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A commonplace book containing a copy, [?1812] (watermark 1808), of a journal of a picturesque tour in Wales and Ireland, 11 July-23 August 1812, probably written by William Osmund Hammond of St. Alban's Court, Nonington, Kent, describing scenery and points of interest, the weather, towns, people, inns, food, local customs and legends (ff. 17-148 verso).
The writer travelled by carriage in the company of his brother Maximilian [Hammond, later Dalison]. Departing from London on 11 July, the itinerary included Cheltenham and Gloucester (ff. 20-27), the lower Wye Valley (ff. 28-45), Brecon (ff. 49-52), Llandovery (ff. 53-54), Lampeter (ff. 58-60), Cardigan (ff. 61-62), Aberystwyth (ff. 65-71), Dolgellau (ff. 74-75) and Caernarfon (ff. 81-87), reaching Holyhead on 28 July (f. 87). In Ireland they stayed in Dublin (ff. 93-97), then travelled through County Wicklow (ff. 97-111) to Waterford (ff. 115-122) and Cork (ff. 123-126), reaching Killarney (ff. 128-148 verso) on 20 August. Included in the volume are descriptions of boat trips on the Wye from Ross-on-Wye to Chepstow (ff. 29-42) and around the Lakes of Killarney (ff. 131 verso-148 verso), the voyage from Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire (ff. 89-92), visits to a pin factory in Gloucester (ff. 22-24) and the glass blowing factory in Waterford (ff. 121 recto-verso), Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire (ff. 30-33), Tintern Abbey (ff. 38-41), Devil's Bridge, Cardiganshire (ff. 66-70), Snowdonia (ff. 78-80, 86), Caernarfon Castle (ff. 83-85) and Glendalough, County Wicklow (ff. 101-107). The Hammonds, and their friends and neighbours the Plumptres of Fredville (see ff. 20-21, 25), were acquaintances of Jane Austen (see Jane Austen's Letters, 4th edn, ed. by Deirdre Le Faye (Oxford, 2011), pp. 530, 562).

Diary, 1 May 1851-18 September 1852, of Lieutenant Herbert M[illingchamp] Vaughan, 90th Light Infantry, mostly while stationed at Ballincollig and Cork, Ireland. The diary contains an account of his various duties, his social and recreational activities, including balls, regattas, parties and picnics, and hunting and shooting.
Vaughan's company was at Ballincollig until late 1851, when it removed to nearby Cork; the regiment was sent to Dublin in August 1852 (f. 112 verso). Additionally Vaughan spent most of September 1851 on leave in London (ff. 38-46 verso) and was at home at Plas Llangoedmor, Cardiganshire, [9] October-[29] December 1851 (ff. 49-65 verso). Among the incidents recounted are the death by suicide of one of his men during an assignment to transport ammunition (ff. 8-11); [George W. Stone] performing Electro-Biology [i.e. hypnotism] experiments on some of his men (ff. 26 verso, 29 verso-30); several visits to the Great Exhibition in London (ff. 39 verso-43 verso passim); attending the Cork garrison races, [21] April 1852 (ff. 86-87 verso); and a riot by paupers at Cork workhouse, [9] May 1852 (f. 90 recto-verso). Vaughan assisted in keeping order during the Cork County by-election in March 1852 (ff. 82-83) and in Cork City at the General Election in July 1852 (ff. 102 verso-103 verso). His main preoccupation in open season was fox hunting and shooting game (ff. 49 verso-84 verso passim). A memo found loose within the volume, dated 31 July 1852 with additions to 1855, has been tipped in inside the back cover (f. 122, see also f. 109).