Rarities
Some of the rare books or documents in the collection, in no particular order.
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The eruption of Vesuvius 1779
Entitled Campi phlegræi, S.107.26 is a supplementary volume, illustrating an eruption of Vesuvius. It is so rare that only a handful of other libraries in the world are known to possess a copy. The Hathi trust have a copy online, digitised by McGill University, Canada.
The stencilled monogram AB on the flyleaf may relate to Countess Adelaide Brownlow.
Regicides - Wanted - Dead or Alive - 18th May 1660
An original list of those held responsible for the beheading of Charles I. A list of the 66 Regicides.
Upon complaint this day made by the Commons in Parliament, it is ordered by the Lords in Parliament assembled, that all these persons, viz. John Bradshaw ... who sate in judgement upon the late Kings Majesty when sentence of death was pronounced against him, and the estates both real and personal of all and every the said persons, ... who are fled, be forthwith seized and secured; and the respective sheriffs and other officers whom this may concern, are to take effectual order accordingly.
Perhaps sent to 'Old' Sir john Brownow at Belton as a former High Sheriff of Lincoln. There must have been relief that his younger brother, William, was not on the list. William had been a Parliamentarian and served in Cromwell's Barebone's Parliament of 1653 and possibly the Long Parliament.
The executioner holding the severed head of Charles I executed in 1649. In reality, the executioner wore a disguise and his identity is not certain, but probably Richard Brandon.
Henry Ireton, just below Oliver Cromwell on the wanted list, was his son-in-law and like Cromwell already dead. Nevertheless, Ireton's corpse was disinterred, hanged at Tyburn and beheaded. His body was thrown into a pit and the head placed on a spike at the end of Westminster Hall, facing the direction of the spot where Charles I had been executed.
Thomas Harrison, three below Ireton, was the first to be found guilty. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Charing Cross on 13 October 1660. He was a leader of the Fifth Monarchists who still posed a threat to the Restoration.
Annotation found in L.5.H2, a 1780 book refer to Richard Brandon's father, Gregory. Jack Ketch was Charles II's executioner.
L.46.A.5 An exact collection of all remonstrances, declarations, votes, orders, ordinances, proclamations, petitions, messages, answers, and other remarkable passages between the King's most excellent Majesty, and his high court of Parliament beginning at his Majesties return from Scotland, being in December 1641, and continued until March the 21, 1643
Published in 1643, this is a source book for the struggle between Charles I and Parliament.
The woodcut frontispiece shows the King sitting on the throne in the House of Lords, and bottom, the House of Commons in1643.
In 1643 Sir John Brownlow ('Old' Sir John) appears among others as representative for the County of Lincoln [sic].
The Lords and Commons now assembled in Parliament, being fully satisfied and resolved in their conscience, that they have lawfully taken up Arms ...
be it further Ordained by the said Lords and Commons, That, the Persons hereafter named, shall be Committees for the severall and respective Counties and places hereafter mentioned: That is to say; ...
Sir John Brownlow, Sir Thomas Trollop Baronets ...
The County of Lincoln with the City of Lincoln must pay the weekly sum of £812 10 s for the maintenance of the Army ruled by Parliament. Fighting had begun in August 1642, and so Brownlow was a Parliamentarian reluctant or otherwise despite receiving his baronetage from Charles I on 26 July 1641. He was the first and only Belton baronet as he died without progeny. Parliamentary levies against 'Old' Sir John were made in 1645-47 for demolishing forts and payment for Scots & Irish militias.
1st edition 1671
Has two pages of handwritten notes at the back, reproduced below, scribbler unknown.
John Milton was an English poet and polemicist, and a civil servant under Oliver Cromwell. Best known for his canonical epic poem, Paradise Lost.
In the spring of 1642, Milton rode to visit acquaintances in the Oxfordshire countryside, and came back a month later a married man. His bride was the 17-year-old Mary Powell, and the marriage was conspicuously not a success. After a few weeks of living with Milton, she left for a visit to her family and didn't come back.
Her mortified husband published a series of tracts arguing for a quite revolutionary change in the law: the right to divorce on the grounds not of physical infidelity but intellectual incompatibility. The Government sought suppress his wicked and atheistical views. In a pamphlet, Milton denounces censorship, and argues for toleration and the free expression of ideas. He imagines an enlightened commonwealth where all men can weigh the available evidence and come to informed decisions on important questions.
Annotations
Presumably a Brownlow has made extensive notes on Milton's work.
Delhi Durbar 1911
Library XVIII.1.33. Held to commemorate the coronation in Britain of King George V and Queen Mary. This seems a special edition from the usual version that has the additional title Official Directory with Maps. But the content looks the same. Sir Charles Cust is seen in attendance in the lower image. Printed and published by the Army and Navy Co-operative Society, Limited. Apparently the only other copies held are at the British Library and the Bodleian Library.
