually begun by Rev. Philip Morant, who was at one time employed at the State Paper Office. At first published anonymously in 1772, this 1774 edition gives Sir Joseph's name on the title-page.