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Manuscript memoir, 1774-1775, of William Owen, recalling his early years in the Royal Navy, from 1750 to 1761, in particular his time in India from 1754. The volume recounts life and events on board ship, together with incidents, escapades and misadventures ashore.
Owen went to sea as a midshipman and passed his Lieutenant's exam on 1 February 1758 (pp. 328-329). He served aboard several ships, most notably HMS Tyger, 1754-1759 (pp. 137-403), and HMS Sunderland, 1759-1761 (pp. 411-547). He participated in several naval and land actions in the Carnatic, Bengal and elsewhere, including the capture of Geriah (Vijaydurg), February 1756 (pp. 194-204), the expedition to retake Calcutta, December 1756-February 1757 (pp. 242-68), the battle of Chandernagore, 23 March 1757 (pp. 282-9), the naval battles off Cuddalore, 30 April 1758 (pp. 343-7), Negapatam, 3 August 1758 (pp. 368-73) and Pondicherry, 11 September 1759 (pp. 444-9), and the subsequent siege and blockade of Pondicherry, August 1760-January 1761 (pp. 530-53). Other incidents of note include a fraught voyage from Jamaica to England, October 1753-January 1754 (pp. 120-32), an ill-fated shooting expedition in Trincomalee, Ceylon, July 1759 (pp. 427-36), the loss of his right arm during a raid at Pondicherry, 6 October 1760 (pp. 531-6), and the sinking of HMS Sunderland in a cyclone shortly before Owen was due to rejoin her, 1 January 1761 (pp. 544-7). The volume, which contains occasional corrections, deletions and interpolations, is based mainly on Owen's journals, log books and other papers (see NLW, Glansevern Estate Records). In addition, certain passages, especially accounts of wider events, are either copied verbatim or adapted, without acknowledgement, from published works including Edward Ives, A Voyage from England to India… (London: Edward and Charles Dilly, 1773, ESTC T12210) (pp. 154-5, 163, 171, 178-9, 195, 197-8, 200-204, 210-13, 218, 223-5, 234, 242-3, 251-2, 259-60, 262-3, 264-6, 269-76, 280-81, 284-5, 294-305, 313, 316-7), and unidentified editions of Richard Owen Cambridge, An Account of the War in India, Between the English and French… (London: T. Jefferys, 1761, ESTC T145098) (pp. 339-41, 345, 353-60, 366, 368-70, 372, 386-9, 403-9, 454-90, 496-7, 513-20, 523, 558-62), John Entick, The General History of the Late War…, 5 vols (London: Edward Dilly and John Millan, 1763, T138198) (pp. 506-12, 520, 523-6, 540-43, 550-51, 553, 562-7), An Impartial History of the Late Glorious War (Manchester: printed by R. Whitworth, 1764, T110585) (pp. 459-50) and the third volume of An Account of the Voyages Undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for Making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere..., ed. by John Hawkesworth, 3 vols (London: printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell in the Strand, 1773, T74465) (pp. 578-82). Owen's second volume of memoirs is partly published in Narrative of American Voyages and Travels of Captain William Owen, R.N., and Settlement of the Island of Campobello in the Bay of Fundy 1766-1771, ed. by Victor Hugo Paltsits (New York, New York Public Library, 1942), a copy of which is included with the present manuscript (NLW MS 24132E(a)).

A manuscript containing an account of a tour from London through parts of England and Wales, 1776.

A volume containing transcripts, 1778-1781, by Thomas Evans, Cydweli, of pastoral poems (bugeilgerddi) by Edward Richard, Ystradmeurig, dated 1764-1776, together with a few other eighteenth-century poems in Welsh and some medical and veterinary recipes.

