A Topographical and Historical Description of the County of Somerset; NIGHTINGALE.

EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED, FROM THE LIBRARY AT HALSWELL PARK

Containing an Account of its Towns, Cathedrals, Castles, Antiquities, Churches, Monuments, Public Edifices, Picturesque Scenery, The Residences of the Nobility, Gentry, &c. Accompanied with Biographical Notices of Eminent and Learned Men to whom this County has given Birth. Illustrated with Eleven Engravings and a Map.

Folding engraved map, engraved additional title, 11 plates and extra-illustrated with 13 plates after Shepherd and Bartlett etc.

8vo. [228 x 140 x 32 mm]. [5], 340-711, [11] pp. Bound in later 19th century half green goatskin, marbled paper sides, smooth spine lettered and dated in gilt, marbled endleaves, top edge gilt, the others untrimmed. (Lightly rubbed).
London: printed for Sherwood, Neely and Jones, and George Cowie and Co. Sold by all Booksellers in the County, [1819].

This is volume XIII of The Beauties of England and Wales, originally published in 25 volumes between 1801 and 1816. It has clearly stood alone for most of it's existence, and was extra-illustrated and rebound. There is some foxing or spotting throughout but it is not objectionable.

With the armorial bookplate and ink inscription "Added to the Halswell Library by H. M. Kemeys-Tynte 1891". Halswell Milborne Kemeys-Tynte (1852-1899) inherited Halswell Park in Somerset in 1891. Dating back to 1066 it was described by Pevsner as "the most important house of its date in the county", a view shared by Nightingale, who devotes five pages to the estate (pp.590-594). The family sold up and the contents were dispersed in 1950.

Stock no. ebc7912