Description

[004490] Clarke, James. A Survey of the Lakes of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire: Together with an Account Historical, Topographical and Descriptive of the Adjacent Country to Which is Added a Sketch of the Border Laws and Customs. London: Printed for the Author, 1789. Second Edition. Elephant Folio. Half Calf and Boards. Good. [5], vi-xlii, [2], 3-193pp, [1], maps and plans

Slightly later quarter cloth and boards, leather title label to spine. Worn to edges, especially corners. Text lightly browned, maps generally clean, though one or two poorly folded and with small tears to folds, free endpapers browned, a couple of small nicks and tears to text

Former owner’s name to head of title, with note to reverse stating that this copy was bought from the author’s daughter in 1804, and that she was “more beautiful than Mary of Buttermere” (Mary of Buttermere, or the Maid of Buttermere, a celebrated local beauty, tricked into marrying bigamously, and mentioned by Wordsworth in The Prelude). A few errors in pagination as usual

Complete with eleven folding maps / plans and two full page engravings, with all but two of the maps with some hand colouring (unusually). There is also a folded, coloured Cary map of Westmoreland laid in loosely

James Clarke (1745-1790), was a Penrith based surveyor. This work’s maps, with the first detailed map of Penrith, unusually included details like field boundaries and landlord’s names. The two other engravings are a diagrammatic representation of the view from Penrith Beacon, and a thistle brooch

The maps were engraved by S.[amuel J.[ohn] Neele (1758-1824), see a long entry in Worms and Baynton-Williams, pages 482-485. Alexander describes him as “one of the most important trade engravers in London” (Alexander, A Biographical Dictionary of British and Irish Engravers, 1714-1820, pages 645-646)

Upcott pages 121-123; Hodgson, page 86 and Bicknell 19:2