Morant's 'History of Colchester' and 'History of Essex'.(1)

The Revd. Philip Morant’s ‘History of Colchester’ (1748) and ‘History of Essex’, in two volumes (1768) are the first published histories of the County.  The Essex Society for Archaeology and History acknowledges the work of this local historian every year with a Morant Lecture in the spring and Morant Lunch in the autumn.  Several copies of the work have come into the possession of the Society over the years.  One of the most interesting is a copy recently repaired by a bookbinder and accessioned to our Library is one owned by a former member Isaac Chalkney Gould.  It is the original edition complete with plates which have not been interfered in any way with zealous librarian’s stamps to prevent the theft of the same.  It is one of the treasures of the Society, now in the special collection in our Library.  Before re-accession the current Honorary Deputy Librarian took some photographs. 

In the front cover are two handwritten notes which display the provenance of these two volumes.

“I desire that my friend Horace

Wilmer, may select any books,

china, or furniture, to the value

of twenty pounds as a free gift

in memory of one who appreciated

his never-failing kindness.

The 2 vol original edition of

Morants Hist. Essex (worth about

12 to 14 guineas) may form part

of the above if Horace Wilmer

has not the work already &

cares to possess it.

I C Gould

“My dear old friend died Oct 11 – 1907”

“Aug 1930

The 2 vols of Morant’s History of

Essex were given to me by my old

friend Horace Wilmer, FSA

H W Lewer

Priors, Loughton, Essex”

“[The volumes came into the possession of the Essex Archaeological Society in 1944]

The gift of H W Lewer, Esqr, FSA. Hon Treasurer.

Dec 1944”