Collections for the History of the Town and Soke of Grantham 1809
Anti Library press XII.F.9, is included here because it has been personalised by a Cust family member to become a unique scrap book. The book itself is readable online here. Left the hand coloured map frontispiece.
The scrapbook has original water colours and photographs glued within, some have been removed. It postdates the 1st Earl Brownlow's death as it has a photo of his marble memorial. The photographs of the Mansion and gardens predate the construction of the North Offices and Dutch garden.
Some of the prints are by lithographer Amelia Cust (1822-1870), the daughter of the 1st Earl. She or her sister, Caroline (1820-1898) may be the author(s). If so, the same distinctive hand has labelled their mother's, Caroline Fludyer's sketch folder (NT433916) & an album (NT433922).
No recognised image of Caroline Fludyer is known. This Cust book offers a likely image of Caroline Fludyer (1794-1824), second wife of John, Earl Brownlow. She died aged 30. The scrap book also corrects a false attribution of a bust held at Erddig as that of Charles Cust.
Below left, a print glued within of an 'anonymous' bust by Richard Westmacott. Belton has 30 copies of this in the archives. Clues that suggest she is Caroline Fludyer are 1. her appearance in her daughters' scrap book, 3. the CB monogram, 3. the book's distinctive handwriting is seen on Caroline's sketch collection (NT433916) and 4. the connection to Caroline's memorial in Belton Church, below right.
Anonymous print of female head, date unknown, by Sir Richard Westmacott RA (NT433951) found in XII.F.9.
Detail of the monogram on print, an intertwined 'C' & 'B' with an earl's or countess's coronet. Consistent with Caroline Brownlow.
This face is from Caroline's memorial in St Peter & St Paul Church, Belton.
Let us use Amazon Rekognition to compare the various images to the likeness of Caroline on the church's memorial. Facial analysis checks to see if a face is identifiable and then draws a box around the face. Face recognition gives confidence scores expressed as the probability of a match; the recommended threshold is >=80%. It is important that the face not be obscured as when in profile. The images analysed here all have a >99% probability of being a face and an un-occluded face >99%.
The print, above, posited as Caroline gives a 96% probability of a match with Caroline's memorial face. Next let us look at the busts of an unknown woman at Belton & Amelia Sophia Hume.
Tagged as bust of an unknown woman, possibly Amelia Sophia Hume, Lady Brownlow (1787-1814) (NT436787). On its base is FLERE.ET.MEMINISSE, weep and remember.
A bust of Amelia Sophia Hume (NT436758).
The unknown woman bust matches to Caroline's memorial face with 98% similarity
Amelia's bust scores 12% similarity with Caroline's memorial, 16% with the unknown woman bust and 27% similarity with the print.
Two further sculpted faces unrelated to Caroline or Ameilia are included in the summary figure below to test robustness of this approach, Lady Marianne Alford NT436782 & Countess Adelaide Brownlow NT 436810. Neither individual matches Caroline or Amelia.
Of course we can use our own eyes to see that the hairstyles of the Caroline memorial face, print and unknown woman are very similar supporting our conclusion that we have genuine likenesses of Caroline Fudyer.
Amelia Sophia Hume's portrait (NT436172) matches her bust with 91% similarity. Similarity to Caroline's memorial face and the posited print of her are both 3%. With the unknown woman bust 4%.
The figure summarises the results. A similarity score of > 80% (green shaded area) supports that the faces compared are from the same individual.
East windows Manthorpe Church. St John the Evangelist was designed by architect George Gordon Place of Nottingham and built in 1847–48. It was built as an estate church by the Brownlow family to serve Belton Estate workers.
The book's owner provides a list of donors, mainly family, for various items in this church.
Countess Brownlow Territory. The cottage designed by Anthony Salvin for Countess Emma Brownlow on Villa Pond. Alas only ruins remain now.
Altar of Belton House Chapel. The descriptions state who gave the various items like candlesticks. The photo & water colour confirm marbleised wood.
The inside of St Peter & St Paul Church, Belton before the building of the north apse for Brownlow memorials. Signed, Amelia Cust delineator & lithographer. A version of this is held at Erddig.
Eustaces Seat Belton. Who Eustace was is unknown.
The garden that preceded the Dutch Garden
The Mansion before replacement of the cupola and attic window pediments by the 3rd Earl. The detail reveals the appearance of the north of the West Courtyard before building the North Offices from 1876.
The fencing on the east side comes off the northeast corner and not the southeast corner as now.
This bust left is labelled as of General the Honourable Edward Cust, MP for Grantham. But the real thing is at Erddig Wrexham and is described as plaster - of Captain, The. Hon. Charles Henry Cust (1813-1875) by Christopher Moore (1787-1863) (NT1151797.1).
Sir Edward Cust (1794-18978), younger brother of the 1st Earl Brownlow.
Charles Cust (1813-1875), son of the 1st Earl Brownlow.
Facial recognition matches Sir Edward to the bust with 84% probability. Charles' match is 8% probability. The author of the scrap book is correct this bust is of Sir Edward Cust on the balance of probability.