Nine letters, 1782-1784, from [the Rev.] E[dward] Owen of Warrington, schoolmaster and translator, to John Blackburne, Chester, mainly concerning points of difficulty in translating Classical Latin authors.
Owen comments on the works of Livy (ff. 1, 3 recto-verso, 5 recto-verso, 7 recto-verso), Horace (ff. 9-10, 12) and Catullus (ff. 12-13, 14-15). He also discusses a variety of subjects including Roman land measurement (f. 1 recto-verso), Roman coins (ff. 1 verso, 3 verso-4), Roman numerals (f. 16) and the arrangement of rowers in Roman ships (ff. 16 verso-17). Although apparently living in Chester at this time, John Blackburne's family owned Orford Hall, near Warrington, and he was elected MP for Lancashire in 1784.

A catalogue, 1781, compiled by the Rev. John Jones, Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, of Welsh manuscripts in the library of Sir John Sebright (1725-1794), Beechwood, Hertfordshire, which formerly belonged to his grandfather, Sir Thomas Saunders Sebright, bart (1692-1736).

Papers relating to the probate of the will of Mary Delany (1700-1788); and an attested copy of the will of Dr Patrick Delany, dean of Down. English. Purchased from Ifan Kyrle Fletcher, London, November 1965.

Journal, July-October 1788, of Thomas Ellis Owen, then a student at Christ Church, Oxford, later rector of Llandyfrydog, Anglesey, describing a tour of Germany, from London to Weimar.
The journal includes descriptions of Hamburg (ff. 2-3), Hanover (ff. 4 verso-6), Wolfenbüttel (8 recto-verso), the silver mines at Goslar (ff. 9 verso-11 verso), Göttingen (ff. 13-14), Münden (ff. 14-15), Cassel (ff. 15-19), and Weimar and its environs (ff. 21-28). The volume includes an anecdote relating to Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (ff. 18-19), and an account of a conversation with Goethe. (ff. 27 verso-28 verso).

The archive consists almost entirely of title deeds of the Hensol estate, 1419-1789, almost all in Glamorgan.

Diaries and journals of tours of William Dillwyn, 1774-1775, 1777, 1781-1790, recording his departure from Pennsylvania for England, tours of parts of England and south Wales, his religious, political and business activities, the anti-slavery committee, and family business.

Papers, 1727-1791, relating to both Clive's public and private life but mostly to the former. They include letter books of outgoing letters sent from both England and India, 1752-1774; Clive's financial records, mainly relating to his financial concerns in India, 1752-1774; estate and household records, 1761-1781; records relating to his official duties in India, particularly as governor of Bengal, including records he acquired of earlier East India Company employees, 1727-1772, political papers, including canvassing lists and poll books, [c. 1761]-1775; and records of Clive's trustees and executors, 1774-1791.

A journal of a tour of parts of England and North and West Wales, July-August 1791, containing descriptions of towns, castles, inns and scenery and of incidents along the way.
The unnamed author, possibly a member of the Wilson family of Broomhead, Sheffield (based on contextual materials filed seperately), travelled with two companions, starting from Cambridge on 11 July 1791. The English itinerary included Oxford, Birmingham, Coalbrookdale and Shrewsbury (ff. 1-8, rectos only). In Wales they visited Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Llangollen, Bala, Conwy, Bangor, Caernarfon, Beddgelert, Dolgellau, Machynlleth, Aberystwyth, Devil's Bridge, Cardigan and Carmarthen (ff. 9-25, rectos only, 24 verso). The journal includes an eyewitness account of the Priestley Riots in Birmingham on 14 July (ff. 6-7), and of an altercation between [?Richard Tavistock] Price and three apothecaries in Bala, 21 July (f. 12). A recurring theme is their difficulty in hiring appropriate transport from various landlords (ff. 19, 20, 25). The volume includes three pencil sketches of scenery (ff. 26 verso, 27 verso, 28 verso) and rough accounts (f. 29 verso, inside back cover, front and back covers). The bill, [16] July 1791, for their stay at the Tontine Inn, opposite the Iron Bridge, Coalbrookdale, has been tipped in on f. 26.

