Add MS 41202 A-AA

MEMORANDA-BOOKS, A-E of Sir Edward Nicholas, Secretary of State, 1649-1669, F-Z of his son, Sir John Nicholas, Clerk to the Privy Council, 1667-1703, and AA of his grandson, Edward Nicholas, Treasurer to Queen Mary, 1706. With the exception of A, which was originally composed of loose gatherings of leaves, the notes are entered year by year in interleaved copies of printed almanacs. Vols. B, H, I are "Gallen," K, L "The Royal Almanack," the rest "Rider's British Merlin." All entries except those in A are of a private nature, and there are numerous accompts at the beginning and end of each volume. A contains political gossip relating chiefly to the affairs of Charles II in exile, the entries being fullest for the years 1649, 1650; it is written mainly in a cypher, whose key is on ff. 1, 21, with a sparse use of compendia. In F, ff. 23, 50, are references to a picture of Sir John Nicholas by "Mr Lely." Twenty-six volumes. Paper. Octavo. 1649-1706. Contemporary bindings of black, brown or dark blue leather, some tooled and stamped, with metal clasps. Belonged in the 18th cent. to William Nicholas of West Horsley, co. Surr., brother of Edward Nicholas (see AA, f. i), and from him passed into the Weston family of West Horsley; see Victoria County History, Surrey, vol. iii, p. 355. The signature of Henry Perkins Weston (d. 1826) occurs in vol. W, f. 17 b.

as follows:-