REPORTS

FROM THE

COMMISSIONERS

APPOINTED BY HIS MAJESTY

TO

EXECUTE THE MEASURES RECOMMENDED

BY A SELECT COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

RESPECTING

The Public Records of the United Kingdom

&c.

1800 – 1819.

Printed by Order of The House of Commons

M. DCCC. XIX.

Together with:

An Appendix to the Reports, in a larger, separate, matching volume

Containing “Engraved Facsimiles Inserted in the Several Works Printed Under the Commission with the Explanations”

The Appendix Contains 86 engraved plates.

Most of the plates are folding.

All of the folding plates are very robust, they are all linen-backed.

Many are highlighted in Red.

They cover the period from 1036 (King Stephen) to 1584 (Elizabeth I).

The plates reproduce important Statutes of the Realm, Scottish Acts of Parliament, The Magna Carta, Extracts from the Domesday Book, Rymer’s Foedera, Charters, The Seals of Monarchs, Examples of Monarchs’ handwriting, various 'Rolls', Important Acts of Parliament, the Petition of Rights and more.

Uniformly bound in their original Burgundy full leather, with ornate gilt border to the front and back covers. Four raised bands to each spine with elaborate gilt decoration on the bands and in the compartments, gilt titles in the second compartments. Gilt page edges to the reports volume, marbled pastedowns and endpapers.

Size: Reports Volume - 17” x 11”, 551 pages plus index.

Size: Appendix Facsimile volume – 19” x 11.75”. 86 plates.

Condition very good, cover and spine edges rubbed, appendix volume front joint partly split, occasional odd spot here and there, facsimile page edges dust marked, otherwise the contents are complete, the pages and plates are in very good condition all clean and intact.

As the introduction explains:

“In the early part of the Year 1800, the State of the Public Records was brought under the Consideration of the House of Commons; and thereupon a Select Committee was appointed “to inquire into the State of the Public Records of Great Britain, and of such other Public Instruments, Rolls, Books, and Papers, as they should think proper; and to report to The House, the Nature and Condition thereof; together with what they should judge fit to be done, for the better Arrangement, Preservation, and more convenient Use of the same.”

Towards the end of the same Session of Parliament, the Committee presented to the House the Result of their Labours, in the form of Two connected Reports; wherein after setting forth a brief Account of the Measures upon this Subject under the Authority of the Crown and Parliament in former times, and also relating to the course of Proceeding by which their own inquiries had been conducted, the Committee finally submitted to the Judgement of the House certain Measures for the better Preservation, Arrangement, and more Convenient Use of the Contents of all the various Public Repositories; together with systematical and alphabetical Enumerations of all the Recorded Memorials of the History, Laws, and Government of England, from the Period of its Conquest by the Normans to the Year in which the Union took place between Great Britain and Ireland”