A volume entitled 'Casgliad [o] Gywyddau Englynion Cerddi a Charolau o Waith John Jones Athraw ysgol yn Llanddeiniolen Sir Gaernarfon', comprising Welsh poetry in strict and free metres in the hand of John Jones, Llanddeiniolen (fl. second half 18 cent.) (ff. 1-25 verso) and another contemporary hand, probably that of William Jones (ff. 26-34), including fourteen holograph poems of John Jones, [1774], 1778 and [n.d.] (ff. 1-12; cf. NLW MS 346B, ff. 51-73) and poetry by Ellis Roberts (Elis y Cowper), 1791 and [n.d.] (ff. 13-16, 31-32 verso), John Roberts, Treffynnon, 1791 (ff. 18 verso-21), Hugh Jones, Llangwm (ff. 23 verso-25 verso), Robert Gruffudd (ff. 28 verso-30) and an englyn by [Edward Jones] (cf. NLW MS 15C) (f. 25 verso).

Papers of John Bedford, 1762-1791, largely relating to his time in South Wales, and deal with iron-making techniques, his interests in experimenting with and improving these techniques, and the state of his own business ventures in forging and quarrying. The papers include notes on iron-making techniques, 1763-1788; management and business papers, 1766-1791; correspondence, petitions and miscellaneous notes, 1766-1789; and quarry notes, 1762-1789.

Pedigree and achievement of Edward Kerry (d. ca. 1698), Binweston, parish of Worthen, Shropshire, traced from Gwernen ap Gwaeddgar, lord of Bromfield and Iâl, Llyr Marini, king of Gloucester, and King Pelinor, with twenty-five other coats of arms, all emblazoned and painted, apparently copied by Joseph Patrick, 1792.

A manuscript volume, begun in about 1709, belonging initially to an Elizabeth Salusbury, containing numerous medicinal remedies and culinary recipes (pp. 1-186, 197-236, 238-242), together with a series of 'amlegues', diagrams displaying collections of dishes for different meals (pp. 187-196, 237). The volume appears to be in at least two different hands, the second appearing on pp. 122-207 passim. The contents of pp. 1-40 are listed at the front of the volume (pp. i-iv).
Also included is a small group of loose papers, 1756-1792 and undated, some relating to the Jones family of Llantisilio Hall, Llangollen, mostly consisting of further recipes (pp. 243-276). Elizabeth Salusbury is likely the daughter of Peter Salusbury of Abergele, who married firstly Thomas Peirce of Llysvaen in 1715/6 and secondly John Lloyd of Llansilin in 1720; her daughter Mary Lloyd married Thomas Jones of Llantisilio Hall in 1740. A letter, 1756, from John Leche (p. 275) refers to 'you and Mrs Jones' and to 'good Mrs Lloyd'.

Two letters written in 1793, from Piccadilly Factory, Manchester, by Robert Owen, social reformer, to Samuel Oldknow, Stockport.

Title deeds and other documents, 1608-1794, relating mainly to properties in Montgomeryshire and Shropshire.

A list, [September] 1795, by the artist John Malchair of Oxford, of drawings made by him on a tour of north Wales, 22 July-21 August 1785, written on returning to Oxford.
The drawings are described in chronological order, with some additional details and comments on the surroundings, people and weather. The itinerary includes Stinchcombe, Gloucestershire (f. 1), Dinas Mawddwy (f. 2 recto-verso), Barmouth (f. 3) and Harlech (f. 3 recto-verso), Merionethshire, and Beddgelert, Caernarvonshire (f. 3 verso). For a transcript of the list see Colin Harrison, John Malchair of Oxford: Artist and Musician (Oxford, 1998), pp. 150-152.

Drafts of letters, 1790-1797, from George, the first Marquess Townshend, to Lord Herbert (afterwards eleventh earl of Pembroke) mainly relating to the Queen's Dragoon Guards.