A book from 1889
I found Salford Library selling some very old crumbling books. I had hoped to use to paper for crafting but it turned out the paper is so old it literally crumbles when handled so I was not able to use it. However I found some really lovely details in the book whilst looking through it and I really enjoyed the little rabbit hole it took me down.So the name of the book was "The Spending of the Money of Robert Nowell of Reade Hall, Lancashire: Brother of Dean Alexander Nowell 1568-15-80" edited from the origical by the Rev. Alexander B. Grosart. Printed for private circulation. I have been unable to find any context at all for this book and why anyone was interested in this topic. I have tried to glean at least a little about what it is about but it's utterfly impenetrable and incredibly boring! Here is a link to the internet archive copy The Spending of the Money of Robert Nowell
The front cover has no words on it but has the delicate embossed details, very difficult to capture in a photo!
The inside cover has this beautiful illustrated bookplate, showing that this copy was presented to Salford Royal Museum and Library by Rev. J Davies, April 1889.
I really love these little... gryphon things at the bottom. "integrity and industry"
This lion is really cute, with his head too big for his body. The tops reads "Honi soit qui mal y pense" which wikipedia realiably informs me means "shamed be (the person) who thinks evil of it" which is old norman french and is the motto of the British Chivalric Order of Garter, the highest of all British knighthoods. This is still a thing apparently and one of the current knights is Andrew Lloyd Webber..anyways.
Along the bottom it reads "Dieu et mon Droit" which is french for "God and my right" which is the motto of the monarch of the UK.
I found this handwritten note stuck across two of the first few pages. I love how you can see where the two pieces were cut and that they match pefectly together. I can't read all of it but love the "bungled the date" bit! The blue lettering at the top is embossed and raised and the paper is really very good quality. It looks in person, like someone just wrote this. I'd love to know who this was and why they put this in the book.
I looked up the address on the top of the page and here is the very house! I can imagine them sitting at a very Victorian desk in the house writing this very letter. They probably didn't have scaffolding on the house at the time but it's been a while.
On this page there is an ink stamp and the name of the printer "Charles Simms and Co. Printers 53, King Street, Manchester"
Heres 53 King Street today, grade II Listed Edwardian Baroque bank. But this opened in 1913, so maybe there was something a little more humble before?
So I looked up the printers and found this little "Simm's Railways Guide and Steam Packet Directory March 1871"
Simm's Railway Guide
I love this advert! "The best 1s DINNER in Manchester. Soup with fish, Flesh or fowl"
I am quite dissapointed to note, that looking through the guide, that they had a much better rail transportation system going on in Manchester back in 1871! What idiot closed these train lines?! Apparrently this was due to the "Beeching Cuts" in the 1960s. You can see all the closed lines on this website
Train Map Disused and Abandoned railway lines
Also this site Disused stations: Closed Railways Stations in the UK
oooh STEAM PRINTING!
I got very excited to find a very cool photo of a a steam printing press only to find on closer inspection that it was AI!! You can't trust anything